SME News Q4 2018

SME NEWS / Q4 2018 27 , Freestone Creative works with clients ranging fromSEAT andMercedes-Benz to Gazeley and Coca Cola – creating everything from clever websites and apps to large format printed materials and remodelled office interiors. We spoke tomanaging director Stuart Freestone to find out what drives the agency’s success. Presenting the Creative Agency of the Year Established in 1984, Freestone Creative offers a truly diverse service from a beautiful ‘Old Pump House’ in Stony Stratford. Stuart Freestone explains: “We have experience of handling whatever a marketing department asks us for. Event support material is big for us, but we also design, build and manage websites and produce brochures and direct mail campaigns. Our client base is varied but most of our work comes from the automotive industry. “We’re very proud to have won this award that recognises the quality of our creative work. For us intelligent creative is not just about good design. It’s about communicating exactly what a brand stands for in the marketplace. It needs to be just the right balance of insight, ideas, strategy and creativity. And that’s what we do best at Freestone. “What our clients love about our creative is that it’s always on brand. We consider every aspect of a brand’s visual and verbal language - from the brand values and positioning to tone of voice and creative execution. Only then can we express a brand’s personality and principles in a way that really hits the mark.” Freestone has worked with many of its clients for more than a decade and 90 per cent of the agency’s business comes from referrals. Stuart continues: “We offer exceptional value for money and we’re passionate about partnership. While we love being creative and leading with new ideas, we believe a genuinely collaborative approach with our clients is essential to create effective communications that cut through and make a difference. “We encourage strong working relationships with clients and like to think of ourselves as part of their team. Our clients are always welcome at our offices, even if they need space for meetings that don’t involve us! We have a beautiful building in a lovely riverside location with easy parking – and great coffee – so many of our clients regularly use our meeting rooms for off-site meetings.” Stuart believes that ‘business is about people’ and he’s very proud of the experienced team at Freestone. He says: “We’ve got just the right balance of creative thinkers, intelligent designers and project managers to come up with exciting ideas then make them happen, on time and within budget. We’re easy to work with, love teamwork and get on well with each other and our clients. We’re committed to ensuring that our clients are 100 per cent happy with our service — after all, we want them to come back for more. “Freestone people like to say, ‘yes we can’. That’s why we’re well known for getting our clients out of sticky situations and achieving so-called ‘impossible’ turnaround times.” Porsche GB recently approached Freestone to find a creative solution to hosting up to 100 of the world’s press for the launch of the 911 GT2 RS at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. For its biggest ever single project Freestone shipped 100 modular temporary festival-style bedrooms from the Netherlands and installed them on a plot of land next to the event. The agency also built a VIP hospitality venue – creating a ‘hotel’ lobby, lounge, eating areas, a working kitchen and a bathroom block. There was even a ‘pub garden’ style venue with seating, fire pits and a live band. The project was a huge success and guests had a fantastic time. Clients have seen what Freestone can create at events and asked the agency to ‘remodel’ their offices. “We’ve freshened up a lot of marketing departments by putting in partitions and creating meeting rooms and breakout areas,” says Stuart. Freestone has also embraced the trend towards digital marketing, which has grown steadily over the last decade. Its dedicated digital and web team includes experts in a wide range of development practices and programming languages. Together with Freestone’s UKE18170 designers and SEO experts, they work with companies of all sizes, transforming their online presence with high-quality digital marketing. The agency continually invests in the latest hardware and software and is accredited to ISO 27001, the internationally recognised best practice framework for information security management. Freestone is also committed to reducing its impact on the environment and has an environmental policy accredited to the ISO 14001 standard. Moving forward, digital marketing and precisely targeted, personalised communications are high on Freestone’s agenda – although the agency still expects a healthy demand for printed brochures, especially in luxury markets. Stuart concludes: “Whatever happens in the future we’re flexible enough to adapt quickly to industry trends and needs. It’s 34 years since I started the business and it’s a very different industry compared to back then, but whatever the media, we’re confident we’ve got it covered.” Contact: Stuart Freestone Company: Freestone Creative Address: The Old Pump House, Calverton Road, Stony Stratford, MK11 1YT, UK Website: www.freestone.co.uk Telephone: 01908 265 656