News in Full
Funded Marketing Training
24/07/2008
Do you struggle to find the time to really promote your business?
Are you marketing on a shoestring?
We know how hard it can be to promote a business with a small team and a limited budget.
Following its success when it was first run in October 2007, Media Content Lab is now offering the Marketing and PR Toolkit for the fifth time - a practical and FREE guide to making your promotional activities as effective as possible.
The Marketing and PR Toolkit is being offered to businesses in the West Midlands to improve promotional activities. A combination of a one to one consultation, workshops and a carefully designed practical guide to getting the best from your business make up the toolkit.
There are still opportunities to get involved with the Marketing and PR Toolkit and the fifth round of workshops are being held in September 2008 at Screen Media Lab, Digbeth:
Planning your marketing strategy – Tuesday 2nd September 2008, 10am – 4pm with Kerry Endsor – founder of Smarty Pants Marketing. Kerry has worked with blue chip companies and government agencies but now specialises in helping smaller businesses to promote themselves with limited resources.
Making the most of media opportunities – Wednesday 3rd September 2008, 10am – 4pm with Bob Calver – ex BBC journalist and senior media lecturer for Birmingham City University.
Introduction to E-marketing – Thursday 4th September 2008, 10am – 4pm with John Chacksfield – John is an independent Internet marketing specialist and a director of an online retail outlet and guest lecturer. John has worked with many clients on successful Internet marketing strategies, implementing web performance metrics and ROI strategies. A qualified e-marketeer (member of the Chartered Institute Marketing) John also contracts to Cambridge Professional Academy, an independent business school in Cambridge where John writes and delivers the CIM eMarketing Award across the UK.
In order to register your business for the upcoming workshops, to find out if your eligible or find out more information regarding the programme, please email info@mediacontentlab.co.uk > or call 0121 204 9886.
Media Talent Bank Website
17/07/2008
Fed up of scouring hundreds of websites to find Media Talent?
Well look no further, as help is on hand with Media Talent Bank! Whether a company is looking to build a website, trying to find a blogger to document their latest project, or collaborate with a video production studio in the local area, sourcing the most suitable talent isn’t always as easy as it initially seems.
To help break down this barrier to the creative industries, Birmingham City University’s industry-facing team Media Content Lab, have recently revamped Media Talent Bank, an innovative website tailored to help bridge this gulf between employer and freelancer.
Media Talent Bank gives individuals and businesses across the UK’s Creative and Media sectors the chance to thrust themselves to the front of the shop-window with a personal profile; featuring examples of their finest work. Creative and non-creative businesses meanwhile, can quickly Search to find talented individuals, download CV’s, sample their work and then contact them with a job request, all through the website.
Alternatively, employers can get in touch with site administrator, David Allen to have their work opportunity featured on the Out There page, or sent straight to the inboxes of the ever-expanding mailing list as part of Media Talent Bank’s e-newsletter, highlighting the best of the blog (featuring tips and insights from media professionals) each month.
Also fed up with scouring hundreds of websites on a daily basis, only to be inundated with endless agency, sales and recruitment positions? Media Talent Bank’s Jobs tab lets users easily glace at job feeds from the likes of journalism.co.uk and mandy.com, all in one neat little place.
Whether just starting out and looking for work experience, searching for fellow creatives to collaborate with or on the hunt for the hottest talent to employ, Media Talent Bank has something for everyone.
Made in Moseley shop launched
03/07/2008
Do you find it a struggle to find the perfect gift? Worry no more, help is on hand!
Moseley CDT and Media Content Lab are delighted to announce that the Made in Moseley online shop -www.madeinmoseley.co.uk has gone live to help would be gift-hunters find that perfect present!
The Made in Moseley Shop is Birmingham’s first shared e-commerce website solution for small businesses in Moseley, and aims to promote and support artists and designer-makers based in and around the South Birmingham suburb. Made in Moseley allows members to sell their products online via a shared shop front at their own prices, to customers across the UK searching for a unique handcrafted gift or that something special!
The project is a joint venture between Media Content Lab (part of Birmingham City University) and Moseley CDT. Media Content Lab is a creative multimedia team that offers a range of high quality web development, e-marketing, branding and print design services.
If you’re interested in selling your products via the Made in Moseley Shop then please complete the Artist Enquiry Form .
From the Midlands with love.x
12/02/2008
From the Midlands with Love: not a Bond movie remade into a bleak drama by Shane Meadows, but a showcase of the finest graphic art and illustration coming out of the West Midlands.
Media Content Lab felt that too much of the design world’s attention is focused on a handful of London companies, so decided to do something about it. We put together a postcard book featuring the artwork of graphic designers, illustrators, web designers and character designers based in the West Midlands.
The best computer artists from across the region were invited to submit their work before a final selection of the top designs were chosen to go into the book.
"We felt that too many of the big publishing companies and advertising agencies were ignoring the Midlands", said Media Content Lab’s Suzanne Neal. "So we decided to put something together that would show them there is real talent here!"
The postcard book is due to be sent to over 100 of the country’s top PR, marketing and advertising agencies as well as publishing companies and reputable agents at the end of January '08.
Charlee Sully, whose Usual Studio has a postcard design featured in the book, commented, "We see the promotional postcard book as an original tool to help us promote our work and establish the company. As an outcome of this increased awareness, we hope to receive publicity, increased enquiries about our work and more commissions."
Participants included 10 of the region's brightest computer artists;
- The Usual Studio – www.theusualstudio.co.uk
- TAK! – www.taktak.net
- Supercool – www.supercooldesign.co.uk
- Spit-fire creative – www.spit-fire.co.uk
- Simon Peplow Illustration – www.simonpeplow.blogspot.com
- Morse-Brown Design Limited – www.morsebrowndesign.co.uk
- MeeNoKawaii – www.meenokawaii.com
- Louise Carrier – www.louisecarrier.co.uk
- Debut – www.debut-design.co.uk
- Stylus Design Consultancy Limited – www.stylusonline.co.uk
If you’d like to receive a copy of the postcard book please email your full name and address to info@mediacontentlab.co.uk or call 0121 204 9886.
Help!
25/01/2008
In collaboration with some young volunteers, Media Content Lab have just helped Birmingham Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and Birmingham Youth Offending Service (YOS) produce a stylish poster and informational leaflet to ease vulnerable youths referred onto their scheme.
CAMHS offer a service for young people within the YOS to talk through their problems and identify appropriate support. The young people meet with a qualified mental health nurse in confidentiality, and are referred to the service by their Youth Offending Team case worker.
Following research, the CAMHS nurses were concerned that many young people were initially apprehensive about being referred to a mental health service. To help overcome any stigmas about the words 'mental’ and 'nurse’, YOS and CAMHS asked Media Content Lab to help design an A5 two-sided booklet and A3 poster that could be sent to teenagers when they were referred to CAMHS.
Working with two young volunteers from the service, Media Content Lab tackled the brief to create the innovative print work. Over the course of two days in October 2007, the pair identified the content and styles they thought would appeal to like-minded youngsters. Then working alongside Media Content Lab designer Richard Coldicott, created eye-catching designs to meet the needs of CAMHS patients.
"The end product has been extremely well received by all members of staff and managers in CAMHS in terms of both the content and design," says Clinical Nurse Specialist and project organiser Emma Perry.
"The whole project was really enjoyable to do and the young people involved got a lot from it," Emma enthuses. "Without the facilities and skills of the staff in Media Content Lab (in particular Suzanne Neal and Richard Coldicott) we would never have got such a professional, well designed, fit for purpose booklet."
DA