News
CrimeMapper Mobile launched
1st March '10
Earlier today we helped the Government’s fight against crime with the launch of a new crime mapping application available through a mobile phone.
Developed for the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) on behalf of all 43 English and Welsh police forces, the original desktop version launched in October 2009. We’ve now developed a new CrimeMapper mobile application that allows users to access information about local crime rates, police contact information and locations for the nearest police stations. This is available through all smart phones and the iPhone and has been unveiled today in a statement from Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
CrimeMapper allows users to access area based information such as the number of crimes committed, trends and the kind of crimes most prevalent. The data is shown through clear and simple maps, graphs and reports and has proved a huge success already with over a million visitors to the site and 10 million pages viewed. We’ve been busy with the desktop version recently too having added confidence survey results for all forces, changed the colour scheme and added an API.
We're in the Recommended Agency Register 2010
18th February '10
We’re delighted to have been included on the Recommended Agency Register (RAR) for 2010. RAR independently researches over 1500 clients each year to determine the best rated Advertising, Design, PR and Web agencies. Due to examples of quality work and testimonials from a range of clients (thank you!) we’ve once again made it into RAR.
Everards blog on pub refurbishment
17th February '10
Everards Brewery are investing £350,000 into the refurbishment of The Cradock Arms pub in Knighton, Leicester. They wanted a quick and easy way to keep their online fans up to date with what’s been happening, so we’ve created them a quick, simple and easy to use blog. They can upload photos, audio and video, even from a mobile phone on site as the refurb takes place!
You can see all the work as it happens on The Cradock Arms blog.
A new website for Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust on the horizon
8th February '10
We’re really pleased to be working on a new website for a local wildlife charity. Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust has over 14,000 members in the area, and over 30 nature reserves. This week, they’ve sent us hundreds of photographs from the nature reserves covering plants, trees, landmarks and animals of all shapes and sizes. As we pick and choose the best ones for the site, it’s hard to find a bad one amongst them. We’re really excited about how things are coming together, look out for the launch later in the spring!
Opening a marketing door for Hörmann UK
5th February '10
We’re delighted to have been appointed to handle public relations for international door manufacturers, Hörmann after a competitive pitch.
Hörmann, a family owned company, is the largest manufacturer of garage and industrial doors in Europe with over 6000 staff and a turnover in excess of €1 billion.
Our work will be focused on raising the profile for Hörmann (UK) Limited, through public relations and some online promotional work.
Sales Director, Domestic Division, and Marketing Manager at Hörmann UK, David Newcombe said: “RKH are used to working with international clients and I was impressed with their grasp of our strategy and a refreshingly real-world approach to public relations. This will effectively be a re-launch of the brand in the UK and we look forward to working with their team.”
Jamie Hatches a Golden Tweet
7th December '09
Our very own Account Director Jamie Mollart has been presented with an award for his work on Litopia’s Twitter feed.
Litopia is one of the web’s oldest and most significant independent writing communities.
Organised by creative marketing magazine The Drum, Jamie was presented with his Golden Tweets award in London for the best use of Twitter.
Jamie has used Twitter to identify the need for prospective writers and then provided them with guidance towards the best advice available on the net. Through his work, Litopia has generated over 3500 new followers in only 3 months.
The award is a great recognition of how we at RKH are incorporating social media into marketing communications.
Well done Jamie!
A nose for curry
5th December '09
We’ve been putting our taste buds to the test again by holding another one of our popular “Nose for…” evenings.
Leicester Indian restaurant, the Tiffin treated us to an insight into some of the secrets behind making a good curry and provided tasters of their best dishes for the assembled guests which included many of our clients.
The evening follows a string of “Nose for…” events we’ve held with previous nights involving wine, cheese and chocolate tasting.
There’s more photos on “our Flickr page” and our apologies if you have to go out for a curry now.
RKH help UK police forces crack crime
20th October '09
Pictured above, left to right: Brian Clifford – Chief Inspector of the National Policing Improvement Agency, David Hanson – Policing Minister, Paul Sculthorpe – RKH Senior Web Developer and David Moore – RKH Director.
RKH has proved a national cyber success, after developing a crime mapping system used by police forces across the UK
The CrimeMapper website provides information on the crime rates for every region in England and Wales. The user friendly design enables visitors to zoom in to street level anywhere in the country, browse in “local” and “national” mode to see how crime varies within the forces and across all areas and provides detailed information about the policing team responsible for the local region.
Three members of our website development team Director David Moore, Senior Web Developer Paul Sculthorpe and Web Developer Leon Bayliss began working on CrimeMapper in September last year, after being initially chosen by 30 police forces to develop the local sites. Later this year, we were tasked to develop a national site, used by all 43 UK police forces.
Visit the CrimeMapper website via http://maps.police.uk/ or via your local police force’s website.
RKH challenge BBC presenter to reach new heights
14th October '09
Web Developer, Ian Moore challenged BBC Radio Leicester presenter Rupal Rajani recently to learn how to rock climb in a week.
Rupal was given the task of climbing a 12 metre wall at the Leicester Outdoor Pursuit Centre under the guidance of their team and Ian.
Ian set the challenge on Rupal’s lunchtime show on the Monday after completing his own incredible year of Iron Man style feats including climbing Mont Blanc (the highest peak in Western Europe).Rupal got off to a good start on her first lesson and even though she didn’t quite make it to the top in the final challenge; she got three quarters of the way up – an excellent achievement given her fear of heights!
Director challenges Leicester to stop being a lunch wasteland
9th October '09
Director, John Harris has kept Leicester city centre’s restaurants on their toes recently after challenging them to provide good quality cuisine and service.
After taking a client to lunch in the city centre, he found to his dismay the food was not up to the required standard. Having a strong opinion on the subject and fearing that Leicester is trailing behind in the region’s good food stakes, he decided to do something about it.
Our PR department got on the case by making John’s challenge known to the media. He has since appeared in the Leicester Mercury and has already been taken up on the challenge by a local restaurant.
NHS ward information booklets
26th August '09
We’ve recently worked with the Leicestershire Partnership Trust to produce booklets for each of the Trust’s specialist wards. Jamie (Account Manager) and Matt (Designer) both spent time on the wards with the service users and staff, and were both humbled and inspired by the experience. The result was a series of beautifully designed booklets, incorporating service user artwork, that are intended to introduce people to their new environment and aid them in the recovery process.
Media storm created through moment of contemplation
20th August '09
We managed an exciting campaign recently as part of efforts to help save Launde Abbey from closure. The “Contemplation Couch” with Warden Tim Blewett was placed in front of the clock tower in Leicester city centre, to offer the public a chance to sit and take time out from city mayhem.
Launde Abbey is a Retreat House and Conference centre based in Leicestershire. Set in beautiful countryside, it offers a place of relaxation, peace and time to escape life’s hustle and bustle. The “Contemplation Couch” helped show the importance of Launde Abbey and its value to those who visit it.
The creative idea proved to be a success by adding to the £1 million needed to keep Launde Abbey open. The campaign also received substantial interest from targeted media such as the BBC, ITV, radio and regional magazine media. The final decision on the future of Launde Abbey will be made at the end of August.
For more on the Save Launde Abbey appeal, visit the website at www.savelaundeabbey.co.uk.
Climbing high for The Stroke Association
13th August '09
On the 4th August at 8:15am CET Ian stood on the summit of Mont Blanc (4810m, the highest peak in Western Europe) in memory of his Granddad, to raise money and awareness for The Stroke Association. Over to Ian…
“It’s hard to explain quite how tough but incredible the day was for me, as there’s little I can compare it to. The cold and strong winds nearly took me off my feet a few times, which was particularly draining on terrain that required complete concentration. However, the feeling of reaching the summit, combined with the personal motivation of why I attempted the climb when I did, made the whole experience very special. After a 15hr long day climbing on the mountain, I was very glad to be back down in Chamonix. But now I can’t wait to get back up to high altitudes to test myself again, and I’m not short of ideas for what to attempt next!”
Ian’s climb of Mont Blanc is part of a year long series of challenges, including the Great North Run (the largest half marathon in the world) in September, the Leicester Half Marathon in October and the New York Marathon in November. These future challenges will wrap up over 100 miles of competitive road running and ascents of two of the world’s tallest mountains (Ian climbed Mount Toubkal in March, the highest peak in North Africa).
To keep up to date with Ian’s charity challenges you can follow his blog or twitter feed, and if you’d like to make a donation to The Stroke Association for all Ian’s running/climbing this year go to www.justgiving.com/ian2009.
Photos
Ian on the summit of Mont Blanc (Main)
Summit ridge of the Weissmies, Switzerland (Top right)
Ian on top of the Allalinhorn, Switzerland (Bottom right)
John Harris and his band of merry runners
20th July '09
It was a good turnout on Sunday, as director John lead a team of seven RKH men around the Sherwood Pines 10K run.
In true competitive style, the fitties of the office, Matt and Ian, battled it out for first place, finishing the race in a sub 50 minute time – breaking their personal bests achieved in the race last year. For other members of the band, it was their first competitive run, with David, Rick and Paul all passing the finishing line – and in respectable times as well! The event wasn’t without drama however, as Jamie Mollart suffered an injury only 1km in, and the St John’s Ambulance had to rush out to tend to his twisted ankle and torn tendons.
After all the hard work, the day ended on a high, with the runners joined by more members of RKH and their family to enjoy, celebrate and recover over a burger before it tipped it down with rain! They timed it well!
Launde, camera, action...
6th July '09
Our PR department has helped get the Save Launde Abbey campaign message out to the whole of the Midlands area thanks to two television features secured on BBC East Midlands Today and ITV Central News.
Both the Bishop of Leicester, Tim Stevens, and Warden of the Abbey, Tim Blewett, were interviewed for the two news pieces – which were broadcast to over 2 million people.
Even Mark Group's website now more efficient
2nd July '09
(Image shows from L-R: old – new)
We’ve recently redesigned the website for the Mark Group, the UK’s largest supplier of insulation and home energy efficiency solutions.
The site now features easily accessible information about key products, company news, events, promotions and case studies from people who’ve seen a real difference thanks to the Mark Group’s services.
Analysis of visitor data has shown us that the new site has generated more sales leads than the previous one!
See how we’ve helped even more people save energy on the Mark Group website
RKH Roomba sweeps around the office dancefloor
1st July '09
We’ve all been admiring some clever, smooth moves exhibited by our new office recruit… Roomba the robot cleaner!
We let ‘Rooby’ loose this morning to clean up the RKH HQ, and here’s the video of his first outing navigating our desks and chairs!
Supporting local artistic talent
29th June '09
Later this year will see Passion2Print, a Leicester Print Workshop exhibition highlighting a rich, vibrant and contemporary selection of original prints all produced by members of the Workshop who have used the print studio as an affordable place to practise their craft.
We’ll be supporting the exhibition by designing and printing the promotional event fliers and our very own designer, Matt Laws, along with Kathy Fawcett from the City Gallery, will be choosing the final prints to be displayed at the six-week showcase event.
Passion2Print will be running from Tuesday 22nd September – Sunday 18th October, (Preview Sunday 20th September, 2-4pm), at the Rufford Craft Centre, Nr Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, NG22 9DF.
And then in a second venue, Upstairs at The City Gallery, from Monday 16th November – Friday 28th November, 90 Granby Street, Leicester, LE1 1DJ.
The Leicester Print Workshop, based off Evington Road, caters for a full range of traditional techniques including lithography, etching and screen printing and offers a comprehensive education programme, with regular workshops on a variety of printing techniques – which we have attended and have thoroughly enjoyed!
For more details go to www.leicesterprintworkshop.com or email info@leicesterprintworkshop.com.
Daylight gets RKH to illuminate its work
25th June '09
Supply chain solutions provider Daylight has appointed us to redesign its website and carry out its regional, national and trade PR.
The supply chain specialist, which has offices in Leicester and Newcastle, is an expert at delivering comprehensive analysis, in-depth planning, and sophisticated yet simple-to-use bespoke supply chain management software. Its tailor made software packages provide companies with solutions to streamline their buying operations, helping to reduce over stocking and long lead times. Its clients include Grant’s Whiskey, AstraZeneca and Nestle.
We will be raising Daylight’s profile in media all over the country and making sure that many different publications shine their spotlight on its supply chain successes. See the new Daylight website here.
RKH receives holy orders to save Abbey
28th April '09
Launde Abbey has appointed us to help it generate £1million by the end of August, cash the building needs for vital restoration work to prevent its closure.
We’ve launched a ‘Save Launde Abbey’ campaign through an integrated PR, direct mail and web strategy, and we’re already seeing good interest and coverage in the regional titles and trade press.
The Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Tim Stevens says: “I’m confident that RKH’s media strategy will help us raise the money we need to keep Launde open. They’ve already put together a great website, and now it’s about getting people involved and attracting sponsors for our cause.
“The Abbey’s played such an important role in the community for many years, helping thousands of people get away from it all to reassess and take a closer look at their lives. It’s one of the rare places where people still have the space, and also the support to think about life’s deep questions and take stock of their own spirituality, and it would be a great shame if the county lost it.”
Launde Abbey is one of the UK’s last remaining Church of England retreat houses, welcoming in around 20,000 people a year, but its open door policy and residential capabilities mean it needs to conform to the latest health and safety requirements. The £1m will secure the ongoing future of the Abbey, allowing it to continue as a place for spiritual support, refuge and silent contemplation, and as a meeting place for relevant organisations.
The RKH designed Launde Abbey campaign website is www.savelaundeabbey.co.uk
Marathon achievement
28th April '09
RKH’s Jamie Mollart (left of picture in black) revved up for the biggest running challenge of his life on Sunday as he completed the Flora London Marathon in 5 hours 43 minutes.
The run was Jamie’s first 26 mile course and follows on from many other long distance races he’s completed in the last year, including half marathons in Birmingham, Silverstone, Brighton and the BUPA London 10k run.
Our account manager raised £1,750 for his chosen national charity, Aspire – which works with individuals suffering from spinal injuries.
Well done Jamie!
RKH helps Carpet.it cover new ground
22nd April '09
Our latest creative success has been some design for Carpet.it. The online retailer commissioned us to come up with some classy packaging to showcase samples of its extensive carpet range, and it’s gone down a treat with the Managing Director David Winter, who’s delighted with the work.
“The customer response has been fantastic,” he said. “Many have commented about the sample pack and how upmarket it looks. Some say it’s even like they’ve received a gift through the post! We wanted something a bit more unusual and eye-catching to promote our products and we’re really pleased with the design from RKH. They’ve come up with a very clear layout and way of showing off our carpets which definitely attracts attention. I can’t wait to see the results.”
We’ve also redesigned the corporate logo for the company and we’re working with the retailer to develop a consistent brand, a more effective website and further strategy for marketing its growing business.
Amazing response from email campaign
6th April '09
Residential and commercial property developer Davidsons sent out its first RKH designed Broadcast email campaign this week, and was amazed at the ensuing response. 25% of people who received the campaign email were so impressed that they got in touch with Davidsons to request more information about the company and its properties.
Sales manager Stephanie King was very pleased. She said: “We received a high customer response straight after the campaign was delivered – it just goes to show how effective email marketing is – and we now look forward to the next one going out!”
Find out more about our Broadcast email campaigns here.
Team goes 'mad' for WWF
27th March '09
We held a Mad Hatter’s tea party this week to support WWF’s Earth Hour.
The initiative is a global campaign to encourage one billion people, and hundreds of iconic buildings and landmarks, to switch off their lights for one hour at 8.30pm on Saturday 28th March 2009, and show their support for positive action on climate change. Millions of people around the world are expected to hold candlelit dinners and parties to mark the event.
So to do our bit, we got four members of the RKH team transformed into Alice, the Mad Hatter, the mad March hare and the sleepy dormouse to enjoy a candlelit get together with a difference.
Colin Butfield, Head of Campaigns at WWF said: “WWF hopes that the people of Leicester will follow RKH’s lead and take part in the hour by holding candlelit dinners with their friends and family.”
See more pics of our transformation here.
RKH features in FAME!
18th March '09
We shared our industry expertise this morning, as guest speakers at ‘FAME: The Creative Industry Show’ hosted by De Montfort University.
The event was held to showcase successful companies and individuals in fashion, arts and the media in the East Midlands and offered a programme of presentations giving advice on how best to get into the creative industry fields of digital marketing, journalism, web design and broadcasting.
We sent along Jamie (advertising account manager), Paul (senior web developer) and Matt (designer) as the online and advertising experts and they talked about the power of social media; in particular, tools such as Twitter and Facebook, and how these can successfully be used as part of a brand communication strategy.
100% of participants at our seminar said the advice was good, and specific comments also revealed that the RKH session was very helpful for inspiring people with thoughts on career moves, ideas for creating company business plans and the relevance of digital media.
