West Yorkshire Windows recently starred in a primetime treat on Sky1 – Noel’s Christmas Presents, which is reported to be the most viewed show on Sky TV. The leading double glazing company was called in by the shows’ producers to provide and build a conservatory for tireless charity worker Valerie Lepedat.
Seven years ago Valerie established a charity to help people who were suffering from the effects of chemotherapy but today, Valerie is terminally ill with breast cancer herself. Noel’s Christmas Presents was created to reward people like Valerie, by presenting them with gifts for deserving people that they could otherwise simply not receive.
The team behind the popular TV show discovered that Valerie’s charity, Aurora, is based in a building too small for its needs, and that Valerie had expressed a desire for it to be extended with a conservatory. West Yorkshire Windows and Conservatory Outlet were invited to take part, and make Valerie’s dream a reality.
The 90-minute show, which appeared over Christmas, showed Noel Edmonds present Valerie with a holiday. This gave the professionals at West Yorkshire Windows enough time to build the 8m x 4m conservatory adjoining the existing Aurora Centre at Mexborough Montague Hospital. Once it was completed, Noel Edmonds – together with friends and family – surprised Valerie with the gift, along with a plaque commemorating all the hard work she had done.
Andrew Glover, director of West Yorkshire Windows, said: “When we got the call from the production company, we jumped at the chance to help. Val has helped so many people with selfless actions – it was the least we could do to make her centre more comfortable for her patients.”
The Aurora Centre’s aim is to boost the self esteem and self confidence of patients while undergoing and recovering from related treatments of cancer. Often a patient will not only lose their hair as a result of radio therapy but also their eyebrows, eyelashes and the skin can often change colour. The Aurora Center offers free therapies that resolve all these side effects. It has been recognised that improving a person’s sense of well-being will dramatically improve their chances of overcoming their illness.
Val is a co-founder and the leading volunteer of Aurora, and the centre now gives its services free to over 500 patients a year. It is totally funded by donation. Val is involved not only in the day-to-day running of the centre but also with its three major fundraising events each year. Jayne, Valerie’s nominator, said: “I cannot quantify the number of hours Val puts into the charity each and every week or the many compromises she must have made to her own family life in order to support Aurora, but Val does this very quietly and humbly avoiding recognition and reward when in reality she is to many ‘the face of Aurora’.”
In return for West Yorkshire Windows and Conservatory Outlet’s charitable efforts, Sky promoted the company wherever possible, including a link to the company’s website created and manged by Motionlab from Sky’s website. Furthermore, almost 6m people were expected to watch the programme.
Internet outstrips TV ad spend for the first time
Thursday, October 1st, 2009The rise of the digital age was highlighted yesterday as the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) released their half year figures for 2009, showing that Internet ad spend had overtaken TV advertising for the first time in the UK.
Internet advertising was shown to be the only sector to have grown in the first half of 2009 taking a total of £1.75bn, a 4.6% growth. The figures take into account all forms of online advertising, PPC paid-for search, SEO, display and classified adverts.
The growth in the market further emphasises the importance of ensuring that your advertising campaign is considered, targeted and positioned correctly. The growth in the market suggests a greater dependency for online advertising moving forward with marketers recognising the increased measurability of the internet against other media. This is further highlighted by the overall decrease in advertising spend, across all media, by 16.6% in the first half of 2009.
Reasons for the growth and how to apply it to your business:
There are a number of significant factors to the growth of the sector. Consider these reasons when you are planning your next marketing campaign:
Direct Response: This year has seen marketing budgets being stretched to their very limits, and online has proved its worth, providing more accountability, measuring and clearer targeting.
Display Formats Developing: With the increase of videos being added and viewed online, the internet has become a highly engaging entertainment medium. Growth of 195% year-on-year has shown more and more companies are willing to engage in the interactive multimedia content.
E-commerce Booming: The recession has had a significant impact on consumers purchase decisions, reducing the amount of hedonistic high street purchases as consumers take to the internet to search for the best deals. With a greater amount of choice, supported by price comparison engines and efficient e-commerce systems consumers are switching their attentions more towards online, allowing retailers to expand and improve their online presence.
Broadband Changes: 92% people in the UK now have a broadband speed of over 2MB and 56% of home broadband users now have wireless broadband driving audiences online allowing advertisers to provide customers with richer content in their campaigns.
For more information about how Motionlab could help you become a more successful company online contact Dan Hammond on 01772 865050
Tags: Advertising, Digital, Motionlab, Motionlab Marketing, Online, Online Advertising, Online Marketing, Rec
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