Ketchup in 2019: The year everything got bigger…
What a year! Where to begin?
It’s been a crazy busy year for Ketchup and one which has seen immense change and growth in all areas. Along the way we’ve laughed a lot, had a few sleepless nights and created some amazing campaigns, making memories and cementing working relationships along the way ...
Growing expertise and vibrancy
This time last year, there were two members of Team Red that made up the full-time body of staff at Ketchup Marketing. The latter part of 2019 saw an enormous recruitment drive which has now resulted in Team Red expanding to a total of 11 crazy kids on the Ketchup block! The office is buzzing and creativity is flowing; our Buckminster HQ is a truly vibrant place to work (Update Jan 2022: we've now got offices in the heart of Nottingham too).
Going large in Buckminster
And of course, with the Ketchup family growing, we needed the space to house the growing team. We moved into our spacious new premises at Buckminster Yard in Grantham in June. It’s a great, leafy location which we all love, and our clients do too.
Converting those part-timers...
Part-time marketing assistant, Georgina, came aboard the Ketchup ship in a full-time capacity. During her time here, she’s trained for, and run, a half marathon, travelled around Croatia and tirelessly educated us all to make our offices greener than ever!
Sales superhero and digital darling
In May, we were joined by Paul – a sales superstar. He’s worked in business development with high profile brands such as Vodafone. He’s now diverting all his expertise to Team Red and engaging our clients in the process.
Our digital darling Hayley joined Ketchup Marketing for her gap year and will be jetting off to Australia in the summer of 2020 before completing her degree in Marketing and Advertising. Hayley’s a whiz with anything online and has taken us all on a journey, constantly updating the collective Ketchup Marketing digital skillset.
Ready to rock our marketing magic
In September, we took the plunge and recruited a Head of Communications to oversee our team of freelance copywriters. Kate brings with her a wealth of editorial and PR experience, gained from working as a news journalist on newspapers, radio, TV and for corporates too. Kate got straight to work making our words sparkle and putting her head together with our new creative copywriter, and novelist, Faye.
And finally, Ivars and David joined us in November as a Web Developer and Head of Design respectively. What a talent pool we now have in our fully formed and firmly focused team. We’re now ready to rock the next 10 years!
We’ve got it licked!
And we’ve not only taken on two-legged recruits; we’ve acquired another canine companion to keep Gracie, our four-legged greeter and receptionist, company. Vinnie, a black Labrador puppy, joined Team Red earlier this year and has settled into his post (chief of security and well-being) very quickly. I think you can safely say he’s got his Ketchup responsibilities licked!
Celebrating a decade of delights
2019 marks a decade of marketing for Ketchup. Some of the relationships we fostered at the very beginning are still alive now; many businesses have been working with us for the whole journey. And there’s been plenty of new connections along the way too!
We’re proud to have worked with local legends such as Stamford Stone, The Melton Building Society, Belvoir Castle, Moy Park, and more. We’ve designed websites, prepared strategy, organised exhibitions, launched a new shopping district, created print ads, got our clients in the papers, created email campaigns, and much, much more!
We find the work we do incredibly rewarding. As we help other businesses grow, we take steps forward too. It’s a constant journey where each day only gets better.
This year, we undertook our own rebrand. We refreshed our logo, updated our image, and made sure we continue to look the part. Our agency is growing fast and, of course, we need to stay fresh and competitive too.
What we love about Team Red
As the team grows, we have more opportunities to enjoy office activities, outings, and jokes. The great thing about Team Red is that everyone gets involved. We enjoyed a wonderful ten weeks of an in-house Bake Off challenge, with two people baking something delicious every week.
Georgina walked the length of a canal and raised a fabulous £900 for Alzheimer’s. We also hosted a Ketchup Macmillan Coffee Morning, raising £125 for cancer research.
Once a week we practise yoga together as a team and we regularly hold ‘Lunch and Learn’ sessions aimed at upskilling our workforce and sharing knowledge.
Out and about
We’ve spent many months out and about, networking throughout Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Rutland and beyond. You might have seen us along the way, challenging people to take part in our interactive Ketchup competitions.
We’ve met clients here, there and everywhere – from Stamford to London, and everywhere in between. Ketchup is truly becoming omnipresent!
A little bit of red carpet treatment
One of the highlights of the year was our nomination and shortlisting for the Rural Business Awards. We made it to the finals! It felt incredible to be recognised for all our hard work, innovation and dedication. And we loved being there to celebrate with other rural businesses doing well.
2020: A step ahead, a cut above
2019 has been a supersonic year for us – and we’re very much looking forward to the new challenges that 2020 will bring. Our growth spurt has equipped us with extra marketing muscle, resulting in greater skill and efficiency in everything we do.
Team Red challenge
We decided to put our lateral thinking and problem-solving skills to the test. So, as part of our Christmas party plans, we piled into The Escape Rooms in Nottingham and threw ourselves fully into escape mode. It was a girls -v- boys event, with the girls escaping from their ‘haunted toy shop’ four minutes quicker than the boys. In their defence, the boys say they had to deploy lots of brain power into cracking a safe and diffusing a bomb. However, that was nothing to having to negotiate a live clown, a toilet that made you disappear and a bunch of dead people along the way!
We had a brilliant time and we all know that we are blessed to be a part of such a dedicated, cheerful and innovative team who all love what they do. We think it’s our passion and genuine love for our craft that helps us stay a step ahead and a cut above. We’re incredibly excited for the next twelve months and beyond.
But for now, we wish all of you a wonderful Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year! 2020 is almost upon us – and we’ll be right here ready and waiting when it arrives.