Scandalous that I have neglected the Impress blog, but clients’ requirements really have had to come first over the past few months. And I did nip off to Formentera for a delightful week of shabby chic relaxation on white sandy beaches under blissful azure skies. Almost a distant memory already, although I must give a plug to the wonderful Las Banderas hotel on the island. Perfect for anyone who truly wants to escape the rat race, with a location to die for and an ambience that adds a new dimension to the term "chilled-out". The atmosphere is positively horizontal, but with Ibiza just a 20 minute ferry trip away, party culture and madness is within easy reach. The contrast could not be more stark.

And so the Impress bandwagon hurtles forth, with clients experiencing the ups and downs of the marketing mix. As ever, it those that who commit who reap the most rewards. Sue Kingston’s new exciting online fitness clothing business (www.fit2bseen.co.uk) has quickly established itself on the back of an ambitious marketing strategy. Google Adwords milks the cash, but has put thousands of visitors on the site including Trisha Goddard of chat show fame.  Trisha is releasing a fitness DVD at the end of the year and wearing clothing provided by fit2bseen. The associated PR, marketing tie-ins and advertising strategy have provided this embryonic business with the impetus it needs to really challenge some of the bigger players. Full page ads in the consumer fitness magazines have also been instrumental in kick-starting the site and this exposure promises just to be the start of a fabulous journey for both Sue and Impress.

Having mentioned Google Adwords, it is worth noting that Impress is now a recognized Google agency which enables us to have direct contact with the ‘search gods’.  The relationship is beneficial to all parties and enables Impress to liaise directly with Google when formulating client campaigns. Benefits include a much improved return on investment and a deeper understanding of the techniques that make Adwords the most effective direct marketing tool ever invented.

An update on Big Bang Events which continues to blaze a trail through the London events industry. The brilliance of the brand vision was typified at a couple of stunning events at the Cannon Bridge Roof Garden in The City recently (www.cannonbridgeroofgarden.com). View the website to check out this breathtaking venue which never looked more spectacular that during the Open Day party held on a blissful summers day (before the floods!!!) in May. Sipping champagne while watching the sun go down behind St. Pauls as the lights of London began to flicker was a joyous start to the season. No words can do justice to the effort that the Big Bang team dedicate to putting on the perfect event; subsequent PR exposure in RSVP, Event and Prestige Events magazines, plus The London Paper (24^th July) tells its own story.

We have launched numerous new sites of late and four of  these can be viewed at:

www.trio-marketing.co.uk                                        www.ridgewayintl.com
www.pythouse-organics.co.uk                                  www.topbananateam.com

Lots more new sites being launched on a weekly basis, plus numerous other marketing initiatives that I really should write about here. I will in due course, but the late arrival of summer only seems to have increased the agency workload as clients prepare for autumn product launches, marketing drives and online strategies. For our part, a new set of agency sites are in production and Impress Tuesday continues to gain momentum. The last couple of events were vibrant, passionate affairs and stimulated considerable debate among the invited guests. A new programme of seminars is being devised and details will be posted on the site over the next few days.

As ever, Impress is a fast-moving thing as our clients increasingly demand the full range of integrated marketing services previously the preserve of the corporates. Lots more stuff to add in the coming weeks and we appreciate all the feedback, good or bad.

Enjoy....