12 cool content things eric has done in 2019
Social media campaigns and photography exhibitions to hardback history books and membership magazines, we look back at a year in the life of eric, your new favourite content marketing agency
1. Relaunched the MCC Member magazine
The MCC is one of the most exclusive and prestigious memberships in the sporting world, and eric was tasked with relaunching its much-loved magazine. Delivering our first issue in April, with a Cricket World Cup theme, the response was emphatically positive, with one member describing themselves as ‘captivated’ by the content. Our second issue followed suit, with another reader calling it the ‘best-ever’.
2. Delivered Rugby Journal to WHSmith
A year after launching, our coffee-table quarterly, Rugby Journal, full of long reads and bespoke photography, hit the newsstands of WHSmith. The project that started off as a one-off showcase for eric’s print work, continued to impress its readers and industry alike. Subscribe here.
3. Launched a new digital golf magazine
Scoring app Golf Gamebook has more than 660,000 users across the world and, in 2019, eric was chosen to launch its first-ever digital magazine, Golf Society. In the pilot market of Finland, eric took the storytelling beyond the golf course to feature big sporting names (golf and non-golf), gourmet travel, reviews and some of the best-kept secrets in the golfing world.
It hit the mark, with 17,000 unique readers of the first issue, and reaching 42,000 unique readers by the end of 2019 – remarkable given the total Finnish golf playing audience is just 50,000.
4. Created a ‘new’ multi-sport brand
Ever since it launched in the 1980s, Rhino has been synonymous with one sport: rugby. With a growing presence across sports, eric was tasked with changing perceptions while also underlining its position as No.1 equipment supplier in rugby. We launched ‘A Different Game’, a campaign utilising ambassadors across basketball, netball, American football and, of course, rugby, to take the brand to new sectors and new audiences.
The campaign creative featured across all platforms, owned and third party, and led to the brand’s biggest most diverse collection – celebrated in a new brochure, launched to acclaim at the end of 2019.
5. Told the story of one of sport’s most historic clubs
Oxford University RFC is one of the most historic sporting clubs in the world and, in 2019, celebrated 150 years – predating the RFU by two years.
Commissioned by the club, we went beyond the rugby pitch to tell first-person stories of some of the most remarkable characters ever to wear the dark blue. Lord Butler, private secretary to five Prime Ministers; former Australian PM Tony Abbott; Princess Obolensky – niece of the Russian prince Alexander; and the iconic England legend Richard Sharp were among those to share their tales in a commemorative hardback book, limited to just 1,000 copies.
6. Taken luxury golf travel to Sweden
Sweden became the latest launch for the GolfTraveller brand, following the United Kingdom and Norway – and eric was at the heart of it, designing and building the new platform, creating bespoke content and delivering a marketing strategy for 2020 and beyond.
7. Collaborated with World Rugby Museum
Rugby Journal’s unique photography has caught the eyes of many, so to celebrate the very best we collaborated with the World Rugby Museum at Twickenham to launch a new competition to find the very best photography in the game, culminating in a two-month long exhibition at the home of the sport.
8. Created seven new websites for global golf clubs
From Dubai to Norway to Portugal to the UK, eric has created password-protected golf travel sites for seven prestigious clubs across Europe and the Middle East including the super exclusive Wentworth, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Norway’s Miklagard and Monte Rei in Portugal.
The sites include golf travel inspiration and are bespoke to each club.
9. Been at the forefront of British magazines
Our content director Alex Mead became the first person to chair the prestigious British Society of Magazine Editors for two years. Overseeing events on everything from podcasts and the role of a critic to events and the future of publishing, Alex uniquely hosted four awards’ ceremonies alongside Alice Levine, Rachel Parris, Dolly Alderton and Lou Sanders.
10. Continued the Prop Star legacy
Following on from last year’s Content Marketing Association Gold Award for best use of social media, Prop Star, our grassroots rugby campaign for Rhino, carried on where it left off in 2019, gaining hundreds of nominations and crowning another worthy winner at this year’s Varsity Match. Joey Healy of Mill Hill RFC, who runs a mixed ability rugby side, took the prize ahead of Alex Wood of Metrovicks MV, and the youngest-ever finalist 14-year-old Fletch Stennimore of Whitehead RFC.
11. Helped our equestrian client to No.1
eric has been helping GS Equestrian across all aspects of its marketing strategy for three years and helped the online retailer secure its biggest industry award – the British Equestrian Trade Association Retailer of the Year. Guiding the brand message and communication, eric is now helping to plan the brand’s multi-platform communications for 2020 and beyond.
12. Filled the walls of young All Blacks’ fans
After the success of our 2017 DHL NZ Lions Series official matchday programmes, preview and review magazines, we once again worked in partnership with Australian agency Citrus to design, edit and write the official All Blacks’ poster book for New Zealand Rugby.
To find out how eric can help meet your content marketing needs, contact Jane Ditcham our business director.