Not the usual beast!

Mobile network Three has chosen Brando as its retained agency to lead its social media presence and engagement strategy within the UK.   The agency, which will report into Three’s newly formed internal Social Media team, will be responsible for ongoing consultancy and campaign work.   They’ll work in conjunction with the Social Media team to manage Three’s social media presences, create new and engaging content, and build upon Three’s existing blogger relations programme.   Brando won the account following a five-way pitch and will start work immediately, replacing Three’s incumbent Word of Mouth agency, 1000heads.   Margaret Burke, Director of Brand & Integrated Comms said: “Social media has become much more of a focus for Three this year, something that’s been reflected in the creation of a four-strong internal team. The timing was right for us to re-focus our priorities for social media, and we took the opportunity to evaluate the external support that was available in the marketplace.   “Brando’s strategic thinking impressed us right from the creds meeting and we’re confident that they’ll give us the right level of direction to take us forward in leaps and bounds in the social media space.   “1000heads’ commitment and dedication to our account over the years has been hugely commendable, and we wish them all the best.”   Shelley Morrell, Brando Managing Partner who will be heading the account, said: “Three is a visionary brand with a real appetite to make a mark in social media.  We are thrilled to be appointed as their partner to help turn all these exciting plans into reality.”   Three is currently recruiting to fill two of its remaining internal social media vacancies. The team, which sits within Three’s Sales & Marketing department, is responsible for the management of, and strategy behind, Three’s social media presences to deliver a meaningful customer experience.   Brando will join Three’s existing rosta of marketing agencies, including 3 Monkeys Communications and Glue Isobar.

Sony Ericsson wanted a long-term partner to reach out to Britain's urban youth. Since 2005, Brando has strategically taken them from support act to lead sponsor of the UK B-Boy World Championships.  Media partnerships, merchandise, careful branding and social media has made Sony Ericsson an accepted part of the B-Boy community. For the last two years, Channel 4 has travelled the globe as the B-Boys battle their way to the World Finals stage in London's Brixton Academy.  The results played out over a six part TV series on C4 entitled the Sony Ericsson World Series.  Fans could watch any missed episodes again and view other exclusive downloadable B-Boy content from our dedicated website... www.b-boychampionships.com/tv

Bupa, the leading international health care company, has appointed Brando to deliver a consumer PR programme for its UK health business. Brando was awarded the account after a competitive pitch and will be developing a strong brand personality for Bupa that celebrates its wellness and healthcare credentials. Sue Moore, marketing and customer development director, Bupa UK membership, said: "We are delighted to welcome Brando on board. We were impressed with their strategic approach and knew straight away that their creative campaign was right for us." The Bupa account will be headed up by Brando Managing Director, Mandy Sharp. Brando will look to implement a mix of media relations, digital and social media activity over the next six months. Brando’s Mandy Sharp said: "This is a great win for the agency and a fantastic way to start the year. We’re looking forward to delivering a campaign with a strong digital element alongside creative news generation and social media. It’s great to be able to use Brando’s unique combination of skills and experience to bring such an established and respected brand to life."

Brando was asked to support Sony Ericsson's Life Captured ATL campaign across Europe. Think big they said, so we recruited a Hollywood film director and produced a 15 minute movie created from the camera phone images of 14 nations.   In partnership with the Raindance Film Festival, we challenged the public to capture their lives and tell a story through the lens of their mobile camera phones. Not content with showing a pictorial tapestry of European life, we then persuaded Oscar-nominated director Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) to create a film ‘Life Captured’ using the still images. Social media PR, e-blasts and a star-studded red carpet premiere all built and managed by Brando topped off the campaign and created 64 pieces of coverage and an AVE of €250,000.