Exploring our campaign archives
In 1993, The Think Tank was born.
Back then, design ideas for upcoming campaigns had to be (literally) shuttled back and forth on bikes. Even the discordant clang of dial-up internet was new and exciting.
Fast forward to 2023 and The Think Tank is celebrating its 30th birthday in a world that’s almost unrecognisable, enhanced by digital tools wherever you look.
To mark our three decades in the business, we’re looking back at the campaigns that shaped us as an agency – and you’re coming along for the ride.
Cert-ified B2B experts: 1993
Our first ever campaign was for Cert, a UK-based drinks distributor. To raise awareness of Cert’s speedy nationwide delivery services, we crafted a truly Cool Britannia-inspired campaign featuring taglines inspired by the names of UK towns and cities. We even themed creative elements around Ordnance Survey maps, bringing the concept to life in a way that would make Oasis jealous.
Style AND substance: 2004
It’s now the noughties and our PR team is tasked with rejuvenating classic laminate brand Formica’s image for a younger crowd (in the same year Jordan became Katie Price – coincidence? You decide.).
Formica wanted to go all out for the relaunch, so we held an event at London’s Madame Tussauds. Hosted by comedienne Ruby Wax, the main event was a catwalk show showcasing six dresses made of Formica materials. The event – and Formica’s versatility – grabbed media attention, appearing in the Financial Times, the Evening Standard and the Telegraph.
Superpowered success: 2022
Moving into the present day, our ‘Masters of Time’ campaign with IRIS embraced a playful superhero theme to show off the software provider’s ability to save small businesses superhuman amounts of time.
Across out-of-home (OOH) media, radio and social media platforms, the campaign achieved a 97% increase in organic site traffic to IRIS’ website. With 17 award nominations and 5 wins, Masters of Time is one of our most successful campaigns ever (for now…).
Testing and learning everyday: 2023
Not all campaigns are cut from the same cloth. So when BSI approached us wanting to uncover every detail about how businesses engage with standards we eagerly embraced the challenge. Donning our lab coats, we constructed a test and learn campaign to find the answers BSI needed. We spoke to focus groups, tinkered with digital ads to get them just right, and wrapped up the campaign by handing BSI a 10,000+ word dissertation on our findings.
As well as providing BSI with answers, the campaign earned a slew of awards nominations, including recent wins at the UK Content Awards and European Content Awards. Nearly every department at The Think Tank played a role in bringing the campaign to life, so it was a real pleasure to see all that hard work pay off (despite a few sore heads after the awards shows).
Logistics, simplified: 2023
As times have changed and audiences have moved online, brands have followed. In our 12-year (and counting) long partnership with e-commerce logistics experts Asendia, we’ve harnessed the power of almost every digital platform to put Asendia’s name and services in front of the right people.
Our launch of their e-PAQ brand delivered 25 million impressions. That’s almost the entire population of Australia! It also collected 230,000 clicks, exceeding KPIs by more than 250%.
Ain’t no stopping us now…
Over 30 years in an ever-changing landscape, we’ve continuously adapted and changed the way we work – like B2B marketing chameleons. Our knack for staying one step ahead is probably why The Think Tank is still going strong today.
And we’ve got all sorts of projects cooking away in The Think Tank kitchen. Watch this space to find out what the next 30 years will bring!
Want to see more of our work? Head to our case study pages.
