Archives: Case Study

Supporting Q Associates to promote their latest acquisition through core website changes and new assets

ABOUT Q ASSOCIATES

Our client, Q Associates, is a leading independent specialist IT services provider offering secure, reliable cloud and infrastructure solutions to more than 400 clients across commercial and public sectors in the UK and beyond.

THE ISSUE

As an award-winning platform, data and services specialist, Q Associates helps their clients drive innovation and leverage the best services and technologies. In their commitment to provide their customers with a solid foundation for digital transformation, Q Associates completed the successful acquisition of Apex Group, a specialist provider of cloud and networking services, in June 2020.

Q Associates helps their clients drive innovation and leverage the best services and technologies. In their commitment to provide their customers with a solid foundation for digital transformation, Q Associates completed the successful acquisition of Apex Group, a specialist provider of cloud and networking services, in June 2020.

They wanted to announce the news of their recent acquisition both internally and externally the following month. Having a robust marketing plan in place was critical to the success of the announcement.

To showcase Q Associates’ expanded portfolio of services, we identified that the website content would need a significant refresh whilst maintaining brand identity. This also meant that new visual assets were required to share amongst their staff, customers and prospects. There was a lot of work to do and a tight 2-week deadline to meet whilst keeping this strictly confidential before the launch.

THE SOLUTION

Due to the confidential nature of the announcement, a small project team was created internally to focus on designing, creating, and launching the new content within the deadline. 

Our goal was to not only help Q Associates launch their expanded services offering, but also support their new awareness campaign. This involved creating new sales enablement assets, such as PDFs, as well as social media posts and a customer PDF to aid in promotion.

As new web page designs were required to accommodate the new content, we utilised this opportunity to refresh the page layout with a modern style.

This not only effectively showcased Q Associates’ expanded range of services, but also strongly complemented their data centre infrastructure and data management solutions. All designs were kept consistent in terms of their look and feel and led to an update in the visual direction Q Associates wished to achieve.  

As the deadline was so tight, a very strict schedule of work was created to ensure there was enough time for development once the designs had been signed off.

THE RESULT

By collaborating as a small team with Q Associates, GUK were able to deliver all assets, content, and updates by the given deadline.

This allowed Q Associates to announce the acquisition internally and for the site to update LIVE during this meeting, prior to sharing externally with clients, prospects and UK press.

The sales assets provided immediate support to the Q Associates sales department, and the social media assets allowed team members to share the news consistently, helping to extend reach as well as drive more traffic to the new web pages.

This acquisition builds on Q Associates capabilities in some of the most influential areas driving business today – cloud computing, converged infrastructure, modern workplace and data analytics. 

GUK were delighted to support Q Associates during this exciting time and the launch of the new site was delivered smoothly, on-time, and they were exceedingly satisfied with the results. In addition, Q Associates were so pleased with the updated visual identity, this spurred a new project on updating their brand guidelines, which we implemented across multiple assets over the following months.

Haulier Charter Brochure

CEMEX is a leader in the building materials industry, providing high-quality and sustainable products to generate great value for its stakeholders.

CEMEX is dedicated to helping build a greater Britain, and has a firm commitment to sustainable development.

Nearly 10 years ago, we were tasked with creating a Haulier Charter for CEMEX to ensure that their Haulier’s network can reflect the company’s values, as well as to conform to safety responsibilities, rules and best driving practices.

This has taken the form a 61 page guide, that provides best practice recommendations and rules to manage CEMEX’s hauliers.

This is the 3rd version of CEMEX’s Haulier Charter that we have worked on. The first was set up back in 2012 and was last updated back in 2016 – so a refresh was needed!

Cala Homes Resident Packs for 2 locations

Stuart Michael Associates is a leading firm of consulting engineers. They work with several of the top housebuilders to encourage sustainable travel modes.

For over a decade, our design team have helped support this goal by creating travel information packs for residents. The packs showcase all the amenities in the local area, from cycle paths, walks and transport links and information.

IT Survey Results brochure

For the 3rd year running, we supported Q Associates in the creation of their annual report detailing top trends and technological developments in the IT industry.

Over 1,000 senior IT professionals were approached for their industry views and insights over the last 12 months, which make up the core data within the report. The idea is to help other companies around the world to understand technology trends of the year, as well as acting as a driving force for future technological developments – furthering Q Associates goal of becoming a respected thought leader in the field.

We were tasked with presenting the findings of the survey in a professional, easy-to-read, and attractive format ready for distribution. This is the result.

Building Brand Awareness, Through Social Media

ABOUT BANNER

Banner is a leading provider of workplace services and office supplies. Banner wished to build their presence on social media in order to increase brand awareness and authority, positioning Banner as a thought leader in their targeted workplace sectors.

THE SOLUTION

In February 2017, we started to manage Banner’s LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. Our strategic approach involved working closely with Banner to identify both Banner’s core aims but also the pain points of their audiences and how Banner can help address these. We posted regularly on both channels in a way that resonates with Banner’s key target markets whilst complementing their wider company objectives. In addition, we also regularly engaged with customers, prospects and other industry influencers.

THE RESULTS

Generate UK have improved BANNER’S SOCIAL AWARENESS:

88.94%

Average engagement rate on Twitter

380%

Average engagement rate on LinkedIn

65.5%

Average increase of LinkedIn impression

Less than three months after Generate UK began managing Banner’s social media channels, Banner’s social presence had improved greatly. Despite Banner’s falling social following prior to Generate UK’s strategy, this has been growing rapidly, with a positive engagement rate on posts. We have also generated confirmed leads for Banner that have come directly from our active social engagement..

Maximising Google Ads conversion rates for local Didcot estate agents

THE CHALLENGE

After delivering record numbers of enquiries from Google Ads for Jones Robinson, a member of The Jones Robinson Group and one of the largest independent estate agents in Berkshire and the surrounding areas; we were tasked with increasing visibility and enquiries, particularly among sellers, for its sister company – Church Robinson; a leading estate agent in Didcot.

Having not previously utilised Google Ads, Church Robinson required a strategic, trusted partner that would be proactive in managing and optimising campaigns to ensure that their marketing goals were achieved.

THE SOLUTION

Before beginning campaign planning, we performed an extensive review of Jones Robinson’s existing Paid Search performance to draw insights that would be valuable in determining the appropriate solution for Church Robinson.

This was followed by extensive keyword research and analysis to assess the viability of running Google Ads campaigns within the Didcot area, as well as to better understand the levels of investment that will be required to achieve Church Robinson’s marketing objectives.

With a solid foundation of insight supporting our approach, we felt confident in delivering a campaign structure that would increase engagement and interactions with potential sellers in the Didcot area, and ensure Church Robinson would receive a substantial return from their marketing investment.

This took the form of a multi-touchpoint advertising approach that would target potential sellers at each point in their decision making process, from initial property value research through to looking for a local estate agent to deliver a valuation.

The results from Generate UK’s Google Ads activity has been clearly communicated to both Church Robinson and Jones Robinson on a monthly basis through detailed reports and meetings.

THE RESULT

Since launching the ads we have recorded:

14.91%

Click-Through Rate

£4.06

Cost Per Conversion

44.6%

Conversion Rate

Since launching their campaigns in the summer of 2020, Church Robinson have seen outstanding results from their Google Ads investment, recording an average of 100+ conversions a month, all within the Didcot area.

By targeting sellers at all stages in their decision making process, we have delivered an evergreen, multi-touchpoint campaign for Church Robinson that allows them to maximise their visibility within Didcot and its surrounding areas.

The key to this success was our commitment to clearly understanding Church Robinson’s target audience, as well as learning from Jones Robinson’s previous campaign performance, to create campaigns and advertising that would be engaging for sellers.

Guildford Visitor Guide Design

2021 Guildford Visitor Guide Design

Guildford Borough Council appointed Generate UK to produce a high-quality guide in 2021 for the second consecutive year, to attract businesses to Guildford’s wide range of venues for meetings, conferences, weddings and other events.

Our priority was to update the previous guide that was produced by Generate UK with a high-level of creativity to reflect the quality of the venues while meeting the Council’s marketing objectives and delivery deadlines.

In last year’s guide, we included around twenty different venues, all with their unique branding, thus, the design and production process required great attention to detail and the successful managing of relationships with all participants. Due to the pandemic, a few of the venues showcased in 2020, unfortunately, needed to be removed, this meaning that the map section had to completely be updated.

As well as producing the design for the print version, Generate UK provided a flip page and downloadable versions for the Council’s website.

THE RESULT

2021 Guildford Visitor Guide Design
2021 Guildford Visitor Guide Design
Guildford Visitor Guide Design

Generate UK have now been producing venue guides for Guildford Borough Council for over ten years, reflecting our client’s confidence in our ability to manage the process efficiently, on time and to budget, while refreshing the design year on year to keep it current to a consistently high standard.

As a result, we created an A5 document with 32 pages of text plus a 4-page cover. It’s printed on a silk stock and the cover is matt laminated. 14,000 copies were initially printed (with a view to a reprint later) as this guide is distributed all around Guildford, the surrounding areas and also to Western Europe.

Creating A New Visual Identity To Amplify A Distinct Proposition

ABOUT SECUREDRIVES

SecureDrives is a premium reseller of hardware-based data security solutions delivering passwordless authentication and portable storage devices. With innovative products delivering advanced protection for a wide number of use cases, their customers cover a wide range of industries from healthcare and law enforcement to manufacturing.

THE CHALLENGE

As a division of Cardwave, the SecureDrives visual identity was closely integrated into the architecture of the parent company’s numerous divisions delivering specialist products and services focused on integrating memory and duplicating data into a range of applications. However, while delivering solutions through USB drive technology, the proposition for SecureDrives is very different.

With Cardwave undergoing a brand transformation of it’s own, the SecureDrives visual identity needed to be reviewed and a decision made as to how best deliver a clear brand proposition whilst maintaining an element of connection to Cardwave.

THE SOLUTION

Through a process of discovery with the CEO and Customer Solutions Manager, we were able to develop a greater understanding of SecureDrives’ business objectives, audience, offer and approach.

We also undertook a thorough competitor analysis to investigate both the visual identity and proposition of other data security companies.

This information allowed us to recommend that the SecureDrives identity should be significantly changed to portray the technology solution and data security elements of their proposition, and as a result have a separate look and feel.

This strategy was implemented through three key changes to the identity:

1 Colour palette

We adopted a new colour palette focused on the blue associated with technology and the silvers associated with premium brands, using gradients to provide depth. This was a significant change from the previously flat red logo that was used.

2 Logo mark

We created a logo mark utilising the S and D from the wordmark as well as the blue gradient. Adapting the shape of the letters, we were able to establish a shield shape associated with security. This asset is central to the logo and enables a much more compact digital logo.

3 Strapline

We developed a simple strapline – Advanced Data Protection – to accompany the logo and match the new Cardwave logo. This benefit led message supported the diverse proposition whilst suggesting a competitive advantage over other providers.

These alterations enabled us to maintain the wordmark that utilised the same custom font used for the Cardwave logo, ensuring that we were able to maintain some consistency through the brands.

Finally, we supported the business in establishing clear solutions-focused messaging for the brand. This was based on an understanding that the products solved key challenges for businesses in securing data with an increased focus on various requirements to hold customer’s data. We were also able to establish a way of communicating the relationship between the brand and Cardwave.

THE RESULT

The brand transformation has delivered a new visual identity for SecureDrives that brings it out of the shadow of Cardwave.

It’s new logo and colour palette ensure that it can be identified as the premium technology reseller that it is.

The new core messaging has created clarity in it’s offer and distinguishes the brand from the different proposition provided by it’s parent company.

This was achieved whilst maintaining the connection to the Cardwave brand, in both the visual identity and messaging.

Supporting an international brand with creative assets

ABOUT CAIN INTERNATIONAL

Cain International, previously Cain Hoy Enterprises, is a private real estate investment company with a diverse portfolio including commercial, residential and hospitality holdings.

THE AIM

They were having their business cards produced in the USA using a very outdated and specialized printing method and they were proving to be very challenging when it came to new cards and reprints. The UK office wanted more control over the production of the cards and wanted to review the costs without sacrificing the overall quality too much.

They were also keen to adapt the logo slightly from Blue/Yellow to something more modern and representative of their company.

THE SOLUTION

After reworking the colours of the logo to silver/gold we began to look at various production methods. We brought in various printers that supported us from a knowledge and experienced perspective.


To solve the quality aspect of the challenge we opted for a duplexed card (bonding 2 cards together to give a thicker, sturdier card) using very specific Conqueror Wove boards. We chose an off-white colour for the front and then a black for the back. to make them feel special we used a gold and silver foil on the logo (front and back). A series of ‘blanks’ were created and then each person’s details were overprinted when required. This helped to keep the cost down.

THE RESULT

We printed 14 named cards to start with and these were so well received that the New York division requested some to be printed for their office. We have produced several reprints and other companies that we work with have seen the cards and had similar cards produced.

Since Cain Hoy rebranded to Cain International we have continued our excellent relationship with them producing a website splash page, advertisements and a new reception sign for their London office.

Brand Transformation Project To Align Identity And Proposition

ABOUT CARDWAVE

Cardwave are pioneers of flash memory solutions providing tailored selection, integration, and duplication services for OEMs, ensuring the long-term integrity of devices using the industrial variants of the technology.

They also offer specialist data services including hardware erasure and recovery.

THE CHALLENGE

Over time, Cardwave’s business had evolved into four divisions – Cardwave, Secure Drives, Trusted Memory and Card Copy. Sharing elements of a visual identity, each division had their own website and proposition, which was time-consuming and complex to manage, market and maintain.

Additionally, the extremely successful nature of Cardwave’s offering was not represented by the brand identity, instead, coming across as a small business. This was furthermore complicated by the presence of the Secure Drives division, which offered a significantly different proposition, confusing the overall brand story.

THE SOLUTION

By building a relationship with the business owner, we were able to build an understanding of the journey his business had been on, where they provided value for their customers and the challenges they faced with the existing brand architecture.

By truly appreciating his requirements to grow his business and carrying a full brand audit, we were able to develop a brand strategy for the Cardwave business that delivered a clear proposition without the need for all four divisions.

Reintegrating Card Copy and Trusted Memory into Cardwave enabled us to simplify the brand management requirements and effectively articulate a more comprehensive business proposition under one brand.

This supported one clear vision of developing tailored flash memory solutions for technology manufactures through a range of services.

We then developed this vision into the core messaging based on the concept of helping manufacturers select, integrate and duplicate the most appropriate flash memory for their technology.

This supported a clear challenge for designers around the integrity of their devices relying on the quality of the flash memory used, and Cardwave’s ability to understand the operating requirements and recommend an appropriate solution. By defining and aligning their core USPs within this offer, Cardwave could now succinctly articulate its offer.

The visual identity was refocused


To reflect a more established brand, the silhouette of flash memory cards was introduced into the look and feel, with a wave representing the processing of data within a new logo.

We also introduced a new primary brand colour purposefully steered clear of the blue associated with technology companies, choosing a warm and supportive orange that would stand out to Cardwave’s target audience. An updated and accessible font type, Tajawal, was adopted to provide character and represent the uniqueness of the business.

THE RESULT

The new brand was launched in June 2020 alongside a new website, with visual guidelines, corporate assets, stationery and signage created.

With the launch, Cardwave’s identity was transformed overnight from a complex and misunderstood offering that obscured its successful history, to being a brand that befitted a business that is so clearly the leader in its field.

The positioning of the business and its services also allowed for the adoption of one simplified and manageable marketing strategy. Furthermore, the streamlined offer has made it easier for consumers to seek help and support from the company in all things related to this sector.