Let’s get moving

[prev] …for clients and generating ‘a pull’ so it’s important for us to tell their stories as convincingly as we can on line, on film, on print and on show at trade exhibitions and conferences.

Can you give us some examples of companies that knew what they wanted to achieve but weren’t sure how it would get there? What was your solution?
One example would be The Money Charity based in London. They wanted to focus on the emotional impact on people and their relationships when they start to lose a grip of their personal finances. They were unsure of what to do, so we put forward a script for a short film which explored a father and daughter’s relationship and the anxieties that could build between them when money miss-management becomes an issue. We were commissioned to produce the film in which we used the role of the daughter to probe out the issue and the effect it was having on her and ultimately it was she who convinced the father to act in order to bring their finances back under control. The film now forms part of the charity’s education programme when they visit schools. Another example involved a branding project for a major financial retailer with nearly 600 stores. Our role was to design and create messaging
for an umbrella brand that would encompass how the company wished its people to behave not only towards its customers but also to each other. It was a big cultural change initiative we devised to help move the business and their people from a hard target driven culture to one that was softer, more empathetic and collaborative whilst being no less commercial.

You say that much of your work comes from outside of the local area?
It’s true that we have clients based outside the UK but we work closely with their UK or European offices and we also have clients in and around London and the Midlands however, we’re very keen to work with local companies and the local community. We recently helped a large local cash and carry business by designing and developing their website. It was in part design but mostly drew on our technical abilities and perhaps our key role was to navigate and overcome the technical and supplier obstacles that would hinder its progress. It was a prime example of how we work when we’re at the centre of things enabling us to drive a project home. I think there are local companies around that may be quite interested in what we do and how we do it.

I guess Peterborough is such a good location generally because it’s on the cusp of the Midlands, the Southeast and East Anglia, while London’s so accessible.
Being on the outskirts of Peterborough and very close to the A1 makes getting out and about a lot easier plus people like to visit us. London is just down the road and we can often be into meetings in the city quicker than people can get across it. Peterborough is very convenient. And it’s such a diverse and multi-cultural city that’s at an interesting point in its evolution.

Do you have any interesting plans of your own that you can share with other local businesses?
One project we’re getting under way is making our photographic and video production studio into a space available to local companies and creative professionals. I feel that there’s not a studio quite so well equipped and what we’re calling ‘The Space’ could provide a perfect environment for businesses of all types looking to satisfy the insatiable demand for film, video and photographic content. Creative professionals can use The Space to produce work for their own clients and local businesses can call on us to produce on their behalf. For anyone looking to film staff interviews, film focus groups or shoot photography or create 360-degree product photography they should check it out. The Space was recently used to film and produce a staff training film featuring TV personality David Dickinson. We filmed David alongside staff members and then created the animations, motion graphics, recorded the voice-over and completed the final production all in house. So we think The Space is really quite unique in the area and one that could be invaluable to local business. Another recent development is our work with Adobe Digital Publishing which allows us to combine all our skills in design, film, media and animation on a platform that provides sophisticated text elements, video, audio and animation to produce more engaging user content across smartphones, tablets and the web. It’s just one more example of how ‘moving content’ brings brands to life and
that’s basically what we’re all about.

To find out more about FWD Creative, visit www.fwdcreative.com or call Carla on 01733 233550. To find out more about The Space, visit www.fwdthespace.com

To view the short film made for The Money Charity, visit www.fwdcreative.com/case-study-money-charity/home.php

To read more about the umbrella brand case study, visit www.fwdcreative.com/case-study dfg/home.php