Samantha Davidson, managing director of leading B2B marketing agency Horizonworks, explains how the company took the longest-standing music development agency in the UK on a journey which led to clarity and success.
Generator has nurtured talent in various forms since 1991 from its base in the North East of England. However, times have changed in recent years. It acquired Digital Union in 2015 which focuses on the region’s renowned creative and digital sector, it is continuing to offer support to music artists via Tipping Point and it is providing business growth support through its Digital Futures Programme.
The company appointed Horizonworks so it could gain a clearer understanding of how these separate entities should be positioned. We were also commissioned to help the organisation take on a more focused approach, support its growth locally and nationally, and to help the team better communicate their skills and services in the music, creative, digital and technological fields.
We conducted a communications audit with internal and external stakeholders, as well as thorough market research, to create a structured marketing strategy which provided the tools for Generator to work in a new integrated, consistent and coherent way.
We also translated Generator’s complex messaging for its different audiences and refreshed the Generator brand as well as the sub-brands for Digital Union and Tipping Point: these remain separate, but the relationship with Generator is now clear. We have been able to give the company a clearer identity that has truly positioned it as an industry leader and one of the UK’s leading business support agencies for the creative, digital and music sectors.
Jim Mawdsley, CEO of Generator, said: We’re thrilled with what Horizonworks delivered, the manner in which they delivered it and the speed of execution. The team took the time to fully understand our business and what we wanted to achieve. The strategy they created has underpinned our offering and gives us much more clarity to a wide range of audiences. Not only has our branding been overhauled but our culture as well. We have a really vibrant and ambitious team who are all onboard to propel Generator further.
Horizonworks specialises in championing and supporting innovators from complex sectors with marketing that is clear, connected and purposeful. We offer marketing, strategy, PR, creative and digital services – all under one roof – to ensure all elements of marketing work together to generate the best results for our clients. Horizonworks has a diverse portfolio of clients including US-based AmeriWater, a premier provider of water purification equipment; Cellular Solutions, a business communications and systems provider; The Expanded Metal Company, an expanded metal mesh manufacturer; Arcinova, a contract research and development company which serves the pharmaceutical sector; and Fera Science, a national and international centre of excellence for interdisciplinary investigation and problem solving across plant and bee health, crop protection, sustainable agriculture, food and feed quality, and chemical safety in the environment.
