- Blog | Rebecca Garrett Media

RGM are Finalists for Venus Awards 2016

We’re delighted to announce that we are through to the finals in two categories – Digital Media and Online Business of the Year and Employee of the Year! Congratulations to Kirsty for making it through to the finals as Employee of the Year and fingers crossed for the finals on the 18th November!

Now in its fourth year in Devon, the Venus Awards have proved to be ever popular with the business women of the region, with over 1,612 nominations and 375 applications received in one or more of the 14 categories. Launched at Plymouth Science Park in May this year, participants have been whittled down to the Finalists stage by either sponsor judging or public voting. Sponsors and candidates have attended a variety of events over the intervening months to reach this point.

Dubbed the “Working Women’s Oscars” by Channel 4, the Awards celebrate the vital contribution that women in business make to the regional and national economy, and are unique in that anyone can nominate a friend, client or family member.

Charity sponsor for the Devon Venus Awards 2016 is Jeremiah’s Journey whose work in Plymouth and the surrounding area is focused on children and young people and their families who are experiencing grief due to death or terminal illness.

The Venus journey will culminate in a glamorous Ceremony and Gala Dinner at The Great Hall, University of Exeter on Friday 18^th November 2016.

We will keep you posted on how RGM gets on!

Aug

Devon Chamber Awards

I am very pleased and excited to announce that Rebecca Garrett Media has been nominated for another award – this time it’s the Devon Chamber Awards!

This year’s black-tie event will be held at the fabulous Duke of Cornwall Hotel on September 16th and all of us at RGM are looking forward to attending.

I have been nominated in the Business Personality of the Year category, for the success of building my business over the past five years. The nomination states “A single mother to two children, Rebecca is a powerful role model to the business community, proving it is possible to overcome the most desperate of situations to build a very dynamic and strong business.”

There is a lot of tough competition for the award, but regardless of the outcome, it will be a fab, fun event.

Now is a really exciting time for RGM and our Winning Moments offer – we will be introducing a fantastic new update to our Winning Moments website very soon, as we look to expand the business offer further for both emerging and established brands.

You can see our most up to date itinerary here.

You can find out more about the Devon Chamber Awards here.

Jul

Press Day in the RGM Office

The RGM Team

We held our first ever Press Day at the Plymouth Science Park on Thursday 7^th July and had a wonderful time talking to the fabulous brands we work with.

The day was a huge success with key clients travelling from London to get a behind the scenes peak at our award winning agency.

RGM CEO Rebecca Garrett said: “We are very proud to be based here in Plymouth and today was the perfect opportunity to showcase the fantastic work we do not only in the local community but also with our high profile clients from all over the UK.”

This was a chance for our clients to get out of their stuffy offices and enjoy the fresh air of Plymouth. Clients and RGM staff discussed the latest news and developments in media and marketing over lunch, with many enjoying the chance to win some Prosecco related prizes with RGM’s very own gaming table.

If you missed our press day, why not check out our latest itinerary here and book the ultimate Autumn and Christmas campaign with us and maximise your budget!

Apr

Team Spotlight: My First Two Months at RGM

My first two months at RGM have definitely been an eye opener for me; showing me what a sales job is really like, but from the other side… proactively making contact with national brands.

I went from an inbound call centre selling insurance, to phoning big-name brands to help promote themselves through the competitions, promotions and offers that we organise. Joining the RGM team was such a great decision. Like every new role, I came across a couple of bumps in the road at the beginning as there is so much to learn and absorb but who doesn’t find a new job challenging to begin with? With two months now completed, I can safely say it has been everything and more than I expected; it’s a lovely relaxed but professional working environment and the team are great! We are a team of 10 including the sales, production and digital teams. I love being part of a small team as everyone helps everyone; we can all share ideas and you get the support that you need.

RGM is a great place to work; it’s target-driven which to some people might be daunting, but when you have a great commission structure to earn, it is definitely rewarding and makes you determined to want to hit your target each month.

As a Sales Account Manager, I am responsible for building up my own fresh client base, making the first point of contact to a new brand in order to introduce RGM, and start educating that brand on what we can do for them. The feeling of making your first sale is great, and it’s then such a drive to want to make more. One of the most important things in this role is to have a positive attitude at all times. Inevitability, there will be some days, weeks or even months were you might not necessarily make a sale or hit your target, but you have to be able to pick yourself back up and start fresh. Every no is one step closer to a yes.

I hope to progress my job role within RGM and eventually become a Senior Account Manager. I know that with my positivity and drive for making sales, I will get there. I feel positive and comfortable within the job I am in and I really do see a big future for myself within RGM.

Interested in joining our team? We’re always on the look out for talented people. Email us: hello@rebeccagarrettmedia.com

Written by Jade Hawkings – Junior Account Manager

Apr

Team Spotlight: Production Success

RGM is a modern, exciting & creative media company that specialises in the setting and running of competitions/promotions & offers for a wide array of brands from fashion to household must haves, collecting valuable quality data to help brands promote their products.

My role in the above is as Head of Production. This position is a unique rarity as in most media company’s production is done externally or by the brand themselves. By offering this service to our brands we feel this gives them the reassurance that the worry and time consuming aspect is taken off their shoulders and on to mine, so all they have to do is send in their individual copy & imagery and I do all the rest. I set and proof all copy and imagery and make the competitions etc look aesthetically pleasing to ensure maximum impact to the consumers, to make sure they are fully engaged and enjoy the process.

Once the competitions end I check all the data collected to ensure there are no errors and collate what can be sent out to the brands to use for future marketing of their products, so this would be the entrants that agreed to hear more from the participating brands. I also send the closing information i.e. entry figure, data collected figure, click throughs etc to the brands and present these details in a round up presentation. One other delightful aspect of my job is to ring the lucky winner that is selected at the end of every promotion, it is so gratifying that I can bring that my joy to all these wonderful people.

My role isn’t always fun and games though, there is a serious side to the creativity regarding admin and legal forms but this to me is just another process within a fantastic position I have the pleasure of doing every day.

5 Top Tips to a successful Production role

Excellent communication skills to be able to use between yourself and the brand and your team
Always be organised and keep on top of your processes
A spark for creativity to design new and vibrant imagery and competition pages
Excellent grammar skills to be able to proof read all incoming copy from brands and titles
An eye for detail

For more information on Rebecca Garrett Media, and the work we undertake, please do check out our website: https://www.rebeccagarrettmedia.com/

Interested in joining our team? We’re always on the look out for talented people. Email me: liz@rebeccagarrettmedia.com

Written by Liz Challice – Head of Production

Mar

Team Spotlight: What I’ve learned from my first job role at a media agency

My journey into the digital sector has been a mixed one.

My initial interest in media and marketing crept in a few years ago, when I decided to launch a blog alongside my day job as a Wedding & Events Coordinator. The blog, that initially started as a hobby, rapidly developed into a business and allowed me to launch a supplementary print and digital magazine too.

Several job roles later, and with a thriving business becoming too much for a part-time venture, but not enough for a full-time leap of faith, I made the difficult decision to close the blog and magazine down. Some might say that it was a missed opportunity on my part, and the 2.5 years of hard work was tough, but I picked up a lot of skills along the way. It also left me with a passion, and a sector that I wanted to pursue more than anything.

When I applied for my current role, which sees me heading up the Digital & Social Media department for a buzzing media agency in Plymouth, I had serious doubts in my own ability. I felt as though my skill-set was solid, but it was undeniably nerve-wracking moving into my first dedicated digital marketing position. Plus, due to various changes within the company, the role developed and grew in terms of responsibility very quickly and at times, I did feel overwhelmed.

It’s been a whirlwind of a nine months, and thankfully, I’ve come out stronger, and more knowledgeable than ever before. I feel very grateful for the opportunity I have here, to develop my skills and be involved with some seriously cool marketing campaigns.

Here’s what I’ve discovered so far:

The coach to London from Plymouth is a lot cheaper than the train. Like a lot. However, it does take hours and you will need to take a pillow! Megabus is surprisingly efficient for the price you pay and most of the drivers are lovely. If you need to visit clients in the big smoke on a budget, then this is the way to do it.
The digital landscape is ever-changing; what you learn one week can be out of date the next. Keep reading, keep researching and try to keep up as best you can! Plus, if you decide to head to any of the big digital marketing conferences, be selective. A lot of them offer a free pass to explore the stands and smaller talks – be careful before you shell out too much for the fancy delegate access as it’s not always worth the investment.
Creativity is key and can be one of the best ways to engage with your clients. Having the ability to come up with new and exciting campaigns is one of the best parts of my job. Plus, if you can bring new ideas to the table, your clients will respect you for it.
The right team can make all the difference. We expanded our digital team in November with a new appointment and she has had such a positive impact to my day-to-day routine. It’s so important to get along with the people in your company, but even more so, the people in your immediate team.
As an agency, we have to be constantly evolving. We’ve moved a lot of our itinerary to new platforms this year including the MailOnline, Cosmopolitan.co.uk and Mumsnet to name a small selection. Our brands expect constant change, and we like to deliver it.
Tea and a step away from your desk are generally the answers to all of your problems. Whenever I find myself struggling with my workload, or getting frustrated with a design that just isn’t working, I always make a point of taking five minutes to clear my head. Trust me, it works wonders. A second pair of eyes often helps too.
Staff morale, employee perks and a boss who actually cares all make for a positive workplace, and increased productivity. If you have a problem at work, the worst thing you can possibly do it sit on it, stewing and making yourself feel worse. Talk to a colleague, or a friend, or even the CEO – you might just be surprised as how much things can change for the better.

Working for a media agency is awesome. Working for a media agency in Plymouth is even more awesome. I never have a day that is the same as the last. I get to live in a beautiful part of the world, with regular trips to London to see clients, and with ongoing relationships with national brands and media titles. We also deliver tangible results for our brands – and this is incredibly rewarding.

I feel motivated, challenged, and can genuinely say that I love my job. For me, this is the most important thing. I’ve held numerous positions that I’ve enjoyed, but I’ve never felt so positive about my future career path than I do right now.

For more information on Rebecca Garrett Media, and the work we undertake, please do check out our website: https://www.rebeccagarrettmedia.com/

Interested in joining our team? We’re always on the look out for talented people. Email me: laura@rebeccagarrettmedia.com

Written by Laura Greenland – Head of Digital & Social Media

Jul

“OWN” Christmas 2015 with RGM

Rebecca Garrett Media have officially launched their Christmas campaigns for 2015.

We have created our GOA which you can download and view our itinerary which covers various periods across Christmas, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Download GOA*

Talk to us to maximize results of your Christmas campaigns, call us on 01752 764241 today!

May

Fun Friday Fundraiser was a massive success

Rebecca Garrett Media recently joined hands with The Mustard Tree Macmillan Support Centre in Plymouth to host a Fun Friday Fundraiser on the 22nd of May between 12 and 2pm. The team at RGM secured over £1000 worth of raffle prizes which were kindly donated by local businesses, giving a real community feel to the event.

On the day, guests could get massages, cartoon style portraits, purchase fresh eggs, homemade jams and marmalades, toys, bath salts and Scentsy products as well as purchase a variety of cakes, hand baked by the RGM team. (we have a a great team of secret bakers here!)

We managed to raise a grand total of £930 and we would like to say a massive thankyou to everyone who purchased raffle tickets and cakes!

Our event also made the local press which has been great, it’s showed us that we live in a very generous city and that Plymouth really is the place to be!

Mar

Apprentice Style Task – DONE!

Rebecca Garrett set an apprentice style challenge for the team to complete today, team members were split into two teams;

Team A: Jonathan Hick, Kirsty Miragliotta, Jordan Thomas & Liz Challice

Team B: Georgie Weeks, Kate Allen, Mel Strudwick & Ashley Rodwell

Each team were given £200, the challenge was to make as much profit as possible and the winning team got to split the profit between them, the challenge kicked off at 10am and the deadline was 2pm, simples.

Team A Secured a £50 voucher which was kindly donated by Frankie & Benny’s and ran a raffle to win this voucher, along with a car wash at a local residential home to earn extra cash.

Team B shot off to the local supermarket and bought a basket full of Easter goodies, wine and beer, creating a hamper worth £42 and ran a raffle to win the hamper.

Both teams went from office to office at the Plymouth Science Park, asking local residents if they would like to purchase a ticket and be in with the chance of winning, the results were great!

Team A made a profit of £125 and Team B made a total profit of £218.06, making Team B the winners.

Even better, both teams opted at the start to donate any profits to a charity close to their hearts, Team A Chose to donate the money towards “Cef The Piper” who is raising money by walking 22 miles whilst playing the bagpipes along the coastal path from Looe to Plymouth for St. Luke’s Hospice (you too can donate here)

Team B opted to donate their profit’s to Macmillan Cancer Support

A huge thank’s to the Plymouth Science Park and local businesses and their employee’s for allowing us to come into their offices today and for their incredible generosity.

The winner of the £50 Frankie & Benny’s gift voucher is Amanda from St. James’s Lodge and a huge congratulations to Amy from South West Care Homes who was the lucky winner of the Easter Hamper!

A Huge congratulations to Team B who made the most profit and won the challenge!