Tag Archives: events

Goodbye The Lead Agency, Hello TLA

The Lead Agency (TLA) is the market leader in lead generation for the UK automotive sector and today we launch our new brand identity. We believe this new brand more accurately reflects our continued growth in the performance marketing space.

Founded in 2002, we have firmly established TLA as the UK’s foremost provider of sales-qualified consumers to more than 30 automotive brands, and, while lead generation remains a core part of our business’ offering, we believe that our previous brand no longer conveyed our growing portfolio of services in performance marketing, content and technology solutions.

Coinciding with our 18th birthday celebrations this month, The Lead Agency will rebrand as TLA, with an accompanying new visual identity and brand message.

“It is important that our brand mirrors not just how we have evolved, but how our market has changed.” Says Anton Hanley, TLA CEO.

“Lead generation is a part of a larger performance marketing ecosystem for our clients, and we have evolved to offer far more than our existing brand suggests, including transformational technology solutions and a greater portfolio of performance marketing options.”

“Our new brand identity focuses on who we are today and what we really excel in, and we are excited to share it with our clients, partners and the wider market.”

“We wanted to understand exactly what the business stood for and aspired to be, and worked closely with colleagues over a three month period to really drill into the core of TLA’s corporate identity.” Says Jonny Kimber, Lead Designer and primary architect of the new brand identity.

“The primary themes that emerged were automotive expertise, the quest for excellence, technological innovation and drive and ambition, all of which are reflected in our new logo: by the toggle itself, which represents both technology and our drive by constantly being “on” for our clients; and by the toggle switch, which shows a starred alloy, signifying automotive expertise and excellence.”

“It has been a fascinating process and has helped us get an even stronger sense of who TLA is from the perspective of clients, partners and new and existing employees.”

The brand launch comes weeks after the release of Platform X, our end-to-end consumer acquisition platform that will revolutionise the way that brands operate and measure performance marketing campaigns across their entire spectrum of channels.

Our highlights from the European Data Protection Summit

We were among the 300+ delegates in attendance at the European Data Protection Summit last month to take in some great sessions on GDPR, privacy and more.

The two-day event covered GDPR 16 months on from its introduction, privacy in the era of AI and other emerging technologies and tracking cookies and the need for organisations to ensure that they are following lawful process.

Among the key takeaways from the latter session were:

  • Analytics cookies are not ‘strictly necessary’ and so can’t be used without consent;
  • A high level of (GDPR-compliant) consent must be obtained;
  • No cookies should be dropped until that consent has been given and all third parties should be named.

This will have a significant impact on how many organisations operate.

Another key takeaway from the Summit was that many companies have been waiting for the new ePrivacy Regulation before making any changes – but it may never become law in the UK if its date of application falls after the end of any transition period when the UK leaves the EU.

However, the UK will no doubt have to adopt similar rules even if the ePrivacy Regulation does not apply, so it’s important to be prepared and plan for these changes.

For more insights from the event, contact the TLA compliance team.

Hit for six: TLA’s Key Takeaways from Jonathan Levav’s innovation masterclass

On Friday, Stanford Graduate School of Business Professor Jonathan Levav hosted an ideas and innovation session in Liverpool attended by some of the city’s most notable creative business.  

Inspired by Silicon Valley, the event was packed with great insights into how companies can consistently and regularly produce great ideas. We asked some of the TLA team who attended the session to share their big takeaways:

1. Psychological needs are a key pillar of consumer choice.

Apple products are not the cheapest in their respective markets. They’re often not the best either, with less features than their rivals. But what they do is satiate the consumers’ psychological desires. The prestige. The presumed ease of use. They make the thought of having an iPhone feel good. – Dan Potter

2. Make what you can sell, don’t sell what you can make.

In product development, there can be a rush to build and ship as many ‘innovative’ features as possible without an understanding as to whether or not they’re actually something that the end user wants to buy. With that approach, businesses risk building a product that is inferior and too complex. And, worst of all, that doesn’t actually solve a need. – Paul Earnden

3. Prepare well to ideate well.

Ideation involves a lot more planning and preparation than you might realise and starts before the actual session. Going for a walk, or even a few drinks(!), beforehand can open up the mind to new possibilities. And having the session on a Friday or at a time when people are more tired, when they self-regulate less, can actually lead to better ideas. – Kristian Brown

4. Follow a process. Constraint breeds creativity.

Ideation is far more successful if there is structure and a clear process to follow. For example, Task unification (where you assign a new task to an existing item (e.g. iPhone case/battery combination); Separation (such as how car radios used to have façade separated from actual radio to prevent theft); Multiplication (like when old combination music systems were swapped out for separates); Attribute Dependency (which involves mapping internal attributes against external attributes/requirements see where additional value can be created); or Brainwriting (which involves writing an idea down on a piece of paper and passing it to the next person to develop further). – Ed Clark

5. Develop your idea before you share. 

Not all ideas need to be developed in collaboration. If you have a vision, sharing it with teammates too early can see it go off in a direction you hadn’t planned or wanted (maybe for the better, maybe not). By developing your idea further in isolation before you share, you can seek the input of others at the point when they can help you bring your vision to life. – Steve Timmis

6. Simplicity leads to innovation.

Perfection is attained not when there’s nothing left to add, but when there’s nothing to take away. Start by making a list of the attributes a product or product type has and experiment with removing them one-by-one. The more simple the solution to your customer’s needs, the better the product will be. – Rachel Hellon

Visit TLA’s LinkedIn account for more feedback on the Jonathan Levav event.

Lessons from Silicon Valley: Where do great ideas come from?

How do Silicon Valley companies consistently produce successful, innovative ideas?

Stanford School of Business’s professor of marketing Jonathan Levav will visit Liverpool on Friday 8 November to discuss the patterns of innovation used by California’s most prolific tech companies.

Taking place at Hope Street Hotel, the event will see Jonathan discuss the findings of his extensive research based on the university’s close-working relationship Silicon Valley. He’ll reveal how it takes a structured, inside-the-box approach to consistently produce great ideas.

Having met Jonathan at a week-long event at Stanford last year, we were immediately struck by his level of insight. Along with our fellow sponsors Growth Platform, Brabners and RSM UK, we will be flying Jonathan over to share his ideas with Liverpool businesses.

If you aspire to disrupt an established market or avoid being left behind by the competition, this event is not to be missed.

With a limited number of tickets available, please visit Eventbrite to secure your place.

Silicon Valley event in Liverpool

About Jonathan

Jonathan’s research focuses on understanding the judgments and choices of consumers by using tools from experimental psychology and behavioural economics. His studies into the contextual factors that influence people’s choices and judgments was the subject of his engaging TEDx talk in 2013.

Working with the university has also seen Jonathan work closely with Silicon Valley, where he has identified the repeatable patterns that are being used by the world’s most innovative businesses to consistently produce great ideas. Contrary to the belief that it centres on outside-the-box thinking and a blank canvas, he found that consistent creativity requires a more structured, inside-the-box approach.

Jonathan received his PhD in marketing from the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, and his A.B. in public and international affairs from Princeton University. He is the winner of the Hillel Einhorn Young Investigator Award, awarded biennially by the Society for Judgment and Decision-Making.

Stanford Professor to run Silicon Valley-inspired Masterclass for media agencies in London

In November, TLA will be hosting an exclusive Marketing Masterclass led by Stanford Business School Professor of Marketing Jonathan Levav.

Having met Jonathan at a week-long event held at Stanford earlier this year, we were immediately struck by the quality of his research and findings – particularly around his work with Silicon Valley, where he’s identified the patterns of innovation used by the most high-profile tech companies in the world.

To coincide with the launch of our brand new customer acquisition platform, we’re flying Jonathan over from California to share his insights and run a one-off idea generation workshop for media agencies and publishers on Monday 11 November (2pm-5pm) at London’s Soho House.

Once he’s unpicked the patterns of innovation used by the Valley’s best, attendees will get chance to put them into practice to generate ideas of their own. This is an event not to be missed!

A limited number of tickets are available, so please email [email protected] to express your interest in the event.

About Jonathan

Jonathan Levav is Professor of Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. His research focuses on understanding the judgments and choices of consumers by using tools from experimental psychology and behavioural economics. His studies into the contextual factors that influence people’s choices and judgments was the subject of his engaging TEDx talk.

Working with the university has also seen Jonathan work closely with Silicon Valley, where he has identified the repeatable patterns that being used world’s most innovative businesses to consistently produce great ideas. Contrary to the belief that it centres on outside-the-box thinking and a blank canvas, he found that consistent creativity requires a more structured, inside-the-box approach.

Jonathan received his PhD in marketing from the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, and his A.B. in public and international affairs from Princeton University. He is the winner of the Hillel Einhorn Young Investigator Award, awarded biennially by the Society for Judgment and Decision-Making.

Media industry cycle from London to Brighton confirmed for 2020

Places are now available for Sea Change 2020, the UK advertising and media industry’s charity cycle from London to Brighton in aid of NABS.

Building on the huge success of the first event earlier this year, which raised more than £25,000 for the charity, we can confirm that the second ride will take place on 12 June 2020.

The event, which is open to teams and individuals working in the media, ad and tech industries, is funded entirely by TLA and event sponsors. As a result, 100% of entry fees and donations raised from participant will go directly to NABS.

Having welcomed more than 100 riders in June, representing the likes of Accenture, Mail Metro Media, PHD and Mediacom, we are anticipating an even bigger response for 2020 and have set an ambitious fundraising target of £30,000. For any company or individual that signs up before the end of November, an ‘early bird’ discount will be applied to their entry fee.

‘Bigger and better’

TLA CEO Anton Hanley said: “This year’s Sea Change for Mental Health brought together the biggest and brightest companies from the media, advertising and tech industries to raise a fantastic amount of money for NABS and helped the charity to continue supporting people dealing with issues relating to mental health and wellbeing. The people who took part loved the experience of riding alongside their colleagues from the same industry along one of the UK’s best cycling routes.

“We’re committed to making Sea Change 2020 even bigger and better than this year, bringing more of the industry together and setting a fundraising target that will make a huge difference for the charity and those it supports,” he added.

Charlie Parkin, fundraising director at NABS, commented on the announcement: “We are delighted that Sea Change 2020 has been announced. The Lead Agency did a brilliant job of uniting the UK media industry behind the important cause of mental health and wellbeing, and we’re excited by their plans for next year’s ride.”

Parkin was among the riders in June. Explaining her reason for taking part, she said: “As well as raising money for our fantastic team, I wanted to challenge myself. It is easy in everyday life to slip into the routine of going to the gym to do the same workouts or road run the same distance. The Sea Change London to Brighton ride offered me a chance to train in a different way, push myself towards a new goal and achieve this with people from my own industry.”

Teams and individuals can enter Sea Change 2020 for £275 per person (or £250 per person with the early bird discount).

To confirm a booking or register interest in the event, please visit the official Sea Change microsite. 

Everything you need to know about Dot Net Liverpool

Every month, Liverpool’s .NET community meet at TLA’s city centre office for technical presentations, networking and pizza.

We asked the group’s founder, TLA’s own Joshua Duxbury to give us the lowdown on what people can expect and look forward to from future meet-ups.

What is Dot Net Liverpool and who is it for?

Dot Net Liverpool is a meet-up community group in Liverpool for technologists interested in Microsoft products and tools. We meet every month at 20 Chapel Street (home of TLA) for a technical presentation with pizza and drinks supplied by a sponsor, followed by a networking session.

What prompted you to create the group?

Dot Net Liverpool is part of the Dot Net Foundation consisting of 300 meetup groups internationally. When looking for Microsoft meet-ups near Liverpool the closest groups are in Manchester. A lot of people I met at these events commuted from outside of Liverpool to attend (including myself).

Despite having many developers working with Microsoft technologies Liverpool didn’t seem to have a group to bring everyone together. That is when I seeked support from other meetup group hosts such as Rik Garner and Pete Vickers that helped me understand what was involved and put me on the right road to starting up my own meetup community group.

What have been the topics discussed at the Meet-ups so far?

All of our past events can be found on our meet-up page. So far, we have hosted six events all on different topics. From reviewing feedback, our attendees have been impressed and left feeling that our group has provided them valuable insight.

The highlight for me is the socialising aspect; not only with the speakers but the community we have brought together. We have gained a reoccurring assortment of tech enthusiasts and it’s great to see attendees coming time and time again. From the most junior to the most senior, and even previous speakers, they find value in the meet-up.

What topics are on the agenda for future sessions?

We are welcoming Microsoft MVP Luce Carter to talk at our next event on 25 July who is presenting a talk on Xamarin for C# developers.

Are there any guest speakers you’d love to host in the future?

There are many speakers we would love to get into Liverpool in the future but just to name a few: Jon Skeet, author of C# In depth, and Dylan Beattie, the organiser of London Dot Net.

You’ve recently launched a new brand identity courtesy of the branding team at TLA. What can you tell us about it and why do you feel it represents what the group is all about?

Dot Net Liverpool - Black logoThe design team have done a wonderful Job. We have chose this design because of its simplicity but also the professionalism it offers.

Inside the logo are interconnecting lines (a bit like how the internet works today, connecting peers over a network). That’s exactly what our meet-up group is trying to represent on a social scale – bringing people together to learn, share and discuss technology advancements.

The Logo is easily transferable to all of our assets such a T-Shirts, posters and our website and is easily identifiable as Dot Net Liverpool.

What should people do if they want to know more?

Firstly, come along. Once a month you get a chance to meet some great people, gain some knowledge, have a laugh, drink and some eat pizza!

Our website links all our pages together such as Meet-up and Twitter, where you can find the latest information. Make sure to join/subscribe/follow our channels to find out when our next events will be taking place.

As Josh mentioned above, the next meetup featuring Luce Carter will take place on Thursday 25 July, from 6pm – 9pm, at TLA’s office on Chapel Street. 

Captify supports London to Brighton NABS cycle as sponsor

We are pleased to reveal that Captify, the award-winning search intelligence specialist, has joined this Friday’s London to Brighton cycle in aid of NABS as one of our main sponsors.

The Sea Change for Mental Health cycle is one of a series of events being funded and organised by TLA this year with the aim of raising more than £25,000 for NABS – a charity that promotes positive wellbeing for professionals in the media and advertising industry to help them thrive.

Thanks to Captify’s commitment, every rider taking part in this inaugural event will receive a medal to mark the achievement of completing the 63-mile cycle from Marble Arch to Brighton’s Marine Parade. The medals will be presented at the after-party at the nearby Patterns bar, where everyone involved can celebrate with a free-bar, BBQ (weather permitting) and entertainment.

Thanks to its rich consumer data and technology, Captify is best known for helping brands to make informed decisions through consumer behaviour analysis, brand trends, product and market analysis. Its clients include the likes of Adidas, American Express, Apple, Disney and Microsoft.

Commenting on the support provided by Captify, TLA founder Anton Hanley said: “We’re thrilled that Captify has chosen to support the Sea Change for Mental Health cycle. It is genuinely one of the most innovative businesses operating in the tech and media industry today and a partner we are proud to be working with to make this a memorable experience for every rider.”

The event will feature riders from companies such as Mail Metro Media, Haymarket, Dennis Publishing, PHD, Mediacom and the IPA.

For more information, visit our official charity page.

Accenture Interactive signs up as lead sponsor for NABS cycle from London to Brighton

We are delighted to confirm that Accenture Interactive  has signed up as lead sponsor for the inaugural Sea Change for Mental Health cycle from London to Brighton in aid of NABS.

The deal will see Accenture Interactive feature on the official cycling jerseys being worn by all riders and have a strong presence on key promotional materials throughout the event. The global business will also be represented by a team of cyclists taking part in the 63-mile journey.

Sea Change, which takes place on Friday 7 June, is being organised by The Lead Agency (TLA) and aims to raise £25,000 for NABS – the charity that helps people who work in the media and advertising industry to thrive.

100 media professionals representing some of the UK’s biggest media agencies, ad agencies and publishers will be taking part in the NABS cycle.  Joining Accenture Interactive and TLA on the route will be riders from PHD, Mediacom, Blue449, Jungle Creations, Mail Metro Media, Dennis Publishing and Haymarket.

Anton Hanley, founder at TLA, said: “For an organisation of Accenture Interactive’s size and stature to sign up as lead sponsor is a great indication of what we’re hoping to achieve with the Sea Change event. As well as being a fun and memorable experience for the 100 riders, the funds raised for NABS will have a genuine impact for people who work in the media and advertising industry.”

To claim one of the last remaining places on the ride and join the likes of Accenture Interactive, PHD and Mediacom, visit the Sea Change Website.

TLA staff, clients and friends experienced the opportunity of a lifetime yesterday by playing in a football match at Anfield, home of Liverpool FC.

The opportunity, which came about thanks to a kind gesture by a friend of the business, was organised as a thank you to staff and clients with the additional aim of raising money for NABS – the media industry charity that helps people to overcome challenges associated with mental health and wellbeing.

39 players from the likes of TLA, Octaive, Convertr, Performics, PHD and Wavemaker entered the field to You’ll Never Walk Alone before taking part in a competitive, yet friendly 11-a-side match that ended in a 4-5 scoreline. The away team, TLA Athletic, took a 4-1 lead into the half-time break before sealing the victory mid-way through the second period despite an impressive late fightback from the home side, TLA FC.

As well as it being an amazing experience for all, our day at Anfield raised £700 in donations from the players – a great contribution towards our fundraising push. Through this and a series of other events, we’re aiming to raise in excess of £25,000 for NABS in 2019.

Next up as part of our charity events will be the London to Brighton Cycle, which will see 100 media industry professionals take part in a 63-mile. For more information on that event, please visit our charity page.