Stiff Rowlands

We just helped NME.COM with a homepage takeover to promote Jack Peñate’s new album “Everything is New”.

It’s not everyday we are encouraged to think stupid but Howies Summer 2009 Catalogue proves that it can have its benefits. It certainly makes a welcome change from thinking outside the box or in this case, envelope. In fact, the result is far from stupid (this is stupid) we actually consider it to be pretty smart. Maybe we could all benefit from asking more dumb questions?

PS: Although the above catalogue looks well-thumbed, we can assure Howies that the postman delivered it in pristine condition!

What inspired you today? That’s the question The Drum asked our very own Mr Stiff. Read his response below or if you’re seeking further inspiration read the full feature here.

Music is a constant source of creative inspiration but the business behind the music we enjoy can often appear to be so far removed that it’s hard to understand how the two are connected.

There are exceptions to every rule though and any business that takes its name from the industry term for a dead duck, has to be worth a second look. I’ve always been intrigued by the story of Stiff Records, partly due to the name that we share but more importantly because of their seemingly uncompromising lack of respect for conventions and their stubborn independence.

Their artist roster and marketing were so gleefully haphazard and anti corporate that they really could only have got away with it in the late seventies and early eighties before the label imploded and went on a 20 year hiatus in 1986.

The legendary Barney Bubbles was responsible for much of Stiff Records’ early graphics and his eclectic style helped to create some of their most iconic sleeve artwork. A personal favourite has to be the Crown wallpaper sleeve for Ian Dury & The Blockheads’ 1979 album “Do It Yourself”, which came in 28 different patterns!

We’re very happy to be part of Unconvention 2009, having produced one of ten posters for the music conference. It’s a northern event where you’ll get the chance to rub shoulders with legends like Peter Hook and listen to bands like I Am Kloot. More importantly, it’s a chance to get together and share ideas about the future of independent music whilst eating a pie. The posters will also be featured in an exhibition at Urbis.

The Samsung NME Radar Tour 2009 showcases the best new music with a string of dates across the UK, featuring La Roux, Heartbreak, Magistrates and The Chapman Family. We created an online advertorial to promote the tour and Samsung’s Bang & Olufsen-powered “Beat Edition” phone.

Hot on the heels of our Roses Awards nomination, we’re very chuffed to find out that our website for Manchester International Festival has been shortlisted for Best Not for Profit Project in this year’s Big Chip Awards. Winners will be announced on June 18 at the Palace Hotel, Manchester.

We are very pleased to announce that our book Smoking Outdoors has been nominated for the Best House Advert / Self Promotion category in this year’s Roses Advertising Awards. The Awards ceremony takes place on 30th April at Manchester’s Hilton Hotel.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the iconic Adidas 3-stripes brand with a memorable Frankie Valli soundtracked ‘House Party’ TV ad (below). NME Radio partnered with Adidas and JD Sports to bring the party to London in the form of three exclusive gigs.

We helped NME.COM with an online advertorial to promote the events. We assume our invites got lost in the post?

Special projects manufacturer Studio Caparo required an email marketing campaign to showcase a selection of their stunning and innovative work for renowned clients such as Established & Sons and Nude Skincare. We recognised the need for brand sensitive design that would appeal to their target market: Artists, Designers and Architects. Check out the newsletter and Studio Caparo’s unique “Stack” project here.

As part of our ongoing work with Manchester International Festival, we have helped them to produce regular newsletter campaigns including this one - announcing their programme for 2009.

Online marketing is a vital component in the build up to the festival, helping to increase awareness and generate all important ticket sales. It was therefore essential that we created a reliable and flexible newsletter that could be easily updated in-house. Equally important was that the email campaign system could handle in excess of 15,000 subscribers with regular mailouts.

We chose MailChimp for its excellent track record, ease of use and in-depth campaign reporting. Whatever system you choose, carefully targeted email marketing can have an impressive impact, even for a modest budget. MIF’s latest campaign contributed to a ten-fold increase in traffic!