For me, it’s no longer just the title of a 1980s Phil Collins album, due to the fact I’m no longer with Absolute Radio.
It was a mutual decision, at a rare time when there’s a healthy break between projects. And going into a company of incredibly talented and digitally-aware people from senior management down to reception, I was well aware that the key objectives of knowledge transfer and integrating digital marketing throughout the business contained an element of self-redundancy at some point.
It’s a testament to the team at One Golden Square that in the 14 months I’ve been there, we:
- Launched over 20 mobile applications which have had downloads in the millions, and driven sustained growth in mobile listening and engagement.
- Connected with tens of thousands of new and existing listeners via social media, with each account now run by a key stakeholder in the business. Those connections have increased by a multiple of about x1000 in 14 months, with a corresponding effect on engagement with the Absolute Radio websites and specific content items.
- Launched a number of new brands, including Absolute 80s, Absolute Radio 90s, Absolute Radio Extra (with Rock ‘n’ Roll Football), and the re-launch of Absolute Classic Rock.
- Redeveloped key content areas of the Absolute Radio website for natural search optimisation, usability and user engagement with fantastic results.
- Developed internal digital and social media policies which encourage engagement, and utilised an internal planning and collaboration tool.
- And increased and improved the utilisation of paid search.
And that’s just some of the things which spring to mind…
It’s honestly been a privilege and honour to work with a group of people who are not only skilled, but also extremely passionate about building a new brand which is clear and transparent to both employees, and most importantly to consumers.
In addition I’ve also met and worked with great people from external companies, and if you’re one of them and I haven’t already thanked you, then I hope this counts.
And as for the future?
It’s quite an exciting time – I’m working on a some projects with various people, I’m looking over what I’ve achieved with my own digital projects in the past, and I’m taking the chance to speak to a whole host of new people about various opportunities, whether on a short or long term basis. So if you’d like to chat, please do drop me an email (thewayoftheweb at googlemail.com).
on a bit of a whim, and I’m glad I did. I’d never spent much time considering the Virgin brands until now, and it turns out they’re an excellent case study for many of the principles the social media world are espousing. And considering Brand has build 8 billion-dollar companies from scratch, there’s some pretty persuasive proof!
