From promotions and new hires to exciting events and projects, 2023 has proven to be a bumper year for V Formation. As the Christmas break draws ever closer, we thought we’d take a look back at some of the highlights from the last twelve months.
January
Kicking the year off with a new appointment
At the start of the year, V Formation appointed Susie Jeffrey as junior account executive to provide specialist PR and marketing support to our growing roster of clients. It’s been a pleasure to watch her grow over the last twelve months as a marketing professional and add so much value to the team already.
Getting to grips with GA4
In 2023, we bid a fond farewell to Universal Analytics as Google ushered in its successor, Google Analytics 4 – an updated version of the free to use web analytics tool. Our digital marketing expert Amy Cotterill got her head around the changes well ahead of the July deadline, and shared a set-up checklist on how to get GA4 up and running in this blog.
February
A busy month for blogs
A busy month for blogs, in February we published an article on some of the trends already emerging in 2023 for marketing and PR, from the rise in ESG strategies to the changing events landscape. Read the full article here.
Our expert PR team also detailed how to effectively manage a PR crisis and outlined the key components of a crisis management strategy in this top tips blog.
BioAscent launches new corporate video
At the end of February, our director Sue Carr travelled up to Scotland for a few days to work alongside Mucky Puddle on BioAscent’s long anticipated company video. Filmed at their site in Newhouse, the video showcases BioAscent’s state-of-the-art facilities and features members of the team. Watch the video here.
March
Medilink Midlands Awards
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We were thrilled to support Medilink Midlands with its PR and social media activities for the Medilink Midlands Business Awards 2023. It was a fantastic evening enjoyed by many of the Midlands’ most innovative health and life science businesses.
Talking ChatGPT
Like everyone else, we were a bit on the sceptical side when ChatGPT burst onto the scene at the end of 2022. But with over 100 million users by early 2023, it had become the fastest-growing consumer software application in history.
After dipping our toe in the water – and quickly realising we weren’t about to be replaced by robots – the V Formation team explored the uses and limitations of ChatGPT for content creation and reflected on our own experience of using the tool in this blog.
Celebrating success for Cellomatics
We closed the month of March by joining our client, Cellomatics Biosciences at its head office in Colwick, where it was officially awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade following significant growth in its export business. The award was presented by the Lord Lieutenant of Nottingham, Sir John Peace, with the Lord Mayor of Nottingham, clients, and staff all in attendance. Find out more about the special day here.
April
Welcoming Alex to the team
April began with some exciting team news for V Formation, as we welcomed Alex White to the team as finance and operations manager. Having worked with us on a freelance basis since 2021, Alex already knew V Formation inside out. Now a permanent part of the team, she continues to look after our accounts, oversee all aspects of office administration and operations, and keep us on track for future growth and development.
Senior promotions for homegrown talent
Also in April, we were thrilled to announce the promotions of two members of our team. Amy Cotterill is promoted to Account Manager: Digital Marketing and Lucy Faulkner to Account Manager: PR.
Our director, Sue Carr, commented on the promotions: “It has been fantastic working with Amy and Lucy and supporting their progression from interns to Account Managers. They are both extremely talented and hardworking, and bring immense value to both our team and our clients.”
May
Relocating to Bridlesmith Walk
Due to the amazing growth of the V Formation team, the time finally came to relocate after many happy years at BioCity. In May, we moved to our new office in central Nottingham: Office 101, 12 Bridlesmith Walk, Nottingham, NG1 2GR. If you haven’t already, please remember to update your records with our new address, and if you’re ever in the area, feel free to drop by and say hello (the kettle is usually on!).
June
Navigating the agricultural landscape at Lodders’ Rural Conference
We joined Lodders at its annual Rural Conference 2023, which this year focussed on access to public and private sector for farmers and landowners. Being in attendance allowed us to really get under the skin of Lodders and the work that the firm does, and also to see first-hand some of the challenges the agricultural sector is facing.
July
A trip to Cheshire with the Steve Morgan Foundation
On a particularly rainy day in July, V Formation’s Leah Bradley and Amy Cotterill headed to Cheshire with the lovely Steve Morgan Foundation team to provide some strategic social media, communications and website training. Undeterred by the very rainy weather, we had a fantastic time getting to know the team and sharing our insights.
Thread-ing carefully
Threads was officially launched in July, reaching 100 million users in less than a week and positioning itself as a friendly alternative to X. In this blog, V Formation’s digital team explored what Threads is all about, how it differs to X, and how people could best utilise the platform during its early stages.
August
Crafting Lodders Life
V Formation has delivered editorial support on every issue of Lodders Life, law firm Lodders’ annual lifestyle magazine for its clients, professional contacts, and friends of the firm. This year was no different, with V Formation’s Lucy Faulkner working closely with Lodders’ marketing manager Angela Howard to bring Issue 9 to life. Find out more about the process here.
September
Taking the ERP party back to Ascot
It was all hands on deck on a sunny day in September, as the V team headed to Ascot Racecourse for the third instalment of the ERP Today Awards. We set to work making sure the awards ran smoothly and ensuring everyone was having the best time while raising money for NHS Charities Together. Find out more about the event trilogy here.
Wedding bells a-ringing!
September saw two members of our team marry their partners in two stunning locations. Congratulations Amy and Lucy, all the planning paid off and you both looked absolutely beautiful!
October
Welcome back, Rachel
Our digital marketing manager, Rachel Axten, came back from maternity leave after giving birth to her gorgeous baby boy last November. In typical Rach fashion, she immediately got back to business with providing strategic digital advice and support to our clients. We’re thrilled to have her back.
Utilising the power of podcasts
Following a decade of collaboration with global drug development consultancy Boyds, we decided it was the perfect moment to dive into a new venture by helping it launch its own brand-new podcast series. ‘Conversations in Drug Development’ is aimed at Boyds’ fellow community of scientists and clinicians working in the world of drug development. Listeners are treated to candid conversations from the expert team at Boyds each month. Find out more.
November
Leah promoted to Head of Marketing
We kicked off November with the exciting news that Leah has been promoted to head of marketing. Calm, organised and great at seeing the bigger picture, Leah is a brilliant manager of both projects and people and has been instrumental as a mentor to many junior members of the V team over the years.
Hilary Campton, director at V Formation, said: “It has been a joy to see Leah’s career grow in parallel with V Formation’s expansion over the years, and this well-deserved promotion is a true testament to her continued commitment and growth as a senior marketing professional.”
Lights, camera, action
We love a video project at V, so when our client Woodward Group came to us for help with recording a new pitch video with a very tight deadline, we knew we could deliver. Leah and Joss were joined by Avenue29’s Dom Braithwaite on location in Burton-On-Trent to record pieces to camera with Woodward Group’s directors and gather footage that showcases all the fantastic work they do.
December
Sue receives FCIM accreditation
At the start of December, we were delighted to learn that our director Sue has become a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Earners of the CIM FCIM badge are Fellows of CIM and senior marketing directors or consultants with strong strategic experience, operating at or around board level. Congratulations Sue!
V big shop
This year, we have chosen to continue our tradition of supporting a charity in place of giving corporate gifts. With the cost of living crisis raging on, we were all in agreement that we’d like to donate to a local food bank this year. Coinciding with Christmas Jumper Day, several members of the V team did a group ‘big shop’ at Sainsbury’s Castle Marina of food and essential items, which we then donated to The Salvation Army in Sneinton.
Ian Young, Community Mission Manager at The Salvation Army, said: “Thank you for the tremendous donation to our foodbank which we received today. The kindness and generosity of V Formation staff is greatly appreciated and will help us tremendously with the food parcels we distribute.”
Here’s to 2024
We’d like to wish a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all, and look forward to seeing what’s in store for 2024!