Creativebrief Founder & Chairman Tom Holmes talks to Mike Perls, Founder and CEO of MC2.
Mike Perls, MC2
Mike is the founder and CEO of MC2, the North’s leading communications agency. Since 1999, he has taken MC2 from a two-man start-up to a 45-strong business that is the envy of its competitors and that counts Deloitte LLP, Krispy Kreme, the NHS, Kraft Foods and NCC Group among its clients.
Mike sits on the boards of investment network, Envestors, and of the Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), a global network linking entrepreneurs and professionals. He is a board member for the North West division of the IoD, and, in 2010, led the development of innovative entrepreneurial initiative, RAW2010. After a successful re-launch in 2010 Mike has recently stepped down as Chairman of the MPA and has become a member of the Princes Trust North West Leadership Group.
TH: Mike, what does the Manchester brand stand for?
MP: Original Modern says it all.
It stands for everything that Manchester has innovated and given to the world from mutuality to worker’s rights and trade unions to the inspiration it gave Engels for The Communist Manifesto. It stands for Graphene and the programmable computer, Rolls and Royce, splitting the atom and the first British Nuclear City.
The city’s leaders have taken the history of Manchester, the story and our vision for the future and distilled it into a clever, easily communicable brand. It’s been a deliberate, successful, regeneration and positioning strategy.
But what really epitomises Manchester is the Mancunian personality. It’s been called many things before: swagger, the city’s DNA, can-do attitude, industrial spirit. Anyone who is from Manchester – or has lived here for any length of time – possesses a unique confidence and self-belief.
That’s what makes Manchester and its brand different from other European cities.
TH: Are the city’s brand values reflected in your own agency culture?
MP: Absolutely.
When I set up MC2, my vision was to establish the most desirable agency in the North West. I think we’ve come a long way towards achieving that and we’re constantly building and developing our offering towards that goal.
MC2’s essence is ‘Without Compromise’ and it’s reflected in the people we employ, the work we do and the relationships we have with our clients. It’s distinctly Mancunian and it’s an attitude that our clients and their boards believe in.
TH: Does being based in Manchester influence your creative output? If so, how?
MP: We live in The Boardwalk for one. This was the home of the Madchester music and launched many music bands onto the global stage.
I’m really proud of the team we’ve put together at MC2. I’m excited about the creative direction the agency is moving in as a result of their aspirations. Manchester and its brand form part of that development.
Manchester’s history is one of innovation and entrepreneurship, from Daniel Adamson to Alan Turing. The future is just as exciting when you look at the plans for Airport City, Noma and First Street. When you add its music, arts, football and cultural vibrancy into the mix, you can’t fail to realise how important the city is to us.
You can’t live and work in Manchester without some of that heritage and confidence rubbing off on you and influencing your work. I can see it in the creative output of our teams and the certainty with which they deliver it.
TH: What makes your agency offer different?
MP: MC2 puts content at the heart of businesses communication strategies, integrating throughout the marketing mix from internal alignment to social interactions and digital optimisation. The market is demanding a more cohesive approach to brand communications. We have the agility to respond to that and the expertise to provide insight and tactical advice to deliver it for our clients.
Our key differentiator is our “Without Compromise” approach to everything that we do.
TH: Why should clients consider sourcing work from Manchester agencies?
MP: We have the experience and creative insight to deliver any campaign.
There is also an instinct among our creative industries to collaborate, and that fosters innovation.
Mike Perls, MC2
TH: What sort of clients do you particularly want to attract?
MP: MC2’s ideal client engages us to work with the Board on the strategic development of the company and brand, as an extension of their marketing and communications teams.
A number of our clients have experienced significant growth as a result of M&A, external funding or game-changing contract wins. Growth is a good state but often comes with its own challenges. We’ve been involved in the full change management process: from internal alignment, global brand strategy and ongoing effective internal communications.
We work with companies like Secured Mail, a Sunday Times Fast Track 100 company, helping to drive their brand awareness and manage the pace of their development.
Often we are asked to get involved with a company 2 or 3 years prior to an IPO, buyout or sale. We can then devise a communications strategy that increases brand profile, awareness of the company and of course market value.
When we’re able to gain an insight to a company’s corporate story, help them define a vision for the future, the strategy to get them there and ultimately deliver its implementation, that’s how we can really make a difference.
TH: What work have you done recently makes you really proud?
MP: I’m proud of the whole team and we’re still growing, we’ve just bought in a production arm to MC2. So we are now in a position to offer video, editing and production services to all our clients. This complements and completes the circle of, MC2s integrated offering.
There are a few recent campaigns that I feel helped move the client organisations forward:
The North West Fund campaign that has driven 1700 applications of funding from businesses requiring £521m of funding and over £25million businesses being invested in 95 businesses to date. This was shortlisted for a CIPR Award.
The Krispy Kreme stunt at Aintree that went viral, won a silver Roses Award and led to a 50 strong queue on the opening of our latest store in LiverpoolOne.
The record attendance figure that our outstanding coverage through all channels achieved for the 2012 John Smith’s Grand National.
However, the sale of Crown Paints last year is a success story we’re all really proud of. We first got involved prior to Endless acquiring Crown in 2008 when they were part of Akzo Nobel and had lost £13m in that year. Over a three-year period we worked with firstly Graham Hallworth and then Brian Davidson reflecting the fantastic work that they were doing with the business and managed the corporate communications whether in glory or crisis. We continued to strategically profile the business throughout the sale process managed by Deloitte and celebrated with the team when Crown’s operating profit hit £180m and was eventually sold to Hempel. It was an incredible achievement and one we all feel very privileged to have played a small part of.
TH: What local brands do you most admire and why?
MP: I love and support all Mancunian and NW brands – with a notable exception of the blue football one. I love Vimto and Timpsons, Warburtons and Laterooms. I’ve been impressed at the re-emergence of the Co-operative and love its heritage, ethos and mutual values, and I love Manchester United for its global ambition and execution.
A strong brand often stems from inspirational leadership; NCC Group’s growth from a turnover of £5million to £0.5billion under the guidance of Rob Cotton is a fantastic Manchester success story.
In the creative industries, there is a lot to admire. The performance of Lime Pictures under Tony Wood is staggering. Even without TOWIE, the House of Anubis is a great case study of how IP can be exploited worldwide. In game publishing, Chillingo showed what a few lads in Macclesfield can do and McKinnon & Saunder’s modelling work for Tim Burton flew the flag for Altrincham. In short, I most admire the local brands that take what they have and put it on the global stage.
TH: Are there any local marketers who have inspired you?
MP: There are many great marketers in the region and I’m constantly meeting people who inspire me. Many great marketers aren’t tagged with marketing badges but can be Chairman, MDs, FDs. People like Rob Cotton at NCC Group, Peter Marks at The Co-operative are inspirational marketers for the vision they create and the essence that they distil into the business. For me though, probably my biggest inspirations were people that I met early in my career and convinced me to challenge everything.
The first is Nick Johnson – Trained as a surveyor but alongside Tom and Jonathan at Urban Splash developed a brand in the early 90s that was far ahead of the competition at the time. They put their product, the regeneration of industry and decay, right at the centre of their proposition and everything else merely communicated this ethos.
The second is Peter Saville – people who dismiss his legacy tend not to have spent time listening to him. A great mind who’s influence is felt all around us. I still love the Original Modern ethos and use it to inspire me on a daily basis.
TH: What business would you most like to win?
MP: We’re really proud of the clients we work with on each of our sector teams. We have developed specialisms in financial and professional services, public sector, property and built environment, brand & consumer, technology and corporate.
My ambition is to work with more clients that share our vision of the future of communications. I want to work with companies that place content at the centre of all that they do, understand the essence of their brand and align internally behind their corporate story.
We work with many big brand clients, but the size of the company or profile isn’t important. What is vital is potential. The teams at MC2 have the experience, insight and proven strategies to achieve that potential. I want to give them the opportunity.
TH: Thanks Mike!
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