July 13, 2015
There is a lot of buzz around about websites needing to be responsive. But what does that mean? Responsive web design is a collection of techniques that allow a website to adapt to different device specifications, such as screen size when being viewed. What it means in a more ‘practical’ way, is that, the website is able to recognize the features of the desktop, smartphone or tablet, and easily adapt to it to give an optimal user experience without limiting the functionality. The reasons for this adaptability are very clear. In the second half of 2015, and the beginning of 2016, the usage of smartphones to browse the web is estimated to increase by about 20% compared to the last two years. Therefore, it is increasingly important to keep these users in mind and understand how to properly engage with them to offer the best user experience on all devices. How can we make a better online user experience? Before responsive design, the mobile experience usually translated poorly. The first step towards a better user experience was to create mobile versions of the traditional websites. This is one type of solution but still their capabilities were limited. This is where responsive design comes into play. Thanks to responsive design your users won’t be worried about having to be careful of where they click if using a touch screen or zooming in and out, they simply will enjoy the site as if it were tailored to that device. The image provided above is a perfect example of what we have done with one of the best bars in London, Nordic. Now their website is perfect for big screens and even better on your smartphone. Our next posts will cover further benefits of responsive design plus a checklist of what you should […]
July 9, 2015
A digital marketing strategy is essential for any business that is looking to use on-line tools and platforms to grow their business. But how do you start creating a digital marketing strategy? Here is a list of 8 reasons why you should have a digital marketing strategy and some tips on how you can create your own, or refine the strategy you currently have. 8 reasons to create a Digital Marketing Strategy 1. A strategy can help you identify goals and objectives. A company with a digital marketing strategy is one with clear cut objectives when it comes to increasing their client base or to build on existing relationships. A digital marketing strategy will give you direction to reach these goals. 2. Empower your on-line value proposition with a digital marketing strategy. A well-defined on-line customer value proposition will help you separate your on-line service and encourage existing and new clients to engage and stay faithful. A digital marketing strategy will also help you differentiate yourself in an on-line crowded market place. 3. A strategy will help you better understand who your on-line customers are. Your on-line market in most cases will be different from your traditional one. Therefore with the help of a digital marketing strategy you will be able to tailor your offer to those people. Digital is often referred to as the “most quantifiable medium ever”. Yet, Google Analytics and similar will just give you information such as how much traffic you can expect which is not based on sentiment or perceptions. There are a wealth of client feedback tools to identify your potential weak points and to find ways to solve these issues. We suggest starting with Kampyle, PollDaddy or UserSnap. The first two are survey creators great for feedback on blogs, and the latter is a simple visual feedback tool. 4. A […]
June 24, 2015
The Urban Innovation Centre was created to help businesses, academics and city leaders to discuss the regeneration of cities to make them future ready. We have just returned from a presentation there hosted by Nicole Crockett, CEO of The Building Exploratory, and Karen Elmes, Lifelong Learning Manager, who actively encourage people to participate in change at both local and regional levels.
June 23, 2015
The new Partick Thistle mascot is causing some controversy throughout sport and social media. Kingsly, designed by Turner Prize nominated artist David Shrigly, was created to launch the relationship between the club and US investment firm Kingsford Capital. It has to be said that it is unusual for a mascot as it in a line up of other mascots it is probably the last one you would want to cuddle. However, it has achieved massive PR for the club and is line with their motto for next season, “Not so cuddly anymore”. I remember when The Island re-designed Digger, the mascot for London Irish, and how careful we had to be to ensure kids could still associate with him and carry on their idolisation. The new real-life Digger was leaner, and much less dog eared, than the previous one. We unveiled him on the first game of the season at the new Digger’s Pound – a kids’ play area in one of the main concourses. Most kids were pleased to see him, but others thought he had changed a lot. But we were ready. We explained to all the doubters that it was Digger, but he had been in pre-season training with the team and was no much fitter and leaner. That seemed to work. Plus, we had a new cartoon version and a club that the kids could join to feel even more a part of the London Irish family. The bond kids have with the mascot is not to be knocked. They really do love them – as do the parents who like to get their photo taken with them just as much. Partick Thistle sound like they have a few more surprises up their sleeve to continue this new brand message which they hope to really push […]
June 10, 2015
Club level rugby in England has strong support but the national team still dominates when it comes to drawing in the masses. Average attendances for Premiership games are around the 13,000 mark (that’s a total average audience of 156,000 on any given match day.) The rugby world cup is now just 100 days away and is expected to attract a worldwide audience of over 4 billion and visitors are expected to spend up to £869m during the course of the tournament. How premiership rugby teams can increase their audiences The premiership teams should be gearing up, during this unique time period, to ensure they pull in new fans for the future, and also take advantage of the short term income increase the tournament could supply. Rugby is now played in 190 countries around the world so premiership rugby teams, who play in the most professional and oldest league in the world, should be using the world cup as an opportunity to draw in new audiences. The advantages are fairly obvious with increased merchandising sales and the opportunity to become more attractive to sponsors who see the opportunities behind the database of the club. The 11 host cities have the biggest potential in being able to attract new worldwide fans and engage with them, for the long term. Hopefully the clubs will use their own community structures to spread the word and engage with fans one-on-one. Using social media to increase attendances Social media is going to play an enormous part for the rest of the clubs where they should be utilising the ‘hero worship’ of their own world cup stars to draw attention to the club. Not just tweeting about their players but truly engaging with the new fans that avoids sales but which has warmth and a genuine feel […]
April 14, 2015
The Island are looking for digital design and developer interns to work with us to continue building the better web for our clients and users. We are offering extremely beneficial work experience across some great projects so please get in touch if this sounds interesting to you.
January 16, 2015
At The Island we work with our clients to setup and implement strategies, designs and processes that make the most of vital digital channels to increase awareness, leads and sales opportunities. Click to find out more
December 8, 2014
The Island are an established and highly experienced hands-on creative, digital design and brand leisure agency, focused in quality creative delivery and organised implementation.
We’ve helped develop brands, websites and marketing campaigns for many leisure businesses over the past 20 years.
August 12, 2014
The Premiership season is about to kick off in England.
Excitement is high, nerves are on edge, predictions for the season have been discussed again and again. It's sweaty palm time.
And that is just for the people who work in sports marketing! Being part of a commercial sports team is a constant juggle between being an illogical and passionate fan, combined with the sensible head you need to make sure fans keep coming week after week.
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