Blog

The best ideas come from being curious, asking questions and a thirst for new experiences and technology.

It’s what makes our clients stand out in a world of noise and clutter.

How to sell more with eCommerce

By:    
In a world where everyone is too busy, anything and everything eCommerce is still one of the largest...
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What is Pay Per Click Advertising and is it really worth it?

By:    
As someone with a firmly embedded geek streak, the creation and management of pay per click advertis...
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Pursuit of the single customer view – success factors (part 2/2)

By:    
In part 1 of this blog we talked about the single customer view and despite the potentially painful...
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Pursuit of the single customer view – the challenge (part 1/2)

By:    
The single customer view could arguably be the digital challenge of our time. With multiple devices,...
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Brands please do join the conversation, just make sure it's the right one

By: Michelle Fero   
Connecting to the zeitgeist of what's happening around you can fall flat or be a force for good. The...
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Other posts you might be interested in

More 4’s 'Devon and Cornwall' shows how a narrator can make or break a narrative

By:    
With stunning scenery and fascinating stories, More 4’s series Devon and Cornwall should have been...
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A content calendar of key dates to help kick start your planning

By:    
It’s time to upload a blog. But the clock is ticking to come up with a concept, write the copy and...
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Can voice search drive ecommerce purchases and sales revenue?

By:    
Voice search and ecommerce seem to be unhappy bedfellows right now. But the potential for driving fu...
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60 years of Barbie: what could your business learn from the world’s most famous doll?

By:    
Barbie is 60 years old. What’s her secret to a long and successful global career? We think Barbie'...
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Everything is Cute

By:    
Last year I was lucky enough to visit Japan. One of the standout things you notice when you are ther...
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Merry Quizmas from AB!

By:    
Turkey, mulled wine, presents, the Queen’s speech, mid-afternoon naps, and of course, fun and game...
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Will voice assistants and chatbots join forces?

By:    
The combination of voice search, voice assistants and artificial intelligence is a potent one. We kn...
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The Chase is on to make your brand go big!

By:    
How do you know you’ve really made it as a brand? Is it when a celebrity gets snapped with your pr...
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How to prepare for voice search

By:    
Getting ahead of the curve  The ability to undertake searches by voice will change user expectat...
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Constipation and Elton John; it must be Christmas ad time

By:    
The Christmas countdown has begun. Mince pies are hitting the supermarket shelves, twinkling lights...
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Top 5 ways brands need to evolve for voice search

By:    
See how the adoption of voice-controlled devices and voice search will impact user behaviour. In...
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Ok Google, what’s next for voice assistants and voice search?

By:    
Many of us have a Siri, Cortana or Alexa in our lives, but what’s next for voice assistants and vo...
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Cartoons: cheerful, not cheap

By:    
Is the world falling out of love with animation? Childhood classics Dumbo, The Lion King and Aladdin...
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Drum DADI Awards Nomination - So What?

By: James Murphy   
We make lovely things. In fact, as a creative agency, we make bloody wonderful things. Websites, bra...
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A Week In The Life Of A Digital Marketing Intern

By: Annabel Gosling   
Who am I and why am I doing work experience? I’m Annabel and I’m going into my second year of...
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With great power, comes great responsibility...

By: John Elliott   
I’ve just arrived back in Exeter from two days at Amazon’s 2018 AWS Summit in London. My brain f...
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What we learned from TedX Exeter 2018

By: James Murphy   
As a creative agency, we’re ideas focussed. Always on the cusp of the latest trends, looking for n...
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Exeter Living Awards 2018

By: James Murphy   
Winning an award once is one thing, but how it about winning it twice? Okay, so we didn’t quite...
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An industry game changer - the One Second Video

By:    
So how do you engage with consumers in our time-poor world? Not easily is the simple answer and the...
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Our journey across the interwebs for an SEO expert

By:    
Here at AB, we’re on a mission. That mission? To hire the best space cadets for our journey across...
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April Fools' Day Is An Opportunity

By:    
Last April, following the Brexit vote, we announced that we were moving the agency to Berlin. Some c...
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Never judge a book by its cover...

By:    
I remember my ears pricking up when I overheard a colleague recalling how they had witnessed a toddl...
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#DigitalTrends - Digital Marketing Predictions For 2018

By:    
There’s something new in digital marketing every single day, so identifying the top digital trends...
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#SocialTrends - Social Media Marketing Predictions For 2018

By: James Murphy   
2017 was quite the year for social media. It was used as a tool for hope for some, war for some, but...
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A bit like riding a bicycle...

By: John Elliott   
When children are learning to ride bicycles, to begin with they fall off. A lot. The trick (at le...
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The State Of The Stock Market

By:    
No, I’m not still going on about the financial crisis, this is more about an image problem. Give a...
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Evolving #MadeForGirls...

By: James Murphy   
It’s one thing to make award winning work, but it’s another thing to evolve it and improve it. W...
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Breaking down the Twitter character limit

By: James Murphy   
Social media platform Twitter recently announced they will be trialing a new tweet character limit o...
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Why content marketing has to be personalised...

By: Nathan Height   
The digital revolution means you need to get personal  You cannot go on ignoring the power of pe...
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The psychology of design

By: James Murphy   
Ah, the psychology of design. This is always a good subject to discuss as it’s one that brings a l...
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Snap Map - A Step Too Far?

By: James Murphy   
Some social media updates come and go without a hello and a goodbye. Simple algorithm changes or fon...
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5 things my kid has taught me about great content

By: Michelle Fero   
I always joke about the short attention span of my 3 year old… one minute she will be engaged in h...
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Stay ahead on social - Facebook’s latest news feed updates

By:    
Read time: 5 mins With upwards of 1.8 billion people around the world active on Facebook, it’s...
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Grab your ticket for #DataMunch in Exeter

By: James Murphy   
Data. There’s lots of it, but how do we make it actionable? DataMunch is an event for marketer...
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Just when you thought it was safe to come out of the Millennial Closet... Here come the Centennials!

By: Michelle Fero   
Annoying names for generations aside, one of the most interesting talks at the Millennial 20/20 conf...
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TEDxExeter 2017: HOPE

By: Doug Walker   
Being fortunate enough to attend this year's TEDxExeter (Exeter’s leading ideas festival back for...
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Is Social Media an art or a science?

By: James Murphy   
Social media and communicating over social networks is now such common place that the ONS reckons 63...
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Breaking: First UK Creative Agency to move HQ to Berlin post Brexit

By:    
Following the UK government announcing it has started the formal procedure for withdrawing on 29...
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Please feed the spiders

By: John Elliott   
I think we all forget just how amazing the Internet is. In the developed world instant access to inf...
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We all make mistakes!

By: John Elliott   
People make mistakes. Anybody who claims that they never make a mistake is not being honest with yo...
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The Rise of the Podcast

By: Sally Light   
Podcasts are growing more popular than ever with listenership growing steadily on a yearly basis sin...
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Sextortion

By: Doug Walker   
Let’s talk about sex! Not in a 90’s, Salt-N-Pepa fashion, let’s talk about the growing phe...
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Stop Funding Hate/Sleeping Giants - What does this mean for advertisers?

By: James Murphy   
According to Kotler, advertising is ‘any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of g...
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AB's Top Five Ads Of Super Bowl 51

By: James Murphy   
Sunday saw the greatest ever comeback in what was the 51st Super Bowl in American Football history....
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On a Mission... AB appoints New Client Services Director and opens new London base

By: Chris Shadrick   
Exeter and London based creative agency AB has appointed a new client services director and committ...
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Fuelling Hungry Minds… AB Partner with the University of Exeter to deliver on Digital Marketing

By: Doug Walker   
Since 1983, AB have been proudly leading the way with creative services in Exeter. Once a two man g...
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2017 #DesignTrends - Brexit Brown, Mobile Optimisation & Swiss Design

By:    
In the third instalment of our 2017 predictions and trends, we take look at the wonderful world of...
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#SocialTrends - Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2017

By: James Murphy   
So, It’s time for those 2017 trends predictions #SocialTrends! We've delved into Digital, now let...
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#DigitalTrends - AB’s 2017 Predictions

By: Chris Shadrick   
The inevitable 2017 trends blog… As we delve into a new year our Head of Digital Strategy, Chris S...
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EU Data Protection Legislation - What You Need To Know

By: James Murphy   
Here at AB, we always go that extra mile for our clients and their learning... Hence our interest in...
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#Darecember 2016

By: Chris Shadrick   
We pride ourselves on being brave, courageous and above all… daring. So that’s what has fueled o...
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Shortlisted For The Best Creative Campaign In 2016...

By: Chris Shadrick   
It's been awhile since we've updated you on #MadeForGirls... but it's been a crazy six months. The...
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Tis the Season to be Ruthless; do retailers really need to ruffle our feathers on #BlackFriday?

By: George Burto   
It lurks round the corner like the Grinch behind a Christmas tree, awaiting the time when it can jum...
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Rockin’ Around The Trampoline; did the John Lewis advert jump to success?

By: George Burto   
The yuletide traditions of choosing a tree that will last, ensuring you have enough mulled wine for...
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The Art Of User Generated Content

By: James Murphy   
Imagine if you could get someone to tell your story with a deep emotional connection, that is always...
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Brand Roots: 1968 Was A Very Good Year

By: Stephanie Girard   
I've been reading up on the latest design news this morning and noticed the new NatWest identity rec...
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Will There Be Life On Mars?

By: Doug Walker   
Elon Musk inventor, founder, pioneer of various technology services and 83rd wealthiest person in th...
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Influencer Marketing - Where does it go from here?

By: James Murphy   
When marketers talk about social media, the impetus is often put on paid advertising. Or just settin...
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What I Learnt During My Digital Marketing Internship At AB…

By: James Murphy   
Looking back on my first blog, it’s amazing to think of where I started and where I am now. The m...
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To The Game - The State Of The Gaming Industry

By: Tom Bridge   
For many years the gaming industry has survived on pure wonder and fascination with incredible gamep...
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iPhone 7 - What's The Deal?

By: James Murphy   
It’s that time of year, when a new iPhone is released. As usual, there are people clamoring over e...
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My First #BrightonSEO Conference - September 2016

By: Doug Walker   
Despite working in the field of Digital Marketing now for 13 years and counting, I had never actuall...
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The Trouble With Travel - Digital Marketing In An Inhospitable Age

By: Doug Walker   
For many, 2016 has already established itself as an ‘annus horoblilis’, whether you wanted to Br...
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What's All The Hype About? Snapchat Vs Instagram Stories

By: James Murphy   
With the social world evolving, it’s becoming harder and harder to reach everyone on social me...
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A Top 100 Independent Agency

By: Chris Shadrick   
So, yeah... We've been ranked number three in The Drum 2016 Independent Agencies Census for Client...
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Pokemoney - App Monetization On The Go

By: Tom Bridge   
In the world of all things crazy - Brexit and Portugal winning the Euros, Pokemon Go is the next big...
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It's Only Taken Us Thirty Years

By: Chris Shadrick   
We were born in 1983. But, a lot has happened since then. Gone are the days when we were a two-man...
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Looking To The Future: Globalising Your Opportunities

By:    
Whether you like it or not, the referendum has happened and democracy has been decided. Personally,...
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The Lowdown On #CannesLions2016

By: James Murphy   
Cannes Lions 2016 is currently underway, the biggest gathering of creatives, designers and innovator...
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Why I Chose AB// Digital Marketing Internship

By: James Murphy   
As a third year university student with strong career ambitions, I was finding it difficult to searc...
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Discovering The Start-up Nation

By:    
Last week I visited Israel to attend the TAU Innovation conference in Tel Aviv to meet some existin...
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Embracing Change in Business

By: Chris Shadrick   
As businesses continue to evolve and look for new ways to communicate with customers, one of the mos...
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Go on... live a little

By: Adam Fausset   
It’s sometimes tricky to strike that perfect balance - the delicate equilibrium of work, life and...
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Virtual Reality Websites?

By: Tom Bridge   
The question is not if but when. Can you imagine a website like ASOS converted into a virtual reali...
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Chat bots – trend or passing fad?

By: Lisa Alleway   
A buzzword that seems to have popped out of nowhere and which I’ve been hearing more and more of r...
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The LinkedIn Divide - Which Side Are You On?

By: Tom Bridge   
A lot brands were quick to get the LinkedIn bug but lacked a clear strategy or idea about how to use...
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If I had had more time I would have written less

By: Adam Fausset   
There is a quote which I like to run out, ad nauseam. Almost to the point where I've invented its or...
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Are you #InOrOut?

By: Lisa Alleway   
On the 23rd of June 2016 the UK will vote on whether to remain part of the EU. This is undoubtedly o...
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The Lowdown on April’s #BrightonSEO Conference

By: Chris Shadrick   
It. Was. Awesome. I’ve been attending BrightonSEO for a few years now and each year it continues t...
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Seven Secrets of Client Servicing For Agency Growth

By:    
Client servicing is never going to be viewed as the most glamorous part of agency life, but getting...
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A Key Player for Client Satisfaction // The Drum UK Design Census 2016

By: Chris Shadrick   
We're not ones to boast (that often) but last week we were voted a top five creative agency for clie...
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Be engaging, be transparent, be heard

By: Lisa Alleway   
In the past five to 10 years the web has transformed the way companies communicate with key stakehol...
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Visual impairment charity WESC Foundation launches new campaign film

By: Chris Shadrick   
A new campaign has launched for one of the UK’s oldest and most respected visual impairment charit...
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AB launches #wasteofspace Campaign to help save Exmouth’s Rolle Centre

By: Chris Shadrick   
AB launches #wasteofspace Campaign to help save Exmouth’s Rolle Centre. Towards the end of last y...
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From ‘Pig Butties’ to ‘Cock Scratchings’ - Five hidden gems of London’s street food scene

By: Jessica Waller   
Before moving over to AB, I worked in the food industry researching consumer insights and food trend...
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Visual Trends - How they work in Advertising

By:    
Following on from Hannah’s blog on Getty’s visual trends for 2016, we explore how these trends a...
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How to use Film as part of your Marketing Strategy in 2016

By: Chris Shadrick   
People now spend an average of 40 minutes on YouTube per viewing session. So, why should film be im...
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AB rebrands global customer experience tech company to become Glassbox

By: Chris Shadrick   
This article was first featured on The Drum. Global technology company Glassbox, formerly known a...
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#MadeForGirls fends off McDonald’s, Samsung and L’Oreal to be voted ‘Ad of the Week’

By: Chris Shadrick   
This article first featured on The Drum.  AB's recent #MadeForGirls campaign for The Maynard Schoo...
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Gotta have a system

By: Nick Parker   
What’s in a name? Well, lots. Otherwise we wouldn’t spend ages agonising over what to call our c...
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Visual trends for 2016 according to Getty Images

By:    
I recently enjoyed a webinar from the Creative Research team at Getty Images on their visual trends...
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Cars, sofas and snacks: what makes a brand (legally)?

By:    
Cars, sofas and snacks: what makes a brand (legally)? Brands and branding are important (if youâ...
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#MadeForGirls

By: Adam Fausset   
So, out of the virtual 2016 creative bag of joy, comes some new work for the The Maynard School, one...
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To serve or not to serve

By:    
Your brand reflects your reviews Well I finished 2015 on a high with news from TripAdvisor that I...
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Communicating sustainability – the way-markers from 2015

By: Alex Nichol   
It’s a fast-paced, sexy vibe out there in the funky world of sustainability reporting and manageme...
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Content and me

By:    
'Content isn’t king, and data isn’t queen. The idea is king. And it isn’t married to any techn...
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It’s only another #DigitalTrends 2016 Blog

By: Chris Shadrick   
A very Happy New Year to you all. I have no doubt that you’ve probably read many Digital Trends an...
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AB's year in review

By: Chris Shadrick   
There's been great work, happy memories and plenty of fun at AB... the ideas agency in 2015. We'd pr...
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Droning on about Jet Packs

By:    
It’s that time of year when we’re asking children what they’d like from Father Christmas. Well...
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The Christmas TV Advertising Bonanza

By: Adam Fausset   
So, there is one thing I know for sure, and that is I won't be the only person writing a post about...
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Highly Commended in the 2015 Drum Content Awards

By: Chris Shadrick   
Well, we're chuffed! AB received a commendation in last night's glitzy 2015 national Drum Content A...
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I am a medium sized company, is Sustainability Reporting for me?

By: Alex Nichol   
It’s not just the Unilever’s and Nike’s of the world to whom sustainability risks and opportun...
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Don't be a content zombie

By: Chris Shadrick   
Here at AB you may have guessed we’re getting a little excited about Halloween. Most importantly b...
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Working in a creative cultural environment

By:    
When I said I was leaving London to move to Exeter, of course everyone had an opinion, those who won...
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So long and thanks for all the hacks

By: John Elliott   
If you build websites, a fact of life is cross browser compatibility. Modern browsers do have their...
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AB Shortlisted in the 2015 Drum Content Awards

By: Chris Shadrick   
We live and breath creativty here at AB... Our work is based on the belief that great ideas inspire...
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Design Navigation Analysis Software - Innovating Creativity

By: Chris Shadrick   
At AB we’re always keen to be evolving and innovating our creative process, to ensure we deliver a...
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SC Group launch and Supacat rebrand

By: Chris Shadrick   
Since early 2015 we’ve been working hard to deliver a new brand for Supacat. It was an opportunity...
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The Exeter Street Slide

By:    
What I love about this is that the artwork/installation requires public participation to be activate...
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Data is only data if you understand it

By:    
Even at the age of 40 my parents still ask me how my diabetes is and what my average blood sugars ar...
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When Ashes Cricket and hi-jack advertising collide

By: Adam Fausset   
My intention for this blog from the start was to try and weave in something about cricket. An ode to...
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AB is accepted on to the Recommended Agency Register

By: Chris Shadrick   
Thanks to some fantastic reviews from our clients, AB has been accepted on to the Recommended Agency...
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Our favourite TV adverts of all time

By: Chris Shadrick   
During our last Account Management meeting, we were tasked to present our top three TV adverts of al...
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Why is Social Media so popular amongst young people? - Work experience blog

By: Chris Shadrick   
We were pleased that Charlotte chose to spend her work experience week with our agency, learning abo...
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Help is at Hand for Lincolnshire RAF Veterans

By: Adam Fausset   
Lincolnshire’s ties to the Royal Air Force run deep, from its role as ‘bomber county’ in the S...
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My weekend with the Apple Watch

By: Chris Shadrick   
With all the buzz currently around the new Apple Watch, I decided to ignore the reviews and try it o...
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Why people go BOOM

By:    
Don't you just love English, no not the Shakespearean version. I mean the version we use every day,...
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Advertising, same old, same old.

By: Adam Fausset   
Whilst rifling through my late Father's files and papers from many moons ago, an un-assuming red vin...
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Don't spoil customer experience with poor technology

By:    
Barclays, not so Digital eagles So I had the rare activity of paying in a cheque today. For those o...
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The 2015 Election – which party should get your email address?

By: Elaine Wood   
With the 2015 election heating up, I thought I would check out how six of the main parties are embra...
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NEW TV, Radio and digital advertising campaign for the RAF Benevolent Fund

By: Adam Fausset   
Following on from our first 'Reaching Out' ad campaign for the RAF Benevolent Fund last year, we we...
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Digital Marketing thoughts from BrightonSEO 2015

By: Chris Shadrick   
I was really excited to attend BrightonSEO this year and catch up on the latest Digital Marketing tr...
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AB creates new TV ads for Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts

By: Adam Fausset   
Back in the summer, we got a brief to pitch for the Paignton Zoo, Living Coasts and Newquay Zoo acc...
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Is your website mobile-friendly?

By: Chris Shadrick   
Google have announced that starting on April 21 changes to their algorithm will mean that websites m...
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Google likes secure websites

By:    
Recently Google announced that websites that incorporate an SSL Certificate will have ranking benefi...
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It doesn't have to be the end... Email unsubscribe pages

By: Elaine Wood   
Studies across a number of industries have revealed that the cost of keeping an existing customer i...
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Wearable Tech Show – 10 March 2015

By:    
I’m just returning from the Wearable tech show having seen some fantastic innovations. Its grea...
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So, what did Apple unveil at their 2015 March Event?

By: Chris Shadrick   
Yesterday we were glued to our seats, ready and waiting for the Apple 2015 March Event! It was obvio...
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Does my business even need a Digital Marketing Strategy?

By: Chris Shadrick   
Developing a marketing strategy can be one of the most stressful and time-consuming things to do in...
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Pixie - Stay on track with Bluetooth beacon technology

By: Lisa Alleway   
As a dog owner I’m frequently out and about taking him for his daily walk. My dog is a terrier and...
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Smarty pANTS

By:    
A Happy New Year to you all. I've been spending the last few weeks immersed in all things to do wit...
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Online Christmas shopping: Engage or disengage

By:    
I'm no fan of high street shopping at the best of times and the thought of trying to fight my way (l...
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Looking to the future: Google Glasses review

By:    
My GGs appointment 11am on Friday 10 October was a special day for me and not just because it was m...
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#flytolondon

By: Adam Fausset   
Last Thursday 23rd October, 5 of us from AB assembled at Exeter St Davids at 5am, alongside 5 actors...
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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

By:    
With only eight Fridays to Christmas, now is the time to get your email campaign plans sorted if you...
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Getting the most from your campaigns: Email best practice

By:    
There are lots of articles out there about email best practice and I thought it would be an ideal ti...
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Corporate reporting: So have things moved on?

By:    
So I’m heading back from the smoke having attended a conference on the Evolution of the Annual Rep...
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No looking back with Future Academies

By:    
It started in 2012 with a new website for Pimlico Academy which is one of a small family of ambitio...
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New term alert - ‘Internet of things' or should it be 'Gadget Life'

By:    
So a new term has just hit me - the ‘internet of things’ - not very catchy or obvious. The BBC...
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Cache busting and asset management

By: John Elliott   
Setting the scene As developers we are pulled in lots of conflicting directions; websites and appli...
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Web Color - #663399

By: Jack Nicholso   
Web Colors are RGB or Hexadecimal codes that can be used in web pages to specify colors for text or...
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Have you gone viral?

By:    
So many times I hear marketeers expressing their dream of commissioning creative content that would...
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You cannot create experience. You must undergo it

By:    
I fully support what Albert Camus (French-Algerian Nobel Prize winning author, journalist, and philo...
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Creativity: where, when and how

By:    
Sources for this include: 'Creative Confidence' by Tom and David Kelley, co-founders of IDEO & R...
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So are you Gen C?

By:    
For those of us not following each generation's habits, Gen C is a powerful new force in consumer cu...
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Don’t forget your copy

By:    
Many sites are launched with fantastic functionality, engaging design and brilliant film footage but...
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Your Uniques have gone but your Users haven’t!

By:    
So we spend time informing and educating clients on key metrics for their communications, and withou...
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Enough about Google - what about the others?

By:    
In any other industry one dominant player with over 95% of the market would be regulated to provide...
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