Journal

Monthly Insight - The Power of Collaboration

At lot has been said about collaboration in the world of creativity. David Hockney famously said “collaboration is compromise”. For others, collaboration is at the core of their creative and business approach. At Creative Concern we work hard to find the best way to collaborate as a team and with external partners, bringing different disciplines together, combining visual minds with those who create with words, with motion or with campaign ideas. It is often these collaborative sessions that spark a new idea that no team would have had alone.

And for us, collaboration isn’t just about working with other creatives, it’s also about collaborating with those who have a vested interest in the challenge we are trying to solve. That might mean collaborating with the community as partners on a project; working alongside those with lived experience of an issue; or user groups who bring new insights and perspectives. It’s about finding the right methods to engage and include the right people. It’s about making sure we hear those voices who can often be marginalised in order to get to the right solution.

Collaboration at Creative Concern is about finding new and exciting ways to consult, create and communicate!

Collaborative highlights

There have been so many collaborative projects over the last couple of years that it’s hard to select a few, but here’s a taster of some of the projects that have had collaboration at heart.

Our recent work with transport has seen extensive collaboration with public transport users, marginalised groups, businesses and organisations to inform the Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom new integrated transport strategy.

A collaborative partnership with consultancy JustOne - Sustainability Solutions has seen us work across multiple projects with UK Research and Innovation. Most recently, we collaborated on the ‘Driving the Clean Energy Revolution’ report for the STFC (The Science and Technology Facilities Council) where we handled the visual design and JustOne provided the written content.

Our collaborations are international, too. Through our DoNotSmile Network in Europe, we have collaborated on the creation of sustainability communications guidance and toolkits and much more; while our work with the Round Table on Responsible Soy Association (RTRS) has seen us supporting global co-operation to bring many partners together around the challenges and opportunities for sustainable soy.

Back in the UK, we are currently creating a series of film e-learning resources with Alcohol Change UK – collaborating with those with lived experience on how frontline services can be improved, learning from their personal experiences. These resources will form part of local authority inductions to improve future service delivery.

And that’s just a taster.

Creative compromise?

Collaboration can be a challenge for sure and not everyone will agree on the best way to tackle a problem. But that’s the magic. That’s the spark that ultimately results in something of real value. So, is collaboration a creative compromise? Well, maybe, but it’s a compromise for the right reasons, that has been explored, wrestled with and looked at from multiple viewpoints. It’s been through the creative washing machine and survived the spin cycle. And it’s a better idea as a result.

And when it comes to progressing sustainability and the big changes we need to see in the world, we believe collaboration and co-operation are critical – there is simply too much to do for us to work in isolation.

It’s not often we draw on Japanese verse, but Japanese poet Ryunosuke Satoro puts it perfectly: “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” We’d much prefer to swim in the ocean.

If you’d like to talk to us about a potential collaborative project, or find out more about our approach, please drop us a line and we’ll fix up a conversation.

Monthly Insight - Places.Culture.People

In July's Monthly Insight Series, our co-founder Steve Connor talks about how we are very much a place and people-based practice at Creative Concern. Whether it’s the energy transition in Aberdeen, cleaner air in Newcastle, more trees in Manchester or a spectacular new arts centre in Plymouth, we like to get to know the places where we work and, every time, we fall more than a little bit in love with them.

And that’s why culture, alongside working for a more sustainable future, is at the heart of what we do. We’ve created brands and campaigns for places like The Box in Plymouth or HOME in Manchester; we’ve ploughed into projects looking at the value of the arts for local economies; we’ve helped museums relaunch themselves and looked at what museums in the future might even become.

And then in the last couple of years, we’ve helped two great cities set their ten-year agendas for culture, arts and creativity. For Manchester, and now Birmingham, we’ve researched, consulted on, and crafted tailored and action-led strategies that will shape their cultural scene and focus the efforts of their respective cultural partnerships.

In Manchester, we had at the front of our minds the fact that culture is a fundamental human right (UN Article 31 if you want to look it up), something that’s as vital to the health of the city as food, transport infrastructure and good housing. For a city powered by social justice there has to be an ‘always on’ commitment to widening access, reflecting diversity and recognising that culture lives in all our communities, not just in our theatres or galleries.

Manchester’s strategy broke down into three easy-to-reify pillars. ‘Everyone’ is the pillar that is about widening access and making sure that everyone can see themselves reflected in the cultural output of the city; ‘Everything’ is about connecting to the issues that matter and increasing our understanding of what we actually mean by culture; and ‘Everywhere’ is about more spaces, places and opportunities to encounter, make, and enjoy culture. This last pillar also hardwires culture into placemaking, and underlines how urban renewal is virtually impossible, unless you invest in the transformative power of culture.

In Manchester this was a big conversation. The co-design of the strategy was critical and to do this we reached 250,000 residents through social media, enjoyed 10,000 visits to our consultation website and the team engaged with 52 different community groups through drop-ins, workshops or street-level conversations.

Culture powered by people, in the places that matter most to them.

For Birmingham’s Cultural Compact we also worked with local artists, young people, residents and the city’s cultural leaders to co-design their cultural framework, which has just gone live online and which will officially be launched in the autumn.

In Birmingham it has been a fascinating and powerful journey, where we’ve explored the connections between the creative industries in the city and how culture powers their continued success. We’ve looked in depth at how the sectors that are currently enjoying a boom in the city owe so much to Birmingham's cultural vibrancy and that should, in truth, be supporting culture’s ongoing success. Birmingham has what some people would describe as an impressive ‘crane count’ across the city skyline, as more and more development shapes a city that wants to be a magnet for talent, innovation and creativity. Again here it is urban renewal with cultural anchor points and cultural programming as indispensable ingredients; a city with culture at its heart.

The Cultural Compact’s action plan for Birmingham that will deliver against the ‘Together on Culture’ framework includes a number of key strands. There is a focus on investment, finance and how culture and the arts are sustained in a highly competitive funding environment. The global brand of the city and how culture drives investment, and awareness, will also be a work stream, as will be a focus on the city’s creative and cultural workforce, through a ‘Made in Birmingham’ activity area.

There are sections of the framework that look at planning, cultural infrastructure and then there is a proposed action to review underutilised assets and buildings which could become the work or performance spaces of the future.

And as a global majority city it is particularly fitting that in their ‘moonshots’ section of the action plan, Birmingham is looking at seriously ramping up its hosting of major international events, and at new institutions and new festivals it could develop to make the city a truly magnetic city for audiences right across the world.

In both cities, we’ve worked with passionate champions of culture who have made our job of constructing a logical and actionable framework a genuine pleasure. These are the sort of projects that have a hard deadline and clear outputs but that you wish could continue on their journey, as they challenge, unfold and reward in equal measure.

Culture is about our artistic and creative lives, the arts in all their forms, history and heritage, leisure activities like watching films, reading, or taking part in festivals and events. It can include the creative things we like to do, or make. The words we write, the food we love to cook, or the songs we sing along to. Importantly though, it is not just a diversion, something to divert you as you unwind; it is something that unlocks ideas and inspiration and that can bring people, in what some would cast as a more polarised world, far closer together.

It is the song of humanity, and of a shared and better future.

If you have a culture based project coming up, or would like to discuss how we approach consultation and engagement, get in touch!

Monthly Insight - Keeping it real: Why we need people’s stories now more than ever

In our latest Monthly Insight series, our Senior Copywriter Rebecca Nicholl guides us through her take on keeping it real.

Fake news. Deep fakes. Misinformation. AI-generated everything. What’s real? And what’s not?

Now, we’re not here to attack AI. Hey, it can be useful for research, planning, summarising… but it’s not the answer to everything. In a world where people are starting to question the authenticity of what they see, brands and organisations are increasingly having to prove what’s real. And that’s where case studies come in – whether written or filmed, they’re about real people, real experiences, real impacts.

Case studies. They’ve always worked, they always will.

People love stories. We’re hardwired to connect with other people’s stories and experiences. The challenges, setbacks, twists and turns, the benefits, excitement and impact. You did what? You saved how much? What happened next?!

Stories are how we understand the world – and each other. Good case studies show what people do, how they do it and – critically – why it matters.

Good case studies build trust. Hearing and reading a story in someone’s own words is incredibly powerful. The way people tell their stories, the turn of phrase is relatable and understandable.

People have evolved to rely on others – we like (on the most part) to be social and work in groups. Making something social is an evidence-based behaviour change technique – people are more likely to do an action if they see people like them doing that action. It normalises the thing you want people to do (or even can make people feel left out if they don't do it), can help people feel like the goal is realistic and achievable (if they did it, I can do it too!), and makes people trust the process and outcome.

It’s all about showing, not telling. Yes, we can tell you all about the impact of planting trees, of installing renewable energy, of visiting an exhibition, but case studies show that impact, the effect that it has on people and communities.

People trust people

In this age of AI, everything can feel a bit too perfect, too polished, too automated. That’s where case studies can cut through. Real, authentic stories, with the good and the bad included. Because come on, we do kind of like hearing about what went wrong… and how it was fixed!

This need for authenticity is particularly important in the sustainability, education, charity, and health sectors. Sectors where trust is key. In short, the more human your stories are, the more believable they become.

Read – or watch – all about it

When it comes to the written case study, these are great for when you want to go into depth, explain backgrounds, situations, opportunities, challenges, impacts, facts and figures. You really do get the full story.

But it’s not always about reading reams of copy. (How many times have we heard that people don’t read anymore? Fun fact – they do, but what they’re reading has changed.) Written case studies are skimmable too, with pull quotes, infographics and bulleted highlights. And a well-written case study is an absolute goldmine for content. They’re brilliant source material for all your other outputs – social media posts, newsletters, presentations, podcasts, PR, fundraising , the list goes on…

Over to filmed case studies. Who doesn’t love a good film? These bring case studies to life in a completely different way. You can see and hear the person, their expressions, tone, emotions. You can really connect with who you see. And it doesn’t have to be an all-singing, all-dancing production (although you’ll always get something professional from us!), as people respond well to authenticity. We can even help you to create your own filmed case studies – giving you the skills and confidence to film your own stories.

As with the written versions, these films can be used – in their entirety or edited to short snippets – for social media, events, websites and so on.

When it comes to choosing what you need, it’s often best to do both. Write it up and capture it on film. Each format supports different stages and objectives of your marketing and communications.

Real stories for real outcomes

Trying to inspire behaviour change or action? Show what others have done and the benefits they’ve experienced. Looking to grow your reputation? Share stories that demonstrate your values and successes. Need to attract new business or new funding? Show what you’ve already achieved and the impact you’ve already had. Running an internal comms campaign? Celebrate successes and highlight what’s going on across your organisation.

In short, whether you’re trying to win hearts, change minds, or inspire action, case studies give people the proof they need to believe in you.

As for us?

We’ve worked on case studies for over twenty years. From tree planting, placemaking and sustainability, to fostering children, dealing with grief and sharing stories of hospice care. We approach every person and every story with curiosity, respect and compassion.

We love hearing stories. We love telling stories.

Bringing your work to life

It’s a noisy old world we live in. Brands, causes, organisations, businesses are all competing for our attention, our time, our trust. Real people with real stories make us sit up and take notice. They show who you are, what you do, and what it all means to the people you work with.

And it doesn’t have to be complicated. We’re here to help gather the stories, write them up, film them… and then we help you plan where and when to use all of that lovely new content.

If you’ve got stories to share, and need some extra support with them get in touch with Rebecca to arrange a call rebecca@creativeconcern.com

Monthly Insight Series - Focus on Film

Lights, camera, action in 2025

2025 is going to be a big year for film content. We’ve seen many of our clients using film in ever more creative ways to tell stories, engage with their audiences, support fundraising and share their impact. Here are a few film trends we are seeing and some examples of recent projects to get your creative brains whirring.

Keep reading to the end to be the first to find out about our latest product launch - Story Stream, bringing people and stories to life in a creative and cost effective way.

One shoot, ten edits

Increasingly we’ve been asked to shoot once and then create multiple films for use across multiple channels. This is a great way of getting the maximum impact from your film budget by using filmed content across social media, online, events, presentations and digital marketing.

Take a look at our campaign for The University of Salford which used projection and dynamic lighting to create a series of films and still imagery to promote a range of Diploma of Higher Education courses. One shoot day was used to create multiple films and edit variations.

Combining film and animation

Another trend we are seeing is the convergence of film and animation, as clients are seeing motion as one creative option that can utilise video, animation and motion graphics. This approach can create a really strong visual dynamic and can be a great way to build your brand identity through film.

We worked with The Tree Council to create a film to promote their Tree Partners programme. This film is being used to support fundraising activities and to inspire companies to join as corporate partners.

Up, up and away

The use of drones has really taken off (ha!) in the Creative Concern film department. Taking to the sky offers some fascinating new possibilities to capture amazing urban and more natural environments from fresh perspectives. Our team have lots of experience to share on making the best creative use of drone videography as part of your project. If you’d like to explore how drones can add an extra dimension to your video projects, drop us a line.

We worked with The University of Manchester to highlight their transformative IT journey. A connected campus to facilitate research and collaboration across the city and the world.

Personal stories

We have been using video recently to tell some really powerful and personal stories. These films are often being used for internal comms or as part of training courses to really get the message across from a personal and emotive point of view. The world of video is constantly changing but people are still fascinated by other people and their stories.

We worked with Marie Curie UK on this film to explore what grief feels like and how we can help others coping with grief.

Accessible video

A common question we get asked is, how can we make our video content more accessible? Accessibility is super important to us as an agency and we are constantly striving to increase our knowledge and practice when it comes to accessible communications. Adding captions has now become the standard but beyond this we can offer British Sign Language video overlays and more to increase the accessibility of your film content. We can also provide guidance and share best practice from across the sector.

We created this film to communicate the culture through Colleague stories at Trafford & Stockport College Group using both sub-titles and British sign language.

New storytelling film product launching this month!

We are super excited to tell you about Story Stream, our new approach to tell your brand or campaign story through inspiring films, uplifting audio, impactful photography and powerful words. We know how difficult it is to find the time to capture and communicate your positive stories. That’s why we’ve developed Story Stream - a new way to capture the stories and content you need in a creative and cost effective way designed for our multi-channel, multi-format world. The Creative Concern Stream Team is a 3-person story telling team, who spend a day with you onsite capturing content designed to re-energise your marketing and communications. The approach is to generate a whole lot of content for film, photography and written case studies from one intensive day of content gathering. We start each project with a workshop where we explain our approach to storytelling and explore how to bring your brand, campaign or organisational story to life. For a free consultation to explore how Story Stream can support your brand storytelling just drop us a line and we can fix up a call.

Whatever your video plans are for 2025 if your looking for advice, new creative ideas or if you have a brief to share please get in touch!

Monthly Insight Series - Sustainable Transport

It's the second edition of our Monthly Insight Series, and with a number of our team recently returning from delivering the Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom Integrated National Transport Strategy roadshow, we feel we're well placed to offer our insights on all things transport related.

Talk Transport
Humans. We’re hardwired to move – not just to get from A to B, but to explore, get around, and meet others along the way. We move to connect. To discover. To feel free.

From trams to bikes to walking festivals, transport has been a focus of our work at Creative Concern since day one. The well-punched Tripper ticket of our transport project roster has included:

Cycling and walking strategies;
Public awareness campaigns on clean air;
Health and safety on high speed rail;
EV charging networks;
Behaviour change campaigns;
Political campaigning on safer school streets; and
Large-scale engagement projects and transport visions.

We’ve had the chance to work with transport authorities, bike hire companies, operating companies, academics and campaigning charities like Sustrans. We’ve made brands, visions and events, and at one point had the very great fortune to design the bee that can now be found on the side of Greater Manchester’s yellow buses.

Most recently we’ve been working directly with the Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom on the engagement roadshow for the Integrated National Transport Strategy (INTS). We’ve helped the Department deliver eleven co-design events across England, from the North East to the South West, with hundreds of people taking part and feeding into the strategy.

So what’s at the heart of the conversation on transport? What we’ve learnt, through thousands of conversations and many, many campaign events are a few, standout points that people always come back to:

Yes it’s the journey, but it’s also the destination. A lot of people want transport to be so easy and seamless that it very practically gets you to school, work or local services without you even thinking about it. Just another part of your day.
Experience matters above all. People will talk to you, above all, about feeling safe on an integrated network that’s reliable, accessible and affordable. Whether you’re walking, wheeling, cycling or on the bus, train or tram, these key elements really matter.
Language – make it simple. This is a sector where acronyms run rampant, jargon is impenetrable and where people are quite happy to talk about modes and routes and business cases without referring back to the everyday reasons we choose to move in the first place. Transport needs to relate to our lives otherwise, well, we don’t connect.

We’ve learnt a good deal from our European partners across our DoNotSmile Network too, as many of them are in-country experts on how to change the way people move.

Whatever project we’re focused on delivering, the imperative will always come back to shifts in behaviour and how we can’t cut carbon, clean the air and have healthier and more productive lives if we continue to see the majority of our journeys made by car. Encouraging people out of the driving habit and into something more sustainable is central. Again, we’ve learnt a thing or two along the way:

Make it safe and easy, first.
Don’t attempt behaviour change campaigns if the alternative simply isn’t good enough yet. You’ll create more problems than you solve that way.
Don’t shout, don’t shame – use humour.
The tone of communications on all of this is vital. Nobody is going to engage with you if you’re calling them evil. We need to positively convince, corral and motivate.
Engage, co-design and listen.

We always underpin our projects with a ‘listen and learn’ phase that can be anything from a quick 12-person workshop to a process bringing in thousands. Unless you take people with you, you’ll be on a journey to nowhere.

There are very few topics more likely to fire up a heated debate than transport. Everyone has a view and almost everyone is happy to share that view. That’s why communications and transport are the most natural of companions. When we supported Newcastle and Gateshead on their Clean Air Zone engagement it was a great example of this. A staged and long-running programme of communications was key to ensure that the CAZ was delivered well. One without the other, simply wouldn’t work.

The next stop on the journey? The communications challenge will get all the more critical in the years ahead. As our single largest source of carbon emissions, transport has to change dramatically in the next few years. As the underpinning infrastructure for our homes, our cities, our growth zones and our wider regions, there is very little that isn’t transport-reliant. Sharing the vision of a different kind of transport, understanding how people feel about their everyday journeys, prompting and inspiring change will all be as or more important.

At Creative Concern our transport offer will continue to flourish across three relatively simple areas of work about which we remain passionate and committed:

Engagement and co-design. We love to listen and creatively facilitate a conversation. It builds insight, understanding and a shared sense of destination. Start here.
Strategy, vision and brand. Whether it's a plan for walking or a plea for more cycle lanes, getting a clear narrative and strong story to tell will continue to be vital.
Great campaigns. Transport is funny, emotive and highly visual. There are always great characters involved. It is the very best of creative inspiration for strong, campaigning work.

So if you have a transport challenge you need to tackle, and compelling communications and behaviour change will be key to ensuring your success, then get in touch!

Social Media trends of 2019

Keeping up to date with the latest consumer, market, social and ethical trends is essential for any organisation hoping to thrive in their industry. And that’s why here at Creative Concern, we’re looking ahead to what we expect the biggest sustainability and social trends will be in 2019!

Online and social trends can change in a matter of minutes but until the next phase is invented, here are Creative Concern’s top 5 trend predictions for 2019.

Read our social media trend predictions for 2019

Topics to watch in 2019

You may have already read our sustainability trend predictions for the coming year, but we couldn't stop there, here are Creative Concern's final five topics to look out for in 2019!

Read our topics to watch in 2019

“The trends that are shaping the 21st Century world embody both promise and peril.” ~ Klaus Schwab

A reflection on 2018 trends and Creative Concern’s predictions of the sustainability and social trends that will dominate 2019.

After Attenborough’s imploring final words in Blue Planet II in 2017, “The future of humanity, and indeed all life on earth, now depends on us”, 2018 seemed to witness ethical living and more conscious consumption hit the mainstream as consumers on mass started to take notice of their usage, and tweeted about it.

Documentaries, such as wildlife biologist Liz Bonnin’s Drowning in Plastic hit the headlines, and hit home. And add to this the steady rise and education of veganism and, of course, the mass outcry when the nation opened their cupboards and realised palm oil seemed to be a previously undetected ingredient in so many of the items residing inside. All in all, 2018 challenged the public’s ethical integrity on a large scale.

However, despite widely discussed efforts – single use plastic bag usage has reportedly dropped by 85% since the 5p charge was introduced and there’s been an estimated 30% drop in plastic bags on the seabed over this time – 2018 still saw global carbon emissions jump to an all-time high.

Read our top 5 sustainability trends for 2019

Creating a sustainable healthcare masterplan

We’ve enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust over the years, developing their Green Heart behaviour change branding and associated campaigns, and supporting the sustainability team with a wide range of communications.

Our latest project saw us working with the team at MFT and Hillbreak to support the development of the Trust’s new sustainability strategy, known as The Masterplan.

As the biggest acute Trust in the UK, we all had lofty ambitions for this strategy. It was crucial the first step should be to consult with the Trust’s diverse staff base to understand what the Trust’s sustainability goals and objectives should be – and how the Trust could lead the field.

Using our combined knowledge of sustainability reporting and governance in the healthcare sector and beyond, we worked alongside Trust staff to develop The Masterplan: Making Sense of Sustainable Healthcare, 2018-2023, which has already been deemed by NHS Improvement (NHSI) as exemplar. We look forward to supporting the Trust further with promotional activity relating to this strategy.

You can read the strategy here.

Frontline Care: Saving the NHS?

Focused Care is a model of care revolutionising the NHS. It works alongside GP practices in Greater Manchester to assist patients who have complex needs such as homelessness, long term illnesses, substance misuse and domestic violence.

Creative Concern has worked with the team at Focused Care and ITV Shiver for a number of months on a 30-minute television programme that followed two Focused Care workers, Ruth Chorley and Lisa Chattington, as they helped their patients to rebuild their lives.

The programme Frontline Care: Saving the NHS? was aired by ITV Tonight in November and was watched by 2.5 million viewers.

People's Powerhouse: A charter to transform the fortunes of the North and its people

People’s Powerhouse came to us to work on developing the design for their new charter, which was launched at their conference in Bradford in November.

The People’s Powerhouse is a movement made up of a diverse network of people who came together to help shape the debate and ensure that people and communities are at the centre of Northern Powerhouse plans.

The People’s Powerhouse charter outlines their vision of trust, change, fairness and diversity, setting the foundations of the movement to which individuals and businesses can subscribe to.

With such potent core messages, it was vital to design a document that highlighted and presented them in a clear way, while at the same time remained in keeping with the People’s Powerhouse’s current branding. We therefore integrated their logos characters throughout the document to illustrate the messages of the people.

We designed a charter that encapsulated the location of the North with a ‘Northern skyline’ including not only the most famous landmarks but distinguished and diverse structures from across the North of England. The design was then incorporated into event signs and boards for their conference venue and widely shared by the organisation’s supporters on Twitter.

The full charter is available to read and sign up to here.