How one digital agency pivoted with the pandemic
The pandemic has caused a seismic shift in human behaviour, urging brands to adopt new technology and platforms to support how they communicate and connect with their customers
“There have been many changes during 2020, and one of the major changes for us is rebranding the business,” says co-founder, Roger Barr. “But it’s much more than a fresh lick of paint and a visual refresh. Fundamentally we want to do work that makes a difference in people's lives, and build products that help brands to help their customers get the most out of life. Really it’s all about creating deeper connections.”
Meeting the demand for digital
Mediablaze launched in 2010 as a content marketing agency, and has evolved into a digital experience agency. It started 2020 with a bang, moving into new offices near Waterloo station in February and beginning to plan its tenth anniversary bash. Six weeks later, the pandemic struck. “We quickly had to adapt to working from home while also supporting our clients in pivoting their marketing plans and accelerating their digital transformations,” says Barr.
But Mediablaze has relished the challenge of the last 12 months. It quickly got down to business, working with a luxury gym to help it to take its membership completely online, and creating timely, relevant “at home” editorial content for brands to connect with their customers.
The agency has also launched a range of new products based solely on clearly defined tasks for brands to engage with it on a project basis. The products range from a one-hour session exploring social media best practices to a four week sprint on creating a content marketing playbook.
“All products are designed to help brands dive deeper into their business challenges,” says co-founder, Paul Button.
Drawing on experience
Barr says that dealing with highs and lows is part and parcel of leading an agency, and navigating through the pandemic is no exception. It helps that he and Button have over 40 years of digital product and publishing experience between them. “I think our general outlook is to focus on what we’re passionate about, and to try and figure out where the opportunity is.”
The last 10 years has been hugely valuable for the agency, and it has come a long way since working with its first client, Medion, for whom it developed and launched a platform called ‘Life of Android’ to engage and entertain consumers about how they can get the most out of android devices. Mediablaze went on to grow an international client base across the USA and Europe, working with brands such as Merrell and Timberland. “There’s a real buzz about jumping on a plane to pitch to new clients and delivering our strategic consultancy services to some of the world’s most innovative global brands, such as Google,” says Barr.
He adds that, inevitably, the company has made some mistakes along the way. “But we have also learnt some brilliant lessons about working with global clients, how to attract the right people into the business, and when to say ‘no’, which is equally as important as knowing when to say ‘yes’ to an opportunity.
“Stronger than ever, we have a desire for our clients to align to our business values and we’re now truly in a place where we’ve created a strong foundation and platform to work with brands that want to create deeper connections.”
Is that you?
Fuel your imagination
Mediablaze believes in creating deeper experiences that keep people coming back - time and time again — and the team loves a challenge. Whether you’re looking to launch a new product to market or review your content marketing strategy, shoot us a message and let’s have a chat. Paul and Roger.