Family friendly four star hotel chain QHotels have launched a fun new children’s pack to coincide with the start of the school summer holidays. The pack centres around a family of illustrative ducks known as ‘The Quackers”.

Following the creation of a new Quackers character, Eggbert, earlier in the year QHotels approached Bonfire Creative Intelligence to produce the promotional packs. The brief was to develop a fun, vibrant pack to support the QHotel’s enhanced childrens policy. The free Quacker’s gift packs would be used to welcome families upon check-in and keep smaller guests happily occupied at mealtimes.

As an added-value promotional item, the packs needed to be produced as cost-effectively as possible. Gemma Umney, Bonfire Senior Account Manager, comments, “In addition to the branded activity materials for the children we also looked at parent-friendly giveaways to promote the QHotel brand. Quackers branded reward stickers were also incorporated to encourage good behaviour. We also designed a colour-me-in postcard, so children can tell friends and relatives about their stay at their QHotel.”

Whilst Bonfire Creative Intelligence couldn’t promise sunshine for the school holiday, they did deliver every other aspect the project required including the design and artwork for the activity component, the pack, branded merchandise, print management and fulfilment.

Bonfire are pleased to report they have been working with Leeds based QHotels, who run a sizeable chain of 21 unique four star hotels, in both urban and rural settings across the UK, after winning the branding work for their Party Nights 2010 collateral in February. This is a key area of business for the prestigious hotel chain, and Bonfire have subsequently been commissioned to develop a wide range of branded promotional material for the 2 core areas of their business; leisure breaks and corporate conferencing facilities.

The leisure break work includes national advertising and direct mail campaigns, breakaway club incentive promotions and Quackers Club for the younger visitor.

On the conferencing side Bonfire has produced, amongst other projects, the ‘Conference Calm’ Campaign which awarded a spa voucher for every conference booking made, and the ‘Dream Destinations’ campaign which offered those enquiring about the conference and meeting venues the chance to win a once in a lifetime trip to South Africa.

When Bedford brewery Wells & Young’s committed to the core values of Integrity, Respect, Inspiring, Excelling, Winning, and Passion they knew that communication was key. As the fiercely independent, largest private brewer in the UK they knew they had a distinct culture to protect, embed and nurture as they grow. They wanted all staff, from production to boardroom, to live and breathe these core values so they turned to Bonfire Creative Intelligence. This project involved the development of a brand and promotional collateral for their internal communications strategy.

Bonfire had a challenge on their hands; how to communicate these core values in an engaging and aesthetically pleasing way to such a diverse range of people?

A themed campaign was developed within which each value was given a colour and an iconic illustration. These illustrations were kept clean and simple to ensure ease of translation across a variety of contexts. The internal company magazine, Beer Matters, was given a facelift in-line with the campaign and articles were colour-coded to indicate which core value they related, bringing internal communications on brand.

Key touch points were also identified throughout the premises. A six-sheet Adshel poster was displayed outside head office, banners were hung in the production area, and drink mats and mouse mats displaying the values were distributed amongst the staff. The adaptation of the medium to suit the diverse contexts within Wells & Young’s ensured that the key messages were heard throughout the company.

The project is being rolled out over an initial six-month period focusing on one value and its meaning per month. The campaign itself starting in February of this year.

This campaign followed the successful delivery of the company’s most recent annual report in December 2009, which involved direction of photography, design and artwork for print.

Bonfire has been appointed by local brewers Wells & Young’s to develop the marketing collateral and trade pub kits for Eagle IPA, Bedford’s local beer. Eagle IPA, is named in honour of Bedford’s crest and is the proud sponsor of Bedford’s other local talent, the Bedford Blues Rugby Club.

Wells & Young’s brews and distributes some of the UK’s best-loved cask beers and speciality lagers, and has a heritage dating back to 1875. The re-launch programme’s core aim is a reassertion of the relationship with Eagle IPA and the local community.

The project consists of on-trade promotional kit materials and a large signage project in and around Bedford’s Goldington Road rugby stadium.

Olympus VN5500PC-DNS

Having been narrowly beaten by Team Saatchi in the recent pitch for the Olympus PEN camera, agency Bonfire Creative Intelligence, part of Envibra Group, has triumphed in the five-way pitch for the latest Olympus TV campaign.

The new ad, for the Olympus model VN 5500PC DNS digital voice recorder, is set to air on terrestrial and digital channels in August and will be aimed at students planning purchases for the September term.

Mark Thackara, National Marketing Manager – Consumer Products, Olympus KeyMed said: “The Olympus VN 5500PC DNS is a superb product and it needed a different approach to ‘your standard ad’. We worked with Bonfire when developing the Mju 790SW advert, now known as the Toddler ad, and they showed a great understanding of the product, its market and how to approach it creatively, but we had already placed the work with our incumbent agency. With this in mind we invited Bonfire to tender for our latest campaign.

“As a branding consultancy Bonfire’s approach was very different, analytical in its deduction and highly creative in its application. I have to give credit to Bonfire as an up-and-coming agency for their refreshing and enlightened approach to what was an equally challenging brief. Their costing structure was also very impressive – open, inclusive and honest and I look forward to working with the Bonfire team on this campaign – and again in the future.”

Bonfire MD Stephen Judge said: “The ultra-compact Olympus VN 5500PC DNS will be optionally bundled with Dragon ‘Naturally Speaking’ voice-recognition software and the creative features a fun demonstration of how converting voice recordings direct to essays can save students vital time. An 18+ version for viral and cinema is also under consideration and campaign budget exceeds £300,000.”

The great Anita Roddick, human rights activist and founder of The Body Shop, left us with many wise phrases. One is: “I just want The Body Shop to be the best, most breathlessly exciting company – and one that changes the way business is carried out. That is my vision.”

That vision is what makes the Body Shop different. And beautiful.

So Bonfire is honoured to be entrusted with the window graphics installations at the flagship Oxford Street and Leeds Briggate stores.

The latest campaign – for Spring – promotes the new fragrance LOVE Etc – see here.

Three further installations are planned for completion in Summer, Autumn and Winter.