Creativebrief Founder & Chairman Tom Holmes talks to Neil Robbins, Managing Director of Silverbean.
Neil Robbins, Silverbean
Neil formed Silverbean in 2002 and since then the digital agency has grown to over 20 employees and works with clients such as Austin Reed, Danone, Bosch and Regus Offices. Neil is the trusted advisor to many recognised UK brands helping them build their business here and in international markets through search engine marketing, social media and affiliate marketing.
TH: Neil, what does the Newcastle brand stand for?
NR: Newcastle as a brand stands for a few things in my opinion, but certainly from a business perspective the overriding message is ‘passion’. Much of the internal promotion of the Newcastle brand in the North East focuses on ‘passionate people’ whatever field they are in. I come from London so I may have an outsiders view on this but I believe the brand has tried to tap into the passion Newcastle United football supporters are well recognised for and to some extent it works – though personally I think it needs to be refreshed somewhat.
TH: How do you think Newcastle should position itself?
NR: Newcastle has some wonderful businesses and there is real innovation taking place in the city and the rest of the North East for that matter. I think there needs to be more focus on that in terms of the core brand for promoting the area for business. Away from business I think the positioning is good and very much centres on Newcastle being a hub for accessing great entertainment, the countryside, an amazing coastline and transport well connected transport links.
TH: Are the city’s brand values reflected in your own agency culture?
NR: Yes to some extent. Geordies are known for their down to earth approach to life, their honesty and their loyalty and I certainly see much of this in the way Silverbean operates and the people we employ – who are not all from North East.
TH: Does being based in NE influence your creative output? If so, how?
NR: Not for us, though we are not a creative agency per se. We are a digital marketing agency though naturally we use creative ideas to drive results for clients these are not influenced by our location.
TH: What makes your agency offer different?
NR: We focus solely digital marketing and very much at the centre of all our services and work are measurable results delivering a return on investment.
TH: Why should clients consider sourcing work from Newcastle agencies?
NR: Let’s move away from the clichéd ‘North East agencies are cheaper than elsewhere’ and concentrate on the people.
I think clients can build far stronger relationships with Newcastle agencies than almost anywhere else in the country because our staff turnover is much lower. Our people are loyal and with that comes a commitment to the agencies they work for and in turn the clients they represent.
Neil Robbins, Silverbean
TH: What sort of clients do you particularly want to attract?
NR:We are looking to attract forward thinking clients who don’t need convincing that digital should be the heart of their marketing strategy but would rather invest their time working with is on maximising the results it can bring for them.
TH: What work have you done recently makes you really proud?
NR: With is not being an agency that outputs creative work I can’t point you in the direction of something tangible to see. We are delivering some exceptional insight for some of our clients like Danone that is helping shape the way they do business now and in the future.
TH: What local brands do you most admire and why?
NR: Greggs – I really like brands that know what they stand for and who their customers are. Greggs have this in abundance. Barbour – are a great advert for the North East and have remained true to their roots. Sage – you can’t but admire how fantastic this business is and how they get consistency across their whole, extensive business.
TH: Are there any local marketers who have inspired you?
NR: I would not say I am inspired by anyone particular in the local area but there are many inspiring business people here who have done exceptionally well both regionally, nationally and internationally. The one person I have huge respect for is Phil Cronin, the founder and owner of Tombola Bingo based in Sunderland. Phil has built Tombola into one of the leading online gaming brands in a marketplace saturated with me-too players and brands with exceptionally deep products. A real focus on their proposition and customer needs has seen them become immensely successful.
TH: What business would you most like to win?
NR: One client we would love to work with is Virgin. It’s an iconic brand, creative and willing to take controlled risks which are a perfect combination for successful digital marketing.
TH: Thanks Neil.
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