Story News 2010

July 8th, 2010
STORY WORLDWIDE WINS 16 PRINT AND DIGITAL CUSTOM PUBLICATION HONORS AT THE MAGNUM OPUS AWARDS

Mariner (Holland America Line), Lexus Magazine, Outlook (Acura Financial Services), and Endless Vacation (RCI) all receive multiple honors

Story Worldwide has been honored with 16 awards spanning three categories and 13 sub-categories in the seventh annual Magnum Opus Awards.  The competition included more than 550 entries and the winners “showcase the amazing evolution of the content marketing industry” said Program Coordinator Jenny Babich.  Story Worldwide took home more awards than any other agency.

Said Simon Kelly, Story Worldwide’s Chief Operating Officer in the US – “As we apply storytelling techniques through every emerging channel, it’s still nice to know we can win more awards more than our traditional competitors.”

Story Worldwide’s Mariner publication, the official magazine of Holland America Line, scored six awards in the Print Magazine category, including the top honor of Grand Award Winner for Print Magazine, as well as two Gold Awards and three Silver Awards. 

Story’s Lexus Magazine garnered five awards, including two Gold Awards for Overall Editorial and Overall Design for an Electronic Publication.  Story’s work on Lexus Magazine was honored in both the Print Magazine and Electronic Publication categories. 

Outlook, Story’s print newsletter for Acura Financial Services, earned a Gold Award for Best Overall Design and a Bronze for Best Editorial - New Publication in the Print Newsletter category.

Endless Vacation, a custom published magazine for RCI, brought home two awards in the Print Magazine category for Best Use of Photography and Best Special Topic Issue.

The Magnum Opus Awards are an annual competition dedicated to the world’s top content marketing efforts.  The awards are conducted by ContentWise in conjunction with the University of Missouri School of Journalism and are judged upon informational and entertainment value, quality of writing and display copy, creative use of imagery and typography and consistency of color palette and style.


5th June '10
Story visits Pipistrel

Aeronautic innovator Pipistrel has rewritten the rules of the sky when it comes to personal transport with its' self-launching electric glider. Story client Lexus has done the same on terra firma. Story heads off to Slovenia in a Lexus RX450h to meet the company’s founder Ivo Boscarol.

www.lexus.co.uk/online-magazine/natural-hybrids.aspx

___________________________

28th May '10
Story wins Bicester Village account

Story are delighted to team up again with Georgie Drew, now at Value Retail, the company behind The Highstreet's best kept secret, Bicester Village - the destination for designer outlet shopping.

Bicester Village website

___________________________

15th May '10
Story Worldwide secures place on Janssen's digital marketing roster

Story Worldwide, the global content marketing agency, has won a place on pharmaceutical company Janssen-Cilag’s digital marketing roster. Story will receive invites to pitch on a number of digital briefs alongside two other agencies.

Since becoming a preferred supplier, Story has quickly won four briefs, including a media website, the company’s intranet, an internal training programme and a social media awareness campaign.

Jim Boulton, Deputy UK Managing Director at Story, said: “Janssen-Cilag’s aim is to improve lives, an ethos close to our hearts - we help brands tell their stories in ways that add value to peoples lives.”

Irina Osovskaya, E-Business Manager at Janssen-Cilag, added: “We selected Story because of their integrated marketing approach which allows us to use new and exciting methods of communication as well as their in-depth knowledge of online technologies.”
 
A subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, Janssen-Cilag is one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, operates in virtually all countries in the world and is active in a number of therapeutic areas such as pain, psychiatry, immunology, HIV, neurology, gastrointestinal and infectious diseases.

___________________________

3rd May '10
As Marketers Wake Up to Post-Advertising World, Story Worldwide Adds Industry Heavyweights to Senior Leadership Team

Former FCB New York Executive Creative Director Rodd Chant hired as Creative Director / New Business Development and former Story U.K. Creative Director Frederik Andersen appointed as U.S. Group Creative Director.
 
Story Worldwide, the first global content marketing agency, continues its recent strategic growth with the hiring of Rodd Chant and appointment of Frederik Anderson to senior leadership roles in the U.S., as well as three other hires in marketing, creative, and human resources.
 
Australian born, New York based Rodd Chant joins Story Worldwide in the role of Creative Director / New Business Development North America. Chant’s career has seen him working on three continents for well-known agencies such as McCann-Erickson, BBDO, Batey Ads, and Publicis, as well as founding his own creative shop in Sydney, Australia. His last role in New York was at the creative helm of Foote Cone & Belding as EVP/Executive Creative Director.

Said Chant – “Since leaving FCB New York I have been working independently for agencies and clients globally. There was simply no agency in particular that I wanted to park myself full-time as I didn’t want to create traditional advertising. But a fortuitous meeting with Story’s CEO Kirk Cheyfitz via the world of social media introduced me to Story and I was immediately impressed by their vision and people. They are the kind of creative company I had hoped existed but had yet to find. They walk the walk and fully understand and embrace the changes in brand communications and what needs to be done for clients as the sands continually shift on the advertising landscape.  They are truly are a post-advertising agency and I’m excited about being a part of the team.”
 
Based in Story’s London office for the past two years as Creative Director, Frederik Andersen will take up a Group Creative Director role split between Story’s three U.S. offices in New York, Connecticut, and Seattle.
 
Born and raised in Scandinavia, Andersen has won international design awards in categories as diverse as graphic, product, service and packaging design.  Frederik is a multidisciplinary design authority who believes in media convergence and works across several industrial sectors, which goes hand in hand with the Story philosophy of deep brand transformation and post advertising.
 
Said Simon Kelly, Story’s Chief Operating Officer in the US: – “Andersen has been instrumental in developing our narrative based approach and his transfer to the U.S. raises the bar for our creative abilities and increases our ability to do brilliant work for a number of International clients.”
 
Chant will report directly to Simon Kelly. Andersen has made his transfer and is reporting to North American Executive Creative Director Keith Blanchard.
 

______________________________

17th April '10
STORY WORLDWIDE BOLSTERS SENIOR TEAM FOR STRATEGIC GROWTH
Story Worldwide, the content marketing agency, today announces the appointments of Paul Alexandrou as UK Executive Creative Director. Alexandrou will head up the European Creative Team and Creative Director Frederik Andersen, who is transferring to Story New York, will take up a US Group Creative Direct role.

Alexandrou brings a background that bridges the worlds of advertising, new media, arts and entertainment. Over the past 15 years his work has included major integrated campaigns, content and innovation assignments for clients like Diet Coke, Nokia and Amnesty International. Most recently he served as Executive Creative Director at media and entertainment business IMG, working across its acclaimed film, broadcast and digital subsidiaries, including Tiger Aspect and Darlow Smithson. In addition to overseeing creative output of IMG Digital for clients such as SonyEricsson and Manchester United, he led major multiplatform commissions for international broadcasters including ITV and Showtime, as well as original branded entertainment in the UK and US.

Alexandrou’s work has been recognised across a number of disciplines, from major international advertising award shows such as Cannes, to Arts Councils and film festivals, including the prestigious Claremont-Ferrrand – short film festival.

Andersen has been instrumental in developing Story’s narrative-based approach and his transfer to the New York office supports the agency’s increase in international clients, such as Lexus, Johnson & Johnson and Unilever. This new role will create further opportunities for the global creative team to work together.

Jon King, UK MD, at Story, said, “Paul is a creative powerhouse and his multi-disciplinary background means that he seamlessly bridges the link between traditional and non-traditional media. These are very exciting times as we expand our team with these senior appointments and we hope it heralds a fresh approach for us in the year ahead.”

Alexandrou says: “What attracted me most is Story’s fundamental appreciation for the role of brands as media creators, not just consumers. The creative bandwidth here is formidable in its own right, but coupled with the fact traditional teams, digital, design and long-form editorial talent all sit as the one borderless creative department, it’s a true perversion of the established order.”

______________________________

15th April '10
LEXUS MAGAZINE GOES MOBILE
Lexus and Story Worldwide launch mobile site optimized for the iPhone

The award winning Lexus luxury lifestyle magazine will now be offered to readers on a mobile website optimized for the iPhone, which represents over 90 percent of the Lexus mobile user base.  The site will contain all of the content available on the full site version and will be updated on a monthly basis.  The site was fully developed and created by Story Worldwide.

The mobile site can be viewed at Lexus Mobile

______________________________

9th April '10
AMAR PATEL APPOINTED STORY EUROPEAN EDITOR OF LEXUS MAGAZINE
Amar Patel has become the new European Editor of Lexus Magazine.

Over the past three years, Amar has been instrumental in reimagining Lexus magazine for the online era and will now lead a series of exciting content-led initiatives across several channels.

He will continue to work closely with Global Automotive Editor Doug Knox and stateside Global Editor Drew Limsky to ensure that the most awarded international customer publication in history continues to deliver truly sparkling and visceral content for its readers - whether that's on an iPad or through the reassuringly familiar form of a glossy magazine.

"I've lived and breathed Lexus since my first day at Story," said Patel. " In the year that sceptics are predicting the death of print publishing – yet another – I side with George Lois. Magazines are like cats with nine lives. It's exciting times on the Lexus programme as we press into the unknown, and I’m definitely up for the ride."

Jim Boulton, Deputy Managing Director, Story Worldwide said: "Amar's remit is to extend the Lexus Magazine programme into the digital arena and beyond, providing customers and advocates with stimulating branded content in what ever medium they wish to engage with it."

See: Creative Match

______________________________

30th March '10
MIMECAST APPOINTS STORY WORLDWIDE FOR DIGITAL CONTENT BRIEF
Story Worldwide, the global content marketing agency, today announces the win of a digital brief for leading cloud computing company, Mimecast.

Story has been tasked with creating and delivering a content rich, customer-centric marketing strategy that will re-engineer their online presence and drive more in-bound enquiries.

The appointment further bolsters Story’s expertise in developing and delivering content marketing campaigns for B2B brands.

The agency will add this brief to a portfolio that includes content marketing campaigns for UPS, SEKO Synergy, Siemens Mobile and Software AG.

Jim Boulton, deputy managing director at Story Worldwide, said: “In conjunction with Mimecast’s internal marketing team, their sales force and talented team of developers, Story are re-engineering their online experience so that it reflects Mimecast’s position at the cutting-edge of cloud computing.”

Eric Odell at Mimecast, added: “The solution that we are developing with Story is based on context relevant bespoke content, engaging potential customers on a more personal level and reducing costs of acquisition.”

______________________________