Brilliant Agency

05/09/2024

Attention all sigma rizzlers. Do you know what in the Ohio we're going on about?

No? Well, then chances are you've never heard of Generation Alpha.

Despite sounding like cold-blooded marines, Generation Alpha are actually just the latest demographic to arrive on the internet.

And if you thought Gen Z were difficult to understand, just wait until you read what these lot have to say!

Already making waves in consumer buying trends, the oldest Gen As are no older than 14 and having grown up with iPads in their hand, they demand more interactive and two-way styles of marketing... which means good community management is more important than ever before!

Unfortunately, this does mean as marketers we're obliged to try and understand them and their baffling TikTok lingo.

So our Lead Copywriter Jonny has drafted up a helpful dictionary, so you can turn all those seemingly 'trolly' comments into loyal and beloved followers of your brands.

Check it out here https://bit.ly/3zf42z6

23/08/2024

Do brands really listen to what their audience has to say? 📢

Heritage food brand Heinz has expanded its pasta sauce range based on data gathered from its TikTok audience. The range includes Tomato & Spicy ‘Nduja which was is in response to “the recent explosion of ‘nduja-inspired recipes across the UK and the growing number of people using this”, reported Heinz. 

The brand was able to respond in this way through the use of social listening tools.

Other brands should consider their own approach and how they can utilise social listening tools to best understand their audience. 

It’s not enough to just simply listen to branded terms, but rather the wider conversations in order to innovate/develop new products that meet consumer needs.

Do you really understand your audience?

Read more on this in our latest issue of Brilliant Edge via the link in our stories!

23/08/2024

Brands are really feeling the rising influence of Gen A

You read that correctly, Gen A! With the oldest of them being just 14 years old! 

With obscure phrases and comments such as ‘Skibidi Toilet’ and ‘Fanum Tax’, there’s pressure on brands to understand and respond in an original way - to build relationships with prospective consumers. This, in turn, puts a much greater emphasis on community management. 💭

What’s the strangest comment you’ve received on a piece of content?

We’d love to hear!

23/08/2024

Do we have your attention?

 
Capturing people’s attention is harder than ever in the age of information overload, so it’s important to understand the two attention states; active and passive.

A recent Pinterest Business study has highlighted the importance of understanding these two attention states. 📌

Read our latest issue of Brilliant Edge via the link in our stories and understand how you should build your social content strategy and channel utilisation around both these attention states. 🔗

15/08/2024

We’re so obsessed with that we see them everywhere, so we wanted to bring the fanbase into our rounder, more colourful world! 

Our content team have been taking relevant key dates and turning them into Party Rings fun! 

       

26/07/2024

When was the last time you actually listened to your audience? 📢

By listening to what your audience is saying (outside of your own social media sphere) you can discover the content and conversations that interest them.

Guinness proved the value of this practice with their ‘Looks Like A Guinness’ campaign back in 2022 which was inspired by small scale user-generated content.

But despite this proven success, do brands actually know how to gain a deeper insight into their audience?

Here at Brilliant Agency, our Social Media Manager Jamie is our resident expert on the matter!

For those left wondering, we suggest taking a look at Jamie’s blog via the link below!

https://shorturl.at/qeVxP

05/07/2024

Join two of our content team, photographer Jenny and videographer Caitlin and they take a trip to London to see the Sony DMPC department at Pinewood Studios.

This training was all about virtual production and with Sony being such a huge force behind VP in the film and TV industry what better place to learn! Sony are producing more and more products to make VP a better options for the future and our team got so much from the time.

It’s going to be exciting to see how we can use what we’ve learnt at Sony and can put it into practice and we continue to evolve our social media content offering!

05/07/2024

Content team trip to London to capture some client content, learn about VP with Sony… and see the sights!

27/06/2024

As a social-first agency, we're in a constant battle to get attention for the brands we work with... be it from consumers, influencers or content creators!

But how do we get those brands to the front of the queue? To make them stand out and forge meaningful connections? Well, having worked in the past as both a content creator and community manager, our Social Media Manager Gwyn has experienced the battle from both sides...

In her latest blog, she reveals how personalisation is the key to positive brand association, with physical notecards being a simple but effective way of:

- Implementing Brand TOV

- Expanding on Brand Personality

- Creating a more personalised conversation

- Cementing a lasting relationship

Read it here: https://www.brilliantagency.co.uk/blog/community-management/taking-community-management-beyond-the-screen/

20/06/2024

Our Studio Director Lynne Ella is celebrating SIX years at Brilliant! 🥳

After starting out as Studio Manager in 2018 Lynne quickly made her mark on the business and our clients, and was promoted to Head of Client Services and then finally Studio Director. As a true asset to Brilliant she was rewarded for her loyalty and strong work ethic by becoming a shareholder in Brilliant!

Congratulations Lynne, here's to many more successful years!

Read about her journey here: https://www.brilliantagency.co.uk/blog/brilliant-social-media/celebrating-6-years-of-working-at-brilliant/

12/06/2024

A big welcome to our latest recruit Katie Cassidy!

Katie joins the Brilliant team as our Content & Community Manager, with a mix of talents that span the 3 Cs - copywriting, community management and content creation, she has already been creating some fantastic copy and TikTok content for our foodie clients 👏

11/06/2024

Content Creators, we think we might have the solution... 📽️

We know there are many challenges that come with location shoots… especially when you have a limited budget!

For a start, is the requested location even possible? Such as a Sci-Fi 1950s American diner? Or maybe your shoot is weather dependant and you can’t rely on Mother Nature.

In the past, backdrops have been a staple in a content creator's toolkit, but as we all look to be more eco-conscious, it feels wasteful to build sets or use backdrops only once...

Well, we think we might just have the solution to all these issues in the form of Virtual Production. Our videographer, Caitlin Hall, has been exploring this technique and how it can be applied to digital marketing - specifically within the food and beverage sector. "Virtual Production (aka VP) is our newest method for making multiple location shoots a reality...it’s really changed the way I work at Brilliant!"

Click below to find out how VP works, including our top tips for creating a seamless illusion... 🎬

https://www.brilliantagency.co.uk/blog/photography/a-brilliant-introduction-to-the-world-of-virtual-production/

06/06/2024

Pancake Day is the biggest day of the year for Lyle's Golden Syrup. (Even bigger than Christmas!)

So as their social media agency, we always want to cement their status as the number one topping of choice. 🥞

For 2024, our brief was to get the party started with an Absolutely Golden Breakfast Disco - a campaign turning stale pancake flipping into a funky family event!

Across multiple channels, we brought the campaign to life with a whole pancake MONTH of content, featuring recipe inspiration, too-good-to-miss giveaways and some amazing influencer discos!

We were particularly proud of our disco giveaway, which featured 50 of our very own Disco Starter Kits, all filled with party goodies and a Disco Activity Booklet designed by the team.

We've also got to praise the influencer legends that are JimLad and Kim-Joy.

As part of our Pancake Day shoot at Powerhouse Studios, Jim and Kim-Joy hosted their own off-the-wall Breakfast Discos which became key pieces of content for Lyle’s TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube.

And despite projecting just 400k TikTok views, JimLad and Kim-Joy helped us contribute to a phenomenal 4.3 million across the month!

Not a bad (pancake) day’s work in the end…

15/05/2024

We are THIRTEEN!

From nice to have to must-have, social media in 2011 was less curated, more authentic and algorithms just weren’t a thing (yep news feeds were chronological!)

Social media in 2024 is a different beast altogether, offering so many ways to connect, create and consume content, and we’ve seen it all!

We now work with some of the UK’s most loved brands and have a thriving team of social media and content experts (plus one big pink elephant!)

Happy 13th birthday Brilliant!

23/04/2024

What's it like working for Brilliant? We asked our two social media managers Gwyn Lawrence and Jamie Hirst to spill the beans!

"I feel like I’ve done so much in such a short space of time in terms of trying out and learning lots of new things. You know, even since the start of 2024, I’ve done a pitch, a rebrand, a strategy, sat in on new business meetings, talked about retainer rollover with a client, communicated contracts, plus a whole load of OOH activations… and it’s been amazing to see the wider parts of the marketing puzzle."

"I’ve always loved food and have worked around it for a long time, so to have this industry be my full time job feels really special. Like, getting to make a real impact on brands that you love and some that you’ve grown up with it’s so special. Especially our household name brands like, I sometimes stop and think “this is a brand that speaks to hundreds of thousands of people on a regular basis” and to know I had a hand in guiding that feels huge."

Read their full interview below!

What’s it like working at Brilliant? Let’s find out! Our two Social Media Managers, Gwyn and Jamie have been with us for 6 months and a bit so we challenged them to ask each other some questions about agency life and working at Brilliant! How did you feel on your first day? Gwyn: Definitely supe...

31/03/2024

This Easter we’ve been busy capturing a whole host of delicious seasonal content for our clients including: Thorntons personalised eggs and chocolate character models, chocolate cheeseboards for Saint Agur UK, freshly baked hot cross buns for Lyle's Golden Syrup and cream egg scotch eggs for Tate and Lyle Sugars and We Love Baking.

Let’s just say the shoot days were very popular days to be in the office!

13/03/2024

Big thanks to Andrea who is one of the amazing content creators we work with for our client, Tate and Lyle Sugars - she’s been a superstar since we started working together over 18 months ago and has always gone above and beyond to create the most beautiful content and YouTube videos for the Love Baking channel https://lnkd.in/d6GCqhp3

It’s been great to have her in the office today and also to enjoy the bakes she bought along!

31/12/2023

Happy New Year! May your glasses be full and your moves be as smooth as Rosso the Elephant!

30/12/2023

How to serve our Rosso Blend!

Just like our resident mastodon, this year's Brilliant Gin is full of character.

A blend of juniper berries, coriander, lime, orange, chamomile and earthy liqourice - there's really no need to add to much to the mix. Just serve with your favourite tonic and a thick slice of grapefruit!

23/12/2023

A debut for Rosso behind the Brilliant bar...

Rosso doesn't usually venture to the far side of the office, but he'll make an exception when it comes to promoting his very first gin label!

Following in the footsteps of Clooney and Reynolds, he's the biggest star yet to put their name behind some booze!

21/12/2023

This year our gin pays homage to our office elephant Rosso... here are some fun facts about our elephant in the room...

1) He has three brothers; Azzuro, Verde and Giallo - also mute plastic elephants.

2) In 2016, he created the dating app Tusker. (Ask him for a trunk pic!)

3) His middle name is Gary.

4) He did a three-year stint in San Quentin... but no one knows why.

5) He got his trunk pierced as a teenager and instantly regretted it.

6) He's often mistaken for fellow redhead Mick Hucknall, and once came second in a look-alike competition!

7) He's due to star in Marvel Cinematic Universe's remake of The Elephant Man.

8) He owns a swimwear brand... it's called Trunks.

9) Every summer, he travels to Africa to hunt poacher teeth. He bagged 3 wisdoms last year!

10) He owes HMRC 3,000,000 peanuts in tax.

In short, he is a true legend and that's why we made our gin in tribute to him this year!

20/12/2023

Brilliant staff member Rosso is a mystery to many - particularly to anyone who's ever visited or worked in our office.

A perpetual figure in the corner of the room, he's the first in every morning and the last to leave at night. Though some claim he doesn't even leave at all.

He does no work and no one's ever heard him speak. But Human Resources can't touch him as he happens to be an elephant.

So this Christmas we thought we should finally tell his story and turn this misunderstood figure into one that can stand proudly...

A distant cousin to Babar and Dumbo, Rosso was the first of his family ever to exist, identifying as non-fictional from an early age.

This made the elephant's life a difficult one for the magenta mammoth and so against all stereotypes, he ran away from the circus, seeking his fortune in Hollywood as an actor.

Initially, he was very successful, becoming one of the highest-paid calf actors of the 1990s - his 5,000,000 peanuts a-year contract second only to Macauley Culkin's (who was controversially paid in real money).

But his stardom didn't last forever. Despite being an elephant, he would frequently forget his lines and also where his mark was. Every time he spoke, it seemed he got it wrong and eventually he just gave up on speaking at all. Script or not.

Away from the set things weren't much better either and he had a reputation for being spotted in LA's very worst dive bars, with many of the regulars claiming they'd seen the big pink elephant.

Eventually, the acting dried up. So in an attempt to clean up, he packed up his trunk and moved back to the UK, working several small jobs in office IT departments.

However, his phobia of mice meant operating computers was a struggle and it wasn't until Brilliant that he finally found his home.

Originally employed in a security role, he’s gone from hired muscle to part of the furniture - our longest employee by some distance!

So while he might still unnerve and baffle many, to us he's a hero who deserves recognition. And what better way to do it than to make him the face of our annual Christmas Gin?

Our own little toast to the elephant in the room...

18/12/2023

This year's Brilliant Gin is Rosso's Blend... an innovative spirit that doesn't follow the herd!

The perfect tonic for what's been a wild 2023, we've designed these beautiful gin bottles as a Christmas gift for all our amazing clients, suppliers and team whom we've loved working with this year.

And to top it off, we've also got some Mini Rosso decorations, so they can all have their very own elephant in the room!

Wondering who Rosso is...? More on his life story soon and here's a sneak peek https://lnkd.in/eH-a-b5P

10/07/2023

Hurray a new social channel for everyone to get their heads around! Say hello to Threads!

Perhaps you’re wondering if you need to be on it and what happens if you do (or don’t!) join it!

Here's our quick Q&A guide on what we know so far...

Hurray a new social channel for everyone to get their heads around! Last week Meta launched their new platform, Threads… perhaps you’re wondering if you need to be on it and what happens if you do (or don’t!) join it! What is Threads? Threads is a standalone app that’s connected to your Inst...

31/05/2023

Ask we reach our 12th year in business we asked our team what really makes Brilliant a brilliant place to work?

Here's what they had to say!

Sometimes it’s hard to put into words what makes Brilliant brilliant…without sounding cheesy or like a corporate handbook – so we asked our team instead! We hire very much on work ethic and cultural fit within our team – as a small agency with high standards we look for people who have grit,...

30/05/2023

This week we're celebrating 12 years in business!

Cue a photoshoot, some wind and a number 2 balloon last seen somewhere over Leeds City Centre!

26/05/2023

Are you a wordy word nerd with a knack for copywriting brilliance?

Can you turn your hand to both witty quips and serious sentences, whilst effortlessly adapting your tone across various platforms and brands?

If you'd love to craft and be the voice of some much-loved foodie brands online, and you're based in - then we want to hear from you!

Now hiring: Copywriter & Social Media Community Manager: https://lnkd.in/eMBykKSF

17/05/2023

We couldn't let World Baking Day go by without a shout-out to our client Tate and Lyle Sugars and We Love Baking!

Whether it's baking, making or creating we love getting our aprons on and our whisks out to create sweet content that always rises to the occasion! (And there are never any complaints in the office when we get to eat them afterwards!) 🍰

04/05/2023

Merchandise has come a long way since the days of freebie pens and notebooks, and for a food and drink brand, high-quality merch for iconic brands can be seriously in demand!

Our Studio Director, Lynne explains why owning a pair of SKIPPY® Peanut Butter socks, or a limited edition Lyle's Golden Syrup Long Live The King tea towel is the ulitmate way of showing your loyalty to your favourite brands.

* “Great brands belong to their customers, communities and fans. And those being served by the brand tend to expect merch..’ says Violet Grey founder Cassandra Grey and rightly so. Here at Brilliant we work with some fantastic food and...

03/05/2023

It's been a pleasure to work with our client Lyle's Golden Syrup to launch their new commemorative tin!

We've created a whole host of royally good content to share across the Coronation week, including recipe videos, photography, competitions and even a limited edition Long Live The King tea towel to really show the tin in all its glory!

Seen more: www.instagram.com/lylesgoldensyrup

And if you want to get your hands on one, they're available now in your closest supermarket!