I am writing this from my childhood bedroom; the same place where I wrote my dissertation, graduated, and started my first marketing job. This very room, where I wrote all my A-Level coursework, is now carrying me through my placement with Idenna. Living with your parents is not new but is becoming more common; so what does it mean to share an office with your mum and dad? Across …

Cliché alert – what a year it’s been. Or … has it? I mean, there’s a very solid argument for saying “eveything’s changed”, but in terms of how it’s actually felt, for many people it’s been groundhog day: get up, walk to the desk in the sitting room, work, do your allotted hour’s worth of exercise, keep your community safe, stay sane, eat, sleep – rinse and repeat. As much …

I’m obsessed, in the good way. Obsessed with sustainability, obsessed with finding new ways in which to limit our impact on the environment, and obsessed with leaving the planet a better place! Remember, there is no Planet B, so here are some top tips that you can start bringing to your office space to instantly up your eco game. 1. Choose a green electricity tariff that uses and invests …

I can’t remember when I first heard about/saw the creative triangle but I remember being impressed. “Here it is, the golden bullet to client relationships on creative projects. Show everyone from marketeers to company directors this simple triangle diagram; fast, cheap and creative. Explain that you can only have two out of the three options. Then we will all have the same expectations of a project, and the creative …

Are you a young person looking to develop your career in Cornwall? We’re taking part in the government’s Kickstart Scheme, and we’re looking for: Junior Digital Marketer Social Media Creative Junior Artworker Researcher Production Assistant These paid roles will be funded for 6 months, with the possibility of becoming full-time once the scheme ends. Whether you’ve just graduated, or have the equivalent skillset, and are looking for work, this …

That thing, when you’re reading something but have to go over it eight times in an attempt to understand what has been said. In the world of marketing, jargon can be truly terrifying. ‘Value add’ is a common favourite – apparently “value-added” was too difficult to say. ‘Reach out’ is basically “let’s organise a meeting”, ‘CTR’ is “click through rate” and ‘CRO’ is “conversion rate optimisation”. You’re left thinking …

As with pretty much everything in life, creative marketing is all about balance. You want to make sure your campaign appeals to its key demographic – your regulars, the ol’ faithfuls of your relevant industry – whilst also being general enough to entice a broader audience to join this established group and follow your call to action. It’s all too easy to tip the scales too far in one …

There aren’t many better marketing-related feelings than seeing a piece of your content really take off; inspiring your audience and attracting fresh eyes to your brand, product or service. What if I told you that the popular content you published weeks, months or even years ago could help you find that feeling again and again? It’s true, honestly. You just need to repurpose it! Why should you repurpose your …

Ever wonder why you aren’t getting many likes on that Facebook post you spent hours writing, or why your follower numbers on Instagram have plateaued? It’s true that there are pesky algorithms at play on social media platforms, but don’t panic! There are things you can control to help boost your presence online – and we’re here to tell you some of them. Social media is increasingly becoming less …

Time is of the essence. It might be a cliché, but it’s legit. People seem to be busier than ever nowadays (are you getting procrastination guilt just reading this article?!) and even though they say “you have the same amount of hours in the day as Beyoncé,” it’s bullshit. She has a full team of people to manage her schedule, pick out her outfits, set her stage and hand …

Introducing the Idenna 2020 Showreel! We always produce a yearly showreel but lockdown really gave us the focus to create something special, something that really shines a spotlight on the incredible businesses we’re lucky enough to work with. Check it out here! If you’re super jealous and wondering how you can create your own epic film montage, then scroll down for insight from Sherring (this year’s showreel producer). Keen …

Let me be clear; the idea that there is a whole tribe of people who are born to be and who find being creative easy is utter fucking bullshit – an apt thing to consider if your business requires creative energy to move it forward. Creative people, or at least a good deal of them, work hard at being creative. Let me explain further. When I was ten years …

Being responsible for a team of highly intelligent, motivated and creative people whose average age is at least half my own is positively challenging. I say ‘positively’ deliberately because there are so many good aspects to the challenge – for me and, I hope, the team. It’s important to say that this in not just any team – this is an alpha plus team of hand picked individuals who …

In part, I left my previous job because I wanted to feel more like I was part of a team. Idenna didn’t fail to deliver that in the short time I’ve been a Studio Manager for them before being furloughed. So, to suddenly stop seeing them every day during the working week was a shock to the system. I dipped in and out of the daily team check-in video …

“I need you now, more than ever before.” That was an email we received just after the UK government announced the country would be going into lockdown in March 2020, sent from one of our long-standing clients. At the peak of uncertainty amidst the coronavirus outbreak, lots of businesses were plunged into the unknown. Should I still be posting on Facebook? What if I say the wrong thing? Should …

It’s 2.30pm on the Friday before the big Tuesday graphic design pitch. I’m running through my designs with another team member, who has also created artwork for the project, and my Creative Director. After spending a reasonable amount of time over two weeks generating some good ideas and some visuals for the pitch, we still don’t think we are quite there – and confidence is at a low in …

Through my 20 years of working in a Sales/Account Manager role, I have attended many network events. I have to say, most of them I have entered with an amount of dread and fear! Entering a room full of suits with people already deep in conversation who are familiar with each other from previous networking events can be a tad intimidating, and it’s a situation where I find myself …

How do we do creative work? Say “creativity”, and most people will conjure up images of a magical voyage of discovery, the open-ended exploration of a passion, hours of dedication to perfecting personal mastery of a particular form of expression. Creativity is about the journey. On the other hand, in a day-to-day sense, work is generally associated with routine, repetitive action, with good organisation aiming for timely, reliable and …

Our favourite brands communicate through visual platforms like Instagram and we are most receptive to the ones that speak to our individual interests and desires. We live in a world where there is a brand for everyone; sometimes buying into them can be a fulfilling experience. For me, this is the outdoor/travel industry. Over the years, on Instagram in particular, we’ve been witness to the massive success that outdoor …

Everyone’s been there. We’ve all been whistling a tune or singing a ditty over and over again and can’t quite place where it’s from. Then suddenly…click. It’s the tune from ‘washing machines live longer with Calgon’ (if you didn’t sing that in your head as you read it, you’re lying). Love them or hate them, these are called ‘ear worms.’ The jingles that you just can’t get out of …

Bit strange, this. As the clock starts on my two hours of journal time, and I pull up the notes I’ve been putting together as they’ve popped into my head over the past week, I almost feel like I’m giving the game away. It’s my day-to-day establishing the boundaries of language for a brand, the dos and don’ts of tone of voice and generally walking the tightrope that is …

We are currently gripped by a global pandemic that is taking thousands of people’s lives indiscriminately and most of us will have never seen anything like this in our lifetimes; Coronavirus is really cruel and has no care for our world. As the lockdown continues around the globe, it’s a strange time where we really need to stay at home to help our NHS and flatten the curve of …

Isn’t it funny? When someone tells you to do something, you inherently don’t want to do it. Perhaps it’s unfinished business from childhood when we protested against our parents not to do the dishes or clear the table, simply because we had no choice in the matter.  It’s a little similar being an adult in a commercial world. We’re exposed to marketing messages around 6,000 times every day, a …

When you work in a busy creative agency, ideas are super important – but coming up with them is a strange old process and can be very different for people. I come up with most of my ideas when watching things (I’m a video producer). I like to go down a rabbit hole on the internet and see where it takes me. This can be watching stuff that’s relevant …

When you’re used to a busy office – bouncing ideas off your team all day, meetings with clients, office dogs humping each other – remote working can leave you feeling very isolated and dare I say it… a little lonely. We all know we need to feng shui our desks, take regular breaks (blah blah), but here are a few extra things that are helping me to stay motivated, …

The world of advertising feels a bit tense right now to say the least. Put anything out that’s too lighthearted and it runs the risk of being insensitive. On the other hand, it could be accused of ‘profiteering’ if it takes too much of a hard-sell angle. However, some brands which have nailed that middle ground have put out some incredible acts of creativeness amidst the pressure of the …

If your business wants to refresh its brand and you’ve been given the exciting/a bit daunting/terrifying task of leading the project, delivering it on time and making every stakeholder happy – it can feel like wading through a thick fog. Discovery sessions exist to clear that fog and get your branding project off to the best start possible. Here’s what they’re all about and they ways in which they …

Here at Idenna, we understand that your brand represents the core of your business, reflecting where you’ve been and where you want to go. We know that a strong brand identity creates demand from your audience, demonstrating the qualities of your business you want to  promote and celebrate. Your brand is your promise to the world. Our process is essentially a creative conversation and productive collaboration, as we work …

Hi, I’m Dan – the new guy at Idenna. As the word team’s latest recruit and a total newcomer to the business world, over my first couple of weeks here with the team I’ve had to do a lot of learning in not a lot of time – the art of the business pitch, quick proposal turnarounds and how to craft the perfect business email. But, none have influenced …

“If you can put it in an email, don’t call a meeting…” is a common meme that frequents most workplaces. “I’m absolutely STACKED – did that really need to be a meeting?” is something colleagues mutter to each other as they slope off back to their desks – “why can’t they just pop it in an email next time?” We are definitely all guilty of not taking a break …

Man’s Best Friend? More like, Man’s Best Co-Worker. Here at Idenna, we’re undoubtedly a team of dog lovers and are incredibly lucky to be able to bring our beloved pets to work every day. We currently have two regular woofers at Idenna HQ – ‘Head of the Pack’ Buster who’s a totally soppy ray of sunshine, and ‘Head of Security’ Nica, an international rescue dog we’ve affectionately nicknamed “gremlin” …

This blog post serves two purposes: first I wanted to put pen to paper (or at least commit to a few key strokes and an extra half an hour’s screen time in a busy day) to thank the team at Unlocking Potential for giving me access to a Knowledge Placement via their Future Focus programme. And secondly, it’s a pre-emptive strike to order my thoughts before I create a …

Recently, I reached a slightly out there conclusion about website projects: building a new website is a bit like having a baby. When I voiced this in the office, at first the team were skeptical … but after I explained my reasoning, they totally got it.   The start of the build is exciting and full of energy. You’re keen, full of anticipation about the possibilities of this new …

Cornwall is a place largely focused on community, so a collaboration of local, non-competitive businesses with similar audience demographics seemed like a fun way to kick off the summer holidays. DairyLand Farmworld (farmtastic, free range fun) and Atlantic Reach (maximum fun for maximum value) both attract and are enjoyed by a similar audience – a match made in family-friendly, playground heaven. The best ideas are (probably) born out silliness …

We’ve had two bright and inquisitive work experience girls in the office this week, learning all things Idenna and the ins and outs of a bustling creative agency. Here’s a little glimpse into their week, what they learned and what they got up to… What is Idenna? Leonie: Idenna is a creative agency that work with other companies to maximise their business potential. For example, if a company needs …

Our ambitions at Idenna are always evolving. Guided by perpetually setting the bar a little higher, always stretching our imagination and driving our skill sets forward. Creating the Future Focus brand film was a real landmark moment for me as Creative Director. With this particular step forward we moved into a position where I could see a glowing new horizon. We effectively reached a different level and in doing …

I had a seriously cool, penny-dropping moment this week. I’m the newbie in the office and, whilst I felt like I’ve found my feet pretty quickly, I had a mini epiphany over a cup of coffee yesterday afternoon. It’s all about the team. Everything pretty much boils down to the fact that every single member of Idenna works proactively together to produce an outcome that not only ultimately satisfies …

1. For an exceptional hotel, produce a remarkable film. 2. Never try and sell something that doesn’t need to be sold. 3. Know that your customer knows their customer. 4. Stop, look and listen. 5. Have an awesome idea, story board it to within an inch of its life. 6. Repeat step five at least three times. 7. Assemble your dream crew. Audition, cast, rehearse and repeat. 8. Allow …

When it came to making the latest film for Lusty Glaze there were three main requirements: it had to be quirky, it had to be engaging and it needed to leave the viewer feeling inspired.  Andy, the Operations Manager down there, had the original idea and as soon as he said it we knew it would be an instant hit. A lightbulb moment, you might say. The idea was …

Live events can be tricky for us film makers. We want to capture everything and make the best film possible but at the same time not interfere with the event because no one wants me to ruin the ambiance of the event by asking for the lights to be either put up or off or to see my arse crack as I’m bent over trying to get a shot …

At Idenna we believe in storytelling; whether it’s through film, photos, tweets, radio commercials or any other medium, we don’t discriminate about how we tell stories, we just focus on inspiring our audience with them. Why? Because we love it – simple. Every member in the Idenna team, if asked, would enjoy telling you their own story of what attracted them to making film, writing, designing etc. and how they …

Idenna has a vacancy – here are 10 reasons you want to join us: 1) Our team is awesome We know it’s a cliché, but the best thing about Idenna is its people. Our team is tight-knit, friendly and super talented. Idenna is an office politics free zone and we have NB policy. 2) You’ll never get bored Here at Idenna, we never know what the next day will bring. You …

Yesterday I attended one of the @UP_Cornwall Future Focus events at the Eden Project and, if there was ever a day I needed to be in the office, it was yesterday. We were handling a complex, time sensitive licensing challenge that only I could tackle – I needed to be in the office. Idenna is doing great and I’ve got a great coach already, I didn’t feel like I needed …

It’s my last day on the Idenna team. I sit here, in my final hour at my desk, feeling reflective. I’m excited about my next adventure (teaching dance full time) but sad to say goodbye to this team; my colleagues, advisors, supporters, friends… sometimes therapists! I’ve worked in many teams during my employment life and I’m not such an emotional soul, I don’t find goodbyes difficult. But this REALLY …

Confusing? I’ve come across so many articles, features and blogs recently that claim ‘storytelling is the new way to market your business’. All this talk of ‘no more focus on brand identification and traditional PR, tell authentic stories’ is really not new. Without wanting to sound arrogant – that’s what we’ve always done, always believed, always promoted. People buy from people and we, the people, are the storytellers for …

If you’re reading this blog then your instincts are already telling you the answer and the answer is yes. Other assumptions I’m happy to make: if you’re reading this you are likely to be a business owner or marketing manager, your hands are already full and you could do without any extra workload. So here are some considerations when planning your next steps: We are in the midst of …

The Idenna team has grown over the last few years by harnessing the energy of some remarkable people. We are an eclectic team all with our own ideas and areas of expertise. We embrace our individuality and actively avoid a rigid management culture. Instead we are one hundred percent client focused and believe in listening well, having good conversations and ensuring great client relationships. Idenna is all about the people …

I know it’s a naïve question, but when did it become okay for politicians to lie? I am a once bitten liberal. I can remember feeling genuinely gutted when Nick Clegg went back on his promise about student loans. Nowadays, I don’t have a lot of faith in what politicians say or promise. Brexit. Trump. Fake news. Except when fake news isn’t actually fake (see @realDonaldTrump). And now a …

Having worked in the creative sector for 20 years now, I’ve delivered a whole heap of training events, brand and values workshops, but our recent Idenna 20/20 Vision Day was, by far and away, the best I have ever had the privilege of attending. Why? Because we unearthed a very powerful unifying principle in our business that had never really been articulated, a principle that will no doubt be …

Just before Christmas, I lost my brother Jason. I didn’t lose him ‘down the back of the sofa’ sense – he died. This isn’t the first time someone very close to me has died very suddenly, in fact, Jason died almost ten years to the day that my mum also died of a heart attack. The reason for writing this blog is to give you a little insight into …

I joined Idenna a year ago. One of the first things I noticed was how busy it was; thriving in fact. There was a constant flow of prospects coming in and an equal output of creative brilliance going out. The producers were ‘on it’ in terms of getting through hefty workloads — but still punching out beautiful films, graphics, PR campaigns and such like — and the sales folk …

You’re dozing off…then it comes to you, a line that would fit perfectly well in an ad campaign you’ve been working on. It’s 2am, you should go back to sleep…but you might forget. So you get up and write it down or even get your computer out and start typing away. You’re in the supermarket and something catches your eye…that vegetable, the colour of it! That’s the colour you …

Blogition: (A word we made up for blog tuition)   Are blogs a useful resource? Are they a time-consuming task that we feel we must do because everyone else is doing them? What is the benefit of blogging? Is blogging a thing of the past…or are we just getting started? We get asked these questions from many of our clients. First off, they can be a useful resource – …

If you have logged into your YouTube channel in the last couple of days, you may have felt that heart-sink feeling as all of your videos have disappeared from your channel and you’re confronted with the message, “This channel has no content”. But don’t worry, all your videos are still there! They are just hidden. Follow this simple tutorial to get your channel back to looking its best: Note: This …

The importance of musing – why sending money down the toilet could be the best move for your business… After struggling to start this blog for a while, I suddenly came up with its strap-line whilst staring blankly into space, impatiently waiting for a cheese toastie to arrive. As it turns out, the toastie was undercooked, as this blog may yet prove to be, but that doesn’t matter now …

Often, I feel I am a character from Dawn of the Dead! Part of a small handful of survivors, which have (so far) managed to avoid a society-destroying virus! We live among the infected and need to recognise them by the following characteristics in order to stay ‘alive’: Abbreviated or minimal vocal communication: Unlikely, to have a conversation without a 5 minute intervals between each sentences (if any conversation …

Storyboarding is a way to develop your story and its characters, and was originally used primarily as a tool on animation features. Now almost all live action movies use storyboarding to visualise scenes before the expensive shoot takes place. Why should you spend money on storyboarding? It can be considered an expensive writing tool, but it’s a very inexpensive production tool. A storyboard will indicate what you don’t need …

There has been an outbreak of ‘Infectious Job Envy’ or IJE across the country. The source of this epidemic has been located to Roche in Cornwall and could be related to bragging statements similar to the following: “Working in a full service creative agency in Cornwall has to be one of the best jobs going. It’s a bold statement but here’s three reasons as to why it’s true… 1. …

When we watch film and TV, it’s easy to take for granted all of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, have a read of my colleague Sam’s blog “The Tip of the Iceberg”. One aspect thats always fascinated me is foley. Foley is the art of sound recorded after the shooting of the film. Sometimes it might be impossible to capture the sound on set and …

I first got into photography because I fell in love with the ability to tell someone a story through a picture. Yes, bleuugh, gushy creative person alert. But really visually telling stories is my true passion. I ended up studying photography for 4 years and as I finished my dedicated stint, Instagram spawned it’s empire… Instagram, iPhones and affordable professional cameras are wonderful results of technological development. They allow …

When people ask me what I want to do with my career, I normally reply with advertising. Sometimes I say international man of mystery, or official Jaffa cake tester, but no one seems to take that seriously. Sometimes advertising gets a bad rep and I will admit there is some terrible adverts out there and do believe we live in a far too consumer based society. But enough with …

For far too long marketing jargon has tainted the perception of ad agencies across the globe. Last Wednesday I had the unenviable chance to watch an incredible example of marketing jargon at its finest. Squirming on the sofa I saw Richard Woods in the latest series of the BBC’s Apprentice deliver this elevator pitch… “Project X is a fully managed and implemented business growth campaign that starts with a focused basecamp to remove …

As a busy creative agency, there is a temptation at this time of year to dash around to all our clients with a card and bottle of wine, give everyone a hug and head merrily toward the new year, job done.  This year, however, we decided to follow our core values and to do something a little more fun and unconventional, and true to our strap line #YourStoryOutThere.  So …

John Lewis, Sainsbury’s, M&S and many other big brands have all released their big hitting festive TV productions onto our TV screens and social feeds in the run up to Christmas, in the hope that they will melt our hearts and connect with you, the consumer. Christmas TV adverts have always been magical and can evoke childhood and nostalgic memories. Some say that the big budget productions of 2015 …

View From a Blue Moon is a surf movie, so how has it hustled its way onto the Idenna blog? Well, every now and then a game changer comes along and reinvents how we think and what we think. View From a Blue Moon does just that. Idenna is a creative agency with storytelling at the core of everything we do, VFABM has raised the bar, not just for …

It’s 8.30pm and you finally sit down after a hectic day at work, you’ve cooked and eaten dinner, been to the gym and emptied the dish washer. Your favourite program is on the TV and you relish in not having another task to do, email to read or phone call to dial through. Then, an autopilot reaction kicks in and your smartphone’s back in your hand, your fingers are …

Before we get started, we are not claiming to be the experts, there are other agencies out there that will have produced a lot more TV spots than Idenna. That said, we are really pleased with the TV commercials we have made, the impact they have had and the positive response we have experienced. Here are some of the our observations that may be useful to you if you …

I have now been producing film professionally in Cornwall for over three and half years. I am still learning on a daily basis and relishing the challenge of producing visually captivating imagery with an intriguing story at its heart. It’s incredibly satisfying to see the whole Idenna film crew push forward and create evermore impressive productions with each new completed project. Whilst our technical ability has no doubt improved …

A wise old man once explained to me (unfortunately not on a mountain top) the difference between the person who walks into the party and says “Here I am” and the person who seeks out a familiar face at a party and engages with them saying “There You Are.” This simple analogy is at the heart of what separates uninspiring, vapid marketing and warm, inspirational, personable communication. “There you are” …

From my recent trips to the cinema I have built up an aversion to the ever frequent use of CGI, over the past decade the use of CGI has escalated from a tool to drive story forward  into a full on assault of pixels to the eyes and cranium. It wasn’t  until a few seconds in of The Hobbit’s Goblin chase sequence that I realised these characters are fighting thin …

Outsourcing – it’s basically like handing your baby over to a stranger, right? Wrong. Have you ever thought about all the really important aspects of a company people will outsource without a second thought? Cleaning, catering, I.T. – all of these things are crucial building blocks to your business, but you wouldn’t hire someone whose sole purpose was troubleshooting once-a-month computer disasters or to make lunch. Let’s face it, …