We all love a Sunday roast, be that at home with our family or in a cosy pub with friends. As the nights begin to draw in and the days get colder, we may find ourselves indulging in this classic British dish more frequently, possibly in an attempt at gaining some sense of normality during this strange time. Let’s face it, Covid coupled with winter is pretty miserable without the smell of a slow-cooked, perfectly seasoned, beef joint or roast chicken wafting into our living rooms as we wait patiently to sit and stuff our faces (and then regret it the next day).
We thought we knew cocoa, until that is we started working with Olam Cocoa to launch their new range of deZaan premium cocoa powders – which made us think again! We couldn’t believe the range of colour and taste variants they had developed, taking cocoa from an everyday staple to something to truly inspire professionals in the kitchen. And it seems the more you discover about cocoa, the more there is to learn – from pH to dutching, fat content to intrinsic and extrinsic colour (who knew!). Working with Olam Cocoa on the launch of their new responsibly sourced professional range has been a real education.
This September saw jellybeanwork with flavour innovator McCormick Flavour Solutions to stage its live-streamed ‘End of Summer Sessions’, featuring two of the UK’s most respected chefs hosting two unique digital inspiration demos, from their respective kitchens.
Please note this interview took place before the new regulations were announced on 22/9/20.
This week Lumina’s Hospitality Innovation Series of webinars featured an interview and Q&A with leading chef and restaurateur Adam Handling. Adam started his culinary training as the first apprentice chef at the famous Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. He went on to work in London before becoming sous chef at the Malmaison hotel in Newcastle. He then moved back to Scotland to become the Fairmont Group’s youngest ever head chef at the Fairmount St Andrews. Following that he took on the role of head chef at St.Ermins Hotel in St James Park. From there, he entered and became a finalist in series 6 of Masterchef The Professionals in 2013. Since then he has set up his own group of critically acclaimed restaurants notably: Frog by Adam Handling, Eve Bar, The Frog Hoxton, Adam Handling Chelsea and Ugly Butterfly. Sadly as a result of the impact of Covid19 both The Frog Hoxton and Ugly Butterfly (his zero waste pop-up) have closed, but as one door closes another opens as Adam went on to reveal….
Today, Marketing Agencies Action Group (MAAG) announced its evolution into the Alliance of Independent Agencies, as part of an extensive restructure. The Alliance will lead the agenda of independent agencies and promote the sector’s interests as it faces the negative impact of COVID-19; helping independent agencies to safeguard jobs and boost agency growth.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant and negative impact on the creative agency sector, with as much as a 44% (£19 billion) reduction in turnover and projected job losses of 26% (49,000)1. Independents make up ~90%2 of the agencies in the creative sector which contributes over £43billion to the economy.
As income, jobs, ways of working, and client-agency relationships are reimagined as a result of COVID-19’s impact, it is integral the independent agency sector has a clear and action-focused voice. Until now, the sector has not had a united voice to promote its collective interests and pro-actively lobby policymakers in client-related industry bodies and the Government; the Alliance of Independent Agencies stands to change this.
As MAAG evolves to Alliance of Independent Agencies, it has appointed Matt Sullivan Managing Director, created a Members’ Board, and introduced a triumvirate of co-chairs to drive the agenda of its eight action groups.
Reflecting its change in purpose and structure, the Alliance will respond to the impact of COVID-19 with change-driving activities, including:
Lobbying for government support, such as safeguarding jobs, through independent agency representation as members of The Advertising Association and Federation of Small Business.
Providing independent agencies wider access to valuable resources, building on collaborations with other agency collectives. To date, these include Pimento, TheNetworkOne and Agencynomics.
Empowering independent agencies to more successfully navigate procurement (in an increasingly competitive marketplace) through key educational partnerships.
As the incoming Managing Director, Matt Sullivan will spearhead this change. Formerly US Vice President at The Drum & Head of the Drum Network, and prior to that, Managing Director of the DMA’s International ECHO Awards, Sullivan has extensive experience championing agencies.
In addition to his appointment, the Alliance welcomes its inaugural triumvirate of co-chairs including, Ruth Kieran (CEO, Cirkle), Dino Myers-Lamptey (Founder, The Barber Shop), and Laurence Parkes (CEO, Rufus Leonard). The co-chairs are primarily responsible for distilling the input of the Alliance’s eight action groups (in the arenas of Purpose, People, and Performance) into one united voice.
Matt Sullivan says, “Across my work with agencies of all sizes and disciplines over the last 10 years, the biggest shift has been the desire to collaborate more – especially within the independent community. This will be the key factor behind the success of the Alliance of Independent Agencies. The Alliance is bringing an amazing mix of agencies together, plus support and access to other networks; a level of collaboration that is unusual with the backdrop of competitive membership fees. It feels like the last piece of the puzzle is to unite everybody that works for or alongside independent agencies to create something bigger and more impactful. With all the talent, great work, and increased confidence, I think we can be very ambitious with what we can achieve together. Exciting times.”
The Alliance seeks to unite the thousands of independent agencies, their leaders and everyone that works in the community to make meaningful change. Independent agencies can join the Alliance of Independent Agencies with their first month of membership free, here: allindependentagencies.org/welcome
Alliance of Independent Agencies will continue to deliver the same high-quality services as MAAG, including learning and development, new business partnerships, networking and thought leadership, championing issues, a legal helpline, pitch protection, and agency purchasing power.
Note to Editors:
About Alliance of Independent Agencies:
The Alliance of Independent Agencies exists to represent and celebrate the thriving independent agency community and place it and those that work in it at the heart of the rapidly evolving entrepreneurial creative economy.
The Alliance brings the best and most forward-thinking independent agencies together to learn, share, develop their teams, products and services and connects them to best-practice, new ways of working and cutting-edge technologies and tools. And because the Alliance is run by the independent community, for the independent community we fly the flag for the independents to the entire marketing community.
FAQS – Approved for internal and external responses
What does this mean for the current directors?
Clive Mishon and Graham Kemp will remain as directors of the Alliance and support the executive team. Mishon and Kemp have both built successful independent agencies but are no longer engaged as executives in agencies. Since taking over the old MAA to create MAAG, they have made it an organisation driven by agency people, for the whole community. As the organisation evolves into the Alliance of Independent Agencies, they maintain their roles as directors – responsible for the Alliance’s financial stability and management – and welcome a new managing director and co-chairs. This is a vital step to ensure the Alliance is directed and driven by those actively involved in the day-to-day management of independent agencies.
What does this mean for the non-independent agency members of MAAG?
MAAG no longer has group agencies in membership. Recent membership invitations have been focused on independent agencies as MAAG observed the common interests and effective collaboration between like-minded independent agencies.
The latest Around Arena Webinar saw CGA Insights take centre stage with their wraparound consumer, operator and market view on ‘Out of Home – The Next Phase’. As a leading foodservice agency we logged on to hear what’s ahead for the world of hospitality and foodservice.
How do you start your day? A builder’s tea? (standard) A milky coffee? (safe) A black coffee? (bit extreme) A double espresso? (I think you need help).
Chances are that you, like myself, start your day with a caffeinated beverage to get you going. I was always a tea girl, through and through until I discovered iced coffee, and I’ve been in a coffee fuelled love affair with it ever since. Whilst I could wax lyrical about how amazing it tastes and why you too should love it, its history and influence in modern day society makes for a much more compelling case.
As we continue to struggle as a nation to cope with the impact of Covid-19 on a local, national and international level, and adapt our lives to a new normal in order to keep the R number below 1 and implement strategic lockdowns in specific communities, I stop to reflect on the impact this pandemic is having on our 2020 project helping girls in Zimbabwe continue their education. Whilst we complain about compulsory quarantine after a 2 week holiday in Spain, rally against wearing face masks in busy public places, miss having mass social gatherings with our friends and family and struggle with continuing to work from home in an ever changing landscape, spare a thought for a country that is suffering from a poor harvest, rampant inflation and a growing Coronavirus problem.
As part of the MCA’s recent series of webinars, the insight experts looked at how different factors will impact key foodservice sectors – creating winners and losers. With consumers worried over the imminent recession and job security once furlough ends in October, as well as very real concerns over Covid safety and hygiene when eating out, some operators find themselves in a better position than others. Of course, as has been the case for the last few months, it is an ever changing scene, but as of July 2020 MCA predict the following…
The 4th July brought the foodservice sector one step closer to recovery, but in a post-covid world the question on everyone’s minds is when will the industry return to its former glory? As part of their Food Strategy Forum series, MCA examined what a post-lockdown recovery looks like for the UK market, highlighting the impact coronavirus has had on trends, dynamic meal equation and the consequential shift in consumer attitudes and eating habits.
If you made arrangements with friends or business associates to meet up at a certain time and place and just failed to turn up with no excuse, apology or forewarning you’d quickly end up with no friends or and/or unemployed. So what makes people feel they can book a table at a restaurant and then just not turn up?
Mine was one of the 3,000 bookings taken by Paul Ainsworth’s team over the two days when they opened their phone lines. Yes, we were the people keen to get out and get eating! After months of lock-down cooking and a wedding postponed (not once but twice) due to Covid, we were eager to at least have something to look forward to in our two weeks of non-honeymoon and what better than a trip to our favourite haunt Padstow? We were also interested to see what ‘new normal’ dining would be like and of course keen to stay safe having spent so long doing the right thing and staying home. We chose the restaurants based on three factors: ones we love, dog-friendly ones (as we had the hound with us) and a new factor for our ‘new normal’ – ones we trusted. Paul Ainsworth is possibly our favourite chef, I followed his lock-down story on social media and was keen to support his return, so when the booking lines opened we were ‘on it’ and booked to stay at The Padstow Townhouse in a newly dog-friendly suite (we were in good company as Jason Atherton was also staying with his family). We also booked for Café Rojano and The Mariners with a visit to Rick Stein’s St Petroc Bistro sandwiched in between, topped off with pre-dinner drinks at the new Padstow Distillery and Padstow Brewery Tasting Rooms.
Good value for money has always been a priority to us, but since lockdown a lot has changed and consumer perception of it. As part of their Food Strategy Forum, the MCA examined what value for money really means in the new normal, here are my top take outs from their webinar.
As jellybeancelebrates its 33rd year in business and manages its way through the Covid 19 lockdown I take a rather irreverent look back and reflect on what was happening in the UK in 1987 – the year that it all started and our business was established. I am sure it will jog some memories and I hope it brings a smile to a few old faces who remember those days as fondly as I do.
From Special Fried Rice, to Mango Rice Pudding. From Asia to Britain. From The Alchemist to Cyrus Todiwala. It is safe to say that Tilda Chef At Home has exceeded all of our expectations…
Yesterday’s announcement to open up hospitality and UK tourism from 4th July was just the life line the industry had been campaigning hard for. Married with the unseasonably good weather we’re currently experiencing, it looks like we may be about to see a staycation boom this summer (with Bojo’s blessing). After being cooped up for so long there is a sense that certainly a sizeable chunk of the population rather fancy a change of scene having stared at the same four walls for the past three months.
With the foodservice industry being forced in to a slow crawl due to the lockdown, and the grocery retail industry experiencing heightened demand, but with new rules, the wholesale market has faced some huge challenges head-on and shown some remarkable adaptability throughout the Corona Virus pandemic.
Buying seasonal and local produce was predicted at the beginning of 2020 to be a big trend in the UK, with consumers adopting the concept when cooking at home and also looking for more seasonal dishes on menus when eating out. The trend sees people making the most out of changing ingredients throughout each season, appreciating the peak of each of the flavours and textures of produce.
