In November 2010 Bonfire were tasked with the second stage evolution of the Chad Valley catalogue pages, the leading toy brand purchased by Argos in 2010.

This development is part of a longer term brand growth strategy first initiated with Bonfire in October 2009. The potential for this core brand is extensive, and substantial growth is expected in the coming few years with further development and positing. The brand has already seen substantial growth under the ownership of Argos and this second stage is a huge step towards Chad Valley establishing a more rounded visual and competitive proposition alongside its peers.

Is it a well known fact that buying products off the page is a big decision for customers as they can’t touch, feel or see the product. Therefore how the products are displayed is critical in the buying cycle. It is important customers understand the size of the produce, the features and benefits as quickly as possible. For this reason context is added wherever possible to make the buying decision easier. In addition it is even more challenging with a catalogue of this size – what makes a potential customer stop and browse?

We needed to create an honest, friendly, clean, relevant and bright environment in which the products could live and one that provided a platform for the brand to grow. We evaluated brands that were successful and liaised regularly with the brand team at Argos to rationalise our approach and creative developments.

The results are creative, flexible and extremely well composed placing the Chad Valley brand firmly alongside the key players and competitors. Initial response shows that the pages have much greater stand-out and dwell-time on these pages is increasing. Deepa Kotecha, Brand Manager at Argos, is extremely pleased with the outcome and the stress-free management style adopted by Bonfire.

The catalogue has just been launched (22nd January 2011) so in time we will see just how successful these changes have been. Watch this space for other Chad Valley developments in the near future!

This January came the exciting opportunity for Bonfire to work with Reebok.

RFE International, based in Milton Keynes, hold the license for Reebok Bikes, Reebok Gym Equipment, Adidas Sports Apparel and Golds Gym amongst many other leading brands and products across the world.

Our task was to develop a set of engaging, user-friendly assembly instructions for each of Reebok’s four core bike product strands (ATB, city, BMX and family cycles). Reebok’s brand style guides are very inspirational and make working on these projects a real pleasure.

It was imperative for Reebok that this set of guides, although functional pieces, enhanced the overall brand experience and reinforced Reebok’s core values. At the heart of our thinking was the creation of a series of A2 posters that folded down to A4. Whilst the covers were embellished with brand-centric illustrations the inner spreads displayed the assembly instructions on a single page in a clear and concise format. It was felt that dynamic product photography should be used throughout the assembly instructions themselves for added clarity, and a bold personality statement was also used to encourage and support an ‘open it, build it, use it’ factor.

Paul Pisani, Senior Account Manager at Bonfire Creative Intelligence, says “Reebok, as a brand, have tremendous heritage and a customer that expects particularly high standards of quality and creativity. We wanted to ensure these manuals created the correct ambience and attitude to carry the brand and match these expectations.”

Stephen Judge, Director, adds “The bikes, due for sale through Argos later this year, look fantastic and every aspect of the experience has been considered to the greatest of detail, including the manuals. We are sure that these outcomes will deliver great customer experience and we look forward to developing this partnership further. As much as anything else, working with these brands even makes you feel healthy!”

The Brand team at Argos approached Bonfire in January this year to help develop a centre piece for the bi-annual Catalogue Atrium Event at their Head Office, in Milton Keynes.

The purpose of the Event is to showcase a selection of brands to the Argos, Homebase and wider Home Retail Group staff, providing the perfect platform to communicate their value, ethos and new product lines to an all consuming audience.

The brands being showcased this year were Colourmatch (colour themed homewares products) and Go Create (mix and match sofa range), which we researched and developed the brand name and identity for last year.

Time was tight and we needed to develop a highly visual engagement factor. It was agreed that the best method to generate interest would be to create a lifestyle area that demonstrated the products in a realistic environment people could feel comfortable with. Along with this, we wanted to highlight the brand identity so that synergy with the products and brands were quickly married. The graphics developed were aspirational, clean, contemporary and distinctive. We managed to bring the 2 brands together in one room environment without diluting the focus of either Colourmatch or Go Create.

The room set received a great reception from colleagues and attendees alike and was live 3 days before their latest catalogue launch to generate interest and buzz.

This New Year sees the exciting launch of Advance Catering Equipment’s ‘Food for Thought’ email bulletin, packed full of product information, and delicious recipes. Aimed at the UK’s top and most ground-breaking chefs, Food for Thought ensures that industry news and information on key catering trends is only a click away.

Advance Catering Equipment, a highly experienced provider of commercial catering equipment to the healthcare, leisure and hospitality sectors, approached long-term agency Bonfire to create an identity/masthead and HTML newsletter for a niche in its customer base. The bulletin targets trend-setters such as innovative chefs and restaurant owners/entrepreneurs. Bonfire were briefed to steer away from traditional corporate email newsletter designs and develop a solution that would be seen as credible by these high-flying individuals.

Luke Boxall, Marketing Executive at Advance Catering Equipment, commented, “Trends from fashion to technology have a significant impact on the catering and hospitality sector which is notoriously fast-paced. Our customers have little disposable time therefore an email bulletin perfectly complements their busy lifestyle, helping readers to stay abreast of crucial industry news. We also highlight products that help restaurants improve their productivity and profitability, so there’s a real business benefit in reading each issue.”

Gemma Umney, Senior Account Manager at Bonfire Creative Intelligence, added, “Advance Catering Equipment are an incredibly innovative company. Many suppliers within the catering and hospitality market refuse to steer away from traditional marketing techniques however Advance are embracing digital marketing channels which is a crucial development in staying ahead of the game.”

Each issue of Food for Thought is created and delivered through PillarboxRead, Bonfire’s HTML campaign marketing tool. This has proven to be very popular with clients including Advance, Fujifilm Medical and Hainsworth due to its user-friendly interface and reporting. Gemma Umney added, “Clients specifically like PillarboxRead as they can see results immediately. It is excellent at monitoring the articles that are most popular, ensuring that future issues can be tailored to the recipients preferred topics so each email has real editorial value.”

Stephen Judge, Director at Bonfire, adds “It is important to remember that digital marketing does not replace traditional channels, it complements them. It’s about getting the right balance between the relevant channels for your business and maximising the overall impact through an integrated, consistent approach.”

Barens Chocolate have launched an advertising campaign to capture the hearts of chocolate lovers in the run up to Christmas. The adverts invite consumers to beat the festive rush and fill their stockings with Barens’ delicious range of luxury milk chocolate at discount prices.

Barens, a Swiss chocolate manufacturer, appointed design and branding agency Bonfire Creative Intelligence to create a series of advertisements to showcase a variety of their products including; Moon Melody, Alpen Zoo and hollow Milk Chocolate Santas. The series of four adverts ran throughout November and December in popular television listing titles Inside Soap and All About Soap. Gemma Umney, Senior Account Manager at Bonfire, comments, “These titles offer a captive audience. We are a nation of soap lovers who love nothing more than to curl up on the sofa and indulge in some of our favourite treats.”

The campaign drives readers to 99p stores where chocoholics can take advantage of the Barens’ range for only 99p. Normally priced at £1.99, this gives consumers the perfect opportunity to enjoy luxury chocolate at a fraction of the price. Gemma Umney adds, “In the current economic climate buyers are having to tighten their purse strings and make savvy Christmas purchases. Whether it’s parents purchasing goodies for their children’s Christmas stockings or adults looking for a treat, consumers can rest assured that they’re getting exceptional quality without breaking the bank.”

Sales have been increased 35% week-on-week with the fourth and final advert being published in All About Soap on 18th December.