rhc advantage, the new UK marketing communications agency for older audiences, is launching this month. A free research report is being offered to coincide with the launch.
Mark Beasley, client partner said: “For the first time ever, there are more adults aged over 45 than there are under 45. As the population continues to age, marketing must adapt with it. rhc advantage is an evolved agency that specialises in dealing with older audiences. This sector is highly sophisticated in marketing terms - they have grown up alongside marketing and advertising – and therefore requires the highest standards of creativity. That’s why we have created rhc advantage - to combine market insight, best practice planning and creative excellence. To demonstrate our credentials, we are providing a comprehensive review of the market through a free research report.”
The detailed report, entitled ‘Marketing and Older People’, is being offered via the website www.rhcadvantage.co.uk, at no charge (in digital format). The report aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to a diverse and complex subject, drawing upon an extensive and diverse range of data and research sources – from Government reports to academic research. The agency is also available to present the main findings of the report to interested groups, businesses and organisations.
The agency has been formed by Beasley – a former WPP agency director with 30 years marketing experience – with Richard Collyer, creative partner, and Melanie Haslam, planning partner. Together, the three partners have more than 75 years successful agency experience, which they believe will enable their clients to communicate with older audiences more efficiently, more creatively and above all, more effectively.
Mark Beasley said: “Older people are no longer a niche, but are at the heart of the mainstream. The size, growth, wealth and expenditure of older people are facts that are known to most organisations. However, while many organisations are keen to improve their alignment with this important group, they may not have been able to find the appropriate agency partner. We hope to provide a new alternative for such organisations, through a combination of our experience, expertise and insight. ”
This new creative marketing agency, which aims to help businesses improve their communications with older people, launches this month.
-ends-
Note to editors
1. For further information, please visit www.rhcadvantage.co.uk or contact Mark Beasley on 01256 704070, 0771 2137603 or via mark@rhcadvantage.co.uk
2. rhc advantage is part of the rhc group, a long-established independent creative hotshop based in an attractive converted coaching inn in Odiham, Hampshire, with a London office in Chelsea Harbour.
3. rhc advantage claims to be the only major UK agency or consultancy offering integrated marketing communications solutions for older audiences. The few major players in this space have their roots in consultancy, research or advertising.
4. The rhc advantage team is significantly older than the usual agency team. According to the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) 2008 Agency Census (published 22nd January 2009), the average age of employees in member agencies is 33.3 years: almost 50% are under 30 and just 5% aged over 50.
5. ‘Marketing and Older Audiences’ is a comprehensive review of relevant data and research, which draws upon over 70 sources. It is intended as a single-source introduction to the subject of older audiences and marketing in the UK - something which does not otherwise exist. It was produced by rhc advantage with direction from Professor David Gilbert, Professor of Marketing at the University of Surrey. The report is available as a word document or pdf file, and can be presented by rhc advantage with a supporting PowerPoint presentation to any interested audience.
For media information, contact Stephen/Deveta at srf on 01256 701010 or email Deveta@communicationmatters.co.uk.
Monday 14 December 2009
Monday 7 December 2009
rhc advantage becomes engaged to Age Concern and Help the Aged
rhc advantage, the creative marketing agency for older audiences, has been accepted as a Partner and Member of ‘engage’, the business network formed and managed by Age Concern and Help the Aged.
engage aims to bring companies together to share expertise in meeting the needs and requirements of older consumers, to promote best practice, and to advise on adapting business models and products for an ageing society. The engage network already has over 50 members, representing multiple consumer-facing business sectors across the UK and the world. These include Barclays, British Gas, BT, Currys, HSBC, Marks & Spencer, McDonalds, Microsoft and Sky.
engage also manages the ‘Age OK’ accreditation mark, which will be awarded to products and services judged to be sufficiently ‘age-friendly’. Next year, it is planned to extend the accreditation process to take into account the overall customer experience for older people. This is something that we see as particularly important. Being ‘age friendly’ must surely mean much more than an empty promise made in advertising and marketing communications. It is a belief that must extend across all aspects of the customer experience if it is to be credible.
For example, it is easy to believe that B&Q is age-friendly, given the consistency of its approach across employment, advertising and product. However, one can only assume that certain other retailers (sports retailers, say) are keen to deter anyone aged over 21, to the point of being age unfriendly, given their muzac and staffing policies. This despite some evidence that people over 21 - and indeed, over 51 - do buy sports clothing and equipment. New Balance, for example, is a well-known case history in this industry showing the successful growth of the brand once it stopped chasing youth and became more 'ageless'.
To take it a stage further, perhaps 'age friendly' and 'Age OK' are concepts that should be extended across other aspects of an organisation, such as employment practices. Thinking of our own industry, nearly 50% of staff employed by IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) members are aged under 30, while just 5% are aged over 50. This is in stark contrast to the distribution of people in the total working population. In this context, rhc advantage is very much the B&Q of the creative industry!
For more information - www.engagenetwork.co.uk www.rhcadvantage.co.uk
engage aims to bring companies together to share expertise in meeting the needs and requirements of older consumers, to promote best practice, and to advise on adapting business models and products for an ageing society. The engage network already has over 50 members, representing multiple consumer-facing business sectors across the UK and the world. These include Barclays, British Gas, BT, Currys, HSBC, Marks & Spencer, McDonalds, Microsoft and Sky.
engage also manages the ‘Age OK’ accreditation mark, which will be awarded to products and services judged to be sufficiently ‘age-friendly’. Next year, it is planned to extend the accreditation process to take into account the overall customer experience for older people. This is something that we see as particularly important. Being ‘age friendly’ must surely mean much more than an empty promise made in advertising and marketing communications. It is a belief that must extend across all aspects of the customer experience if it is to be credible.
For example, it is easy to believe that B&Q is age-friendly, given the consistency of its approach across employment, advertising and product. However, one can only assume that certain other retailers (sports retailers, say) are keen to deter anyone aged over 21, to the point of being age unfriendly, given their muzac and staffing policies. This despite some evidence that people over 21 - and indeed, over 51 - do buy sports clothing and equipment. New Balance, for example, is a well-known case history in this industry showing the successful growth of the brand once it stopped chasing youth and became more 'ageless'.
To take it a stage further, perhaps 'age friendly' and 'Age OK' are concepts that should be extended across other aspects of an organisation, such as employment practices. Thinking of our own industry, nearly 50% of staff employed by IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) members are aged under 30, while just 5% are aged over 50. This is in stark contrast to the distribution of people in the total working population. In this context, rhc advantage is very much the B&Q of the creative industry!
For more information - www.engagenetwork.co.uk www.rhcadvantage.co.uk
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