Grassroots communication – Summersault style
Never let it be said we don’t get our hands (or our elbows) dirty. Faced with the challenge of passing five pieces of fruit between 30 people in 15 seconds flat, the Summersault team hit the deck at the Billesley Manor Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon. The team-building exercise was part of this year’s company strategy day. Our final time? 15.3 seconds. Our conclusion? New meaning to those favourite business buzzwords ‘low-hanging fruit’. If only getting up had been as graceful…
Twitter ye not?
For the first time, social media is providing the world with true real-time intelligence into individuals’ interests, wants, opinions and sentiments. The challenge for communication professionals is how to decipher the important actionable nuggets from the noise and to effectively integrate this into your marketing activities.
During Summersault’s latest themed debate, we’ll be asking our colleagues in the communications world whether they have a social media strategy and giving them advice on how to measure its ROI and ensure they reap the rewards from the time they invest in social media.
It’s never nice to network on an empty stomach, so we’ve invited top chef Ed Baines – owner of four London eateries, including Randall & Aubin, the hip ‘n’ happening Soho champagne and oyster bar – to provide a sumptuous social media-inspired lunch. Ed began his career as an apprentice at The Dorchester under Anton Mosimann, going on to work at such landmark restaurants as Bibendum and the River Cafe, before opening and becoming head chef at Daphne’s in South Kensington.
The debate will be held on Wednesday, 22 September 2010, 11am-3pm. If you are interested in sharing your experiences, voicing your opinion and hearing how colleagues are embracing all that social media has to offer, please email gemma.houltby@summersault.co.uk by 8 September.
Eavis does it
The summer festival season is already in full swing and is being ably supported by Summersault party-hards, including our art editor Sarah, who’s just returned tanned, tired but on cloud nine from five days at Glastonbury.
“It was riotous – I had a ball. Glastonbury just gets better and better,” she said, before plunging herself into a mug of strong, black coffee.
She’s not the only one who thinks this. Now in its 40th year, Britain’s best-known festival is also one of its best-loved and, despite entering middle age, Glastonbury is still a byword for youthful hedonism.
Summersault caught up with the festival’s founder, Michael Eavis, the cover star of the summer issue of Gridline, the magazine we produce on behalf of National Grid for its grantors – landowners who have National Grid pipes or pylons running through their land.
In the exclusive feature, 75-year-old Eavis, a grantor himself, takes readers through the festival’s huge logistical operation and reveals a monument to organisation, yet one that happily surrenders itself to chaos in the last weekend of June.
“The festival has this image of being rather a non-stop indulgence,” said Michael. “But it’s important to get across the message that we also put a lot back, looking after the environment and running the festival as sustainably as possible.”
Summersault in seventh heaven
We’re never ones to blow our own trumpets – well, not much anyway. However, we can’t help but smile every time we walk past our latest haul of trophies from the 2010 Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC) National Awards.
Not one, not two, but seven awards came our way during the IoIC’s (formerly the British Association of Communicators in Business) awards do at London’s Park Lane Hilton. Among the awards were two class winners: Best New Publication, which went to the striking Gem magazine, produced for employees of the fashion brand New Look; and Best Corporate Rebrand for our revitalisation of P&MM Employee Benefits’ corporate identity.
Summersault also received a further five Awards of Excellence:
- Best Internal Magazine – Blue (Hays)
- Best Illustration/Graphic/Conceptual Image – Link (NFU Mutual)
- Best News Magazine Design – Your LM (London Midland) and Gem (New Look)
- Best Newsletter/Newspaper Design – Inside Lincolnshire (Lincolnshire County Council).
Managing Director Gail Franks said: “To have been nominated and won so many awards is a tribute to everyone – employees and clients alike – who work so hard behind the scenes to produce quality communications.”
Hungry for a taste of future?
What does the launch of the iPad spell for communications? Is it merely the latest flash-in-the-pan gizmo for gadget fans or will it change the shape of publishing forever? These points and many more will be debated at the first of a series of haute cuisine client lunches hosted by Summersault Communications.
The monthly events, which launch on 24 June, invite communication professionals to join themed debates and learn about the latest communication best practice and trends. A top chef will be providing food for thought at each event – June’s lunch will be cooked by renowned celebrity chef Sophie Grigson.
Gail Franks, Managing Director of Summersault Communications who will be leading the discussions, explained: “This series of lunches is an exciting opportunity for communications managers within organisations to take part in fascinating discussions about issues affecting the industry and, at the same time, to taste the culinary creations of famous chefs!”
If you would like to be invited to this or any of the future lunch events, please email gemma.houltby@summersault.co.uk.
The Co-operative opts for the perfect design partner
Retail giant the Co-operative Group has chosen Summersault to design its two UK-wide colleague magazines.
Selected from a shortlist of seven high-profile candidates, Summersault won the contract to design the two versions of Us magazine, delivered to over 100,000 retail and non-retail colleagues who work for the organisation.
Robert Cohen, Senior Communications Manager of the Co-operative said: “The quality of short-listed companies for this contract was exceptional, but what really made Summersault stand out was their creativity, track record and clear understanding of the important role design plays in helping to communicate all manner of messages to our staff.”
Gail Frank, Managing Director of Summersault said: “We are delighted to have secured this major contract with one of the UK’s longest-established and famous commercial names. I believe that by combining our expertise with their unique services and company ethos we can deliver a groundbreaking product which will help drive the business forward, while delivering ever better services to customers.”
Summersault Communications dominates Central CiB Awards
Award-winning employee, customer and business communications specialists Summersault Communications added to its already packed trophy cabinet by dominating the British Association of Communicators in Business (CiB) Central Awards. Summersault walked away with the highest number of awards given to any one company.
In total, the Leamington Spa-based company earned a staggering 10 awards, which included five Class Winners, three Certificates of Merit, and an Award of Excellence. Most notably, Summersault also won the biggest prize of the event – the coveted Tom Dawson Award for the best of the best in communications. This was for Your LM magazine, produced for London Midland.
The five Class Winners were Siemens UK, produced for Siemens (Best Magazine); talkabout, for Severn Trent Water (Best Newsmagazine); Your LM, for London Midland (Best Newsletter); Gem, for New Look (Best New/Relaunched Publication) and Our House, for Ronald McDonald Housing Charities (RMHC) (Best External Publication).
In addition, Summersault also won awards for Gridline, for National Grid (External Publication Award of Excellence and Photography/Illustration Certificate of Merit); Talking Shop, for Booker (External Publications Certificate of Merit); and Vibe, for Birmingham Midshires (Magazine Certificate of Merit).
The CiB Awards are considered to be the UK’s largest and most renowned business communications awards.
Gail Franks, Managing Director of Summersault Communications, commented on the company’s outstanding success at the awards: “This is another excellent performance and we are really pleased that we managed to win so many categories for so many different clients.
“This is a proud moment for the company, for the teams that work on the publications as well as for our clients. It really is a joint effort.
“Whether it’s an internal or external publication, in print or digital, we want it to inform, advise, update and be a real benefit to both the client and the reader. These successes at the CiB event show we are on the right track.”
Siemens wins coveted award for its internal publication
Siemens, the leading global engineering company, earned important recognition for the quality of its internal communications when it won the Best Magazine Class at the British Association of Communicators in Business (CiB) Central Awards.
The award-winning magazine Siemens UK is produced, edited and written by leading employee, customer and business communications specialists Summersault Communications. The magazine is issued to all Siemens employees and pensioners in the UK, on a quarterly basis.
The CiB Awards are considered to be the UK’s largest and most renowned business communications awards.
Gail Franks, Managing Director of Summersault Communications, commented: “This is a well-deserved win for Siemens and the team at Summersault. We are proud to be working with the company and helping them to be successful.”
Severn Trent Water wins coveted award for its internal publication
Severn Trent Water, the Midlands-based water and waste water services utility earned important recognition for the quality of its internal communications when it won the Best Newsmagazine Class at the British Association of Communicators in Business (CiB) Central Awards.
The award-winning magazine talkabout is produced, edited and written by leading employee, customer and business communications specialists Summersault Communications. The popular monthly magazine is distributed to all 6,500 Severn Trent Water employees.
The CiB Awards are considered to be the UK’s largest and most renowned business communications awards.
Gail Franks, Managing Director of Summersault Communications, commented: “This is well-deserved recognition for Severn Trent Water and the team at Summersault.”
Summersault Communications continues expansion plans with two key appointments
Pat Sherrington-Blane, the former head of internal communications at Hays Recruitment, has been appointed to the position of Editorial Director and Gill Sutherland has taken on the role of Senior Editor for award-winning employee and customer communications specialists Summersault Communications.
In her new role Pat will oversee all the publications produced for Summersault’s clients, which include many top FTSE 250 clients and public sector organisations.
Pat will lead a team of 12 editors and journalists overseeing areas from strategy and client service, through to article and feature planning, photography and interviews.
Pat is a qualified lecturer, having taught at both Birmingham University and Birmingham City University, where she was part of a team that delivered Customer Interface and Integrated Marketing Communications modules to undergraduates. She also worked for 11 years at Computacenter holding several key positions, as well as working at Somerset House where she was head of internal communications.
Gill has worked on several high-profile magazines including Smash Hits and Just Seventeen, and has been a regular features writer for The Guardian, Marie Claire, The Observer and New Musical Express. She is also a published author of several children’s books.
Gail Franks, Managing Director at Summersault Communications commented: “Pat and Gill have very different backgrounds and will bring with them extensive experience in their respective industries.
“Both will thrive within our organisation and play an integral part in delivering true value for our clients, whilst continuously challenging targets and goals to achieve desired results.
“Whilst Pat’s knowledge lies in internal communications, Gill’s vast experience lies in customer magazines, writing for some major newsstand titles.
“We have a diverse range of clients who want to develop communication strategies that will drive employee engagement. Their appointments are key in helping us achieve this.”
Grassroots communication – Summersault style
Never let it be said we don’t get our hands (or our elbows) dirty. Faced with the challenge of passing five pieces of fruit between 30 people in 15 seconds flat, the Summersault team hit the deck at the Billesley Manor Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon. The team-building exercise was part of this year’s company strategy day. Our final time? 15.3 seconds. Our conclusion? New meaning to those favourite business buzzwords ‘low-hanging fruit’. If only getting up had been as graceful…
Twitter ye not?
For the first time, social media is providing the world with true real-time intelligence into individuals’ interests, wants, opinions and sentiments. The challenge for communication professionals is how to decipher the important actionable nuggets from the noise and to effectively integrate this into your marketing activities.
During Summersault’s latest themed debate, we’ll be asking our colleagues in the communications world whether they have a social media strategy and giving them advice on how to measure its ROI and ensure they reap the rewards from the time they invest in social media.
It’s never nice to network on an empty stomach, so we’ve invited top chef Ed Baines – owner of four London eateries, including Randall & Aubin, the hip ‘n’ happening Soho champagne and oyster bar – to provide a sumptuous social media-inspired lunch. Ed began his career as an apprentice at The Dorchester under Anton Mosimann, going on to work at such landmark restaurants as Bibendum and the River Cafe, before opening and becoming head chef at Daphne’s in South Kensington.
The debate will be held on Wednesday, 22 September 2010, 11am-3pm. If you are interested in sharing your experiences, voicing your opinion and hearing how colleagues are embracing all that social media has to offer, please email gemma.houltby@summersault.co.uk by 8 September.
Eavis does it
The summer festival season is already in full swing and is being ably supported by Summersault party-hards, including our art editor Sarah, who’s just returned tanned, tired but on cloud nine from five days at Glastonbury.
“It was riotous – I had a ball. Glastonbury just gets better and better,” she said, before plunging herself into a mug of strong, black coffee.
She’s not the only one who thinks this. Now in its 40th year, Britain’s best-known festival is also one of its best-loved and, despite entering middle age, Glastonbury is still a byword for youthful hedonism.
Summersault caught up with the festival’s founder, Michael Eavis, the cover star of the summer issue of Gridline, the magazine we produce on behalf of National Grid for its grantors – landowners who have National Grid pipes or pylons running through their land.
In the exclusive feature, 75-year-old Eavis, a grantor himself, takes readers through the festival’s huge logistical operation and reveals a monument to organisation, yet one that happily surrenders itself to chaos in the last weekend of June.
“The festival has this image of being rather a non-stop indulgence,” said Michael. “But it’s important to get across the message that we also put a lot back, looking after the environment and running the festival as sustainably as possible.”
Summersault in seventh heaven
We’re never ones to blow our own trumpets – well, not much anyway. However, we can’t help but smile every time we walk past our latest haul of trophies from the 2010 Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC) National Awards.
Not one, not two, but seven awards came our way during the IoIC’s (formerly the British Association of Communicators in Business) awards do at London’s Park Lane Hilton. Among the awards were two class winners: Best New Publication, which went to the striking Gem magazine, produced for employees of the fashion brand New Look; and Best Corporate Rebrand for our revitalisation of P&MM Employee Benefits’ corporate identity.
Summersault also received a further five Awards of Excellence:
- Best Internal Magazine – Blue (Hays)
- Best Illustration/Graphic/Conceptual Image – Link (NFU Mutual)
- Best News Magazine Design – Your LM (London Midland) and Gem (New Look)
- Best Newsletter/Newspaper Design – Inside Lincolnshire (Lincolnshire County Council).
Managing Director Gail Franks said: “To have been nominated and won so many awards is a tribute to everyone – employees and clients alike – who work so hard behind the scenes to produce quality communications.”
Hungry for a taste of future?
What does the launch of the iPad spell for communications? Is it merely the latest flash-in-the-pan gizmo for gadget fans or will it change the shape of publishing forever? These points and many more will be debated at the first of a series of haute cuisine client lunches hosted by Summersault Communications.
The monthly events, which launch on 24 June, invite communication professionals to join themed debates and learn about the latest communication best practice and trends. A top chef will be providing food for thought at each event – June’s lunch will be cooked by renowned celebrity chef Sophie Grigson.
Gail Franks, Managing Director of Summersault Communications who will be leading the discussions, explained: “This series of lunches is an exciting opportunity for communications managers within organisations to take part in fascinating discussions about issues affecting the industry and, at the same time, to taste the culinary creations of famous chefs!”
If you would like to be invited to this or any of the future lunch events, please email gemma.houltby@summersault.co.uk.
The Co-operative opts for the perfect design partner
Retail giant the Co-operative Group has chosen Summersault to design its two UK-wide colleague magazines.
Selected from a shortlist of seven high-profile candidates, Summersault won the contract to design the two versions of Us magazine, delivered to over 100,000 retail and non-retail colleagues who work for the organisation.
Robert Cohen, Senior Communications Manager of the Co-operative said: “The quality of short-listed companies for this contract was exceptional, but what really made Summersault stand out was their creativity, track record and clear understanding of the important role design plays in helping to communicate all manner of messages to our staff.”
Gail Frank, Managing Director of Summersault said: “We are delighted to have secured this major contract with one of the UK’s longest-established and famous commercial names. I believe that by combining our expertise with their unique services and company ethos we can deliver a groundbreaking product which will help drive the business forward, while delivering ever better services to customers.”
Summersault Communications dominates Central CiB Awards
Award-winning employee, customer and business communications specialists Summersault Communications added to its already packed trophy cabinet by dominating the British Association of Communicators in Business (CiB) Central Awards. Summersault walked away with the highest number of awards given to any one company.
In total, the Leamington Spa-based company earned a staggering 10 awards, which included five Class Winners, three Certificates of Merit, and an Award of Excellence. Most notably, Summersault also won the biggest prize of the event – the coveted Tom Dawson Award for the best of the best in communications. This was for Your LM magazine, produced for London Midland.
The five Class Winners were Siemens UK, produced for Siemens (Best Magazine); talkabout, for Severn Trent Water (Best Newsmagazine); Your LM, for London Midland (Best Newsletter); Gem, for New Look (Best New/Relaunched Publication) and Our House, for Ronald McDonald Housing Charities (RMHC) (Best External Publication).
In addition, Summersault also won awards for Gridline, for National Grid (External Publication Award of Excellence and Photography/Illustration Certificate of Merit); Talking Shop, for Booker (External Publications Certificate of Merit); and Vibe, for Birmingham Midshires (Magazine Certificate of Merit).
The CiB Awards are considered to be the UK’s largest and most renowned business communications awards.
Gail Franks, Managing Director of Summersault Communications, commented on the company’s outstanding success at the awards: “This is another excellent performance and we are really pleased that we managed to win so many categories for so many different clients.
“This is a proud moment for the company, for the teams that work on the publications as well as for our clients. It really is a joint effort.
“Whether it’s an internal or external publication, in print or digital, we want it to inform, advise, update and be a real benefit to both the client and the reader. These successes at the CiB event show we are on the right track.”
Siemens wins coveted award for its internal publication
Siemens, the leading global engineering company, earned important recognition for the quality of its internal communications when it won the Best Magazine Class at the British Association of Communicators in Business (CiB) Central Awards.
The award-winning magazine Siemens UK is produced, edited and written by leading employee, customer and business communications specialists Summersault Communications. The magazine is issued to all Siemens employees and pensioners in the UK, on a quarterly basis.
The CiB Awards are considered to be the UK’s largest and most renowned business communications awards.
Gail Franks, Managing Director of Summersault Communications, commented: “This is a well-deserved win for Siemens and the team at Summersault. We are proud to be working with the company and helping them to be successful.”
Severn Trent Water wins coveted award for its internal publication
Severn Trent Water, the Midlands-based water and waste water services utility earned important recognition for the quality of its internal communications when it won the Best Newsmagazine Class at the British Association of Communicators in Business (CiB) Central Awards.
The award-winning magazine talkabout is produced, edited and written by leading employee, customer and business communications specialists Summersault Communications. The popular monthly magazine is distributed to all 6,500 Severn Trent Water employees.
The CiB Awards are considered to be the UK’s largest and most renowned business communications awards.
Gail Franks, Managing Director of Summersault Communications, commented: “This is well-deserved recognition for Severn Trent Water and the team at Summersault.”
Summersault Communications continues expansion plans with two key appointments
Pat Sherrington-Blane, the former head of internal communications at Hays Recruitment, has been appointed to the position of Editorial Director and Gill Sutherland has taken on the role of Senior Editor for award-winning employee and customer communications specialists Summersault Communications.
In her new role Pat will oversee all the publications produced for Summersault’s clients, which include many top FTSE 250 clients and public sector organisations.
Pat will lead a team of 12 editors and journalists overseeing areas from strategy and client service, through to article and feature planning, photography and interviews.
Pat is a qualified lecturer, having taught at both Birmingham University and Birmingham City University, where she was part of a team that delivered Customer Interface and Integrated Marketing Communications modules to undergraduates. She also worked for 11 years at Computacenter holding several key positions, as well as working at Somerset House where she was head of internal communications.
Gill has worked on several high-profile magazines including Smash Hits and Just Seventeen, and has been a regular features writer for The Guardian, Marie Claire, The Observer and New Musical Express. She is also a published author of several children’s books.
Gail Franks, Managing Director at Summersault Communications commented: “Pat and Gill have very different backgrounds and will bring with them extensive experience in their respective industries.
“Both will thrive within our organisation and play an integral part in delivering true value for our clients, whilst continuously challenging targets and goals to achieve desired results.
“Whilst Pat’s knowledge lies in internal communications, Gill’s vast experience lies in customer magazines, writing for some major newsstand titles.
“We have a diverse range of clients who want to develop communication strategies that will drive employee engagement. Their appointments are key in helping us achieve this.”
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