Creating and delivering a full rebrand project, and ongoing PR and social media activity with a focus on increasing brand awareness.
Creating and executing a full rebrand including all visual collateral, as well as ongoing PR and social media activity designed to place ThinCats as the leading alternative finance company.
The Brief
ThinCats was founded in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, with the aim of offering to fund to SMEs severely constrained by the lack of bank finance, whilst providing investors attractive potential returns. It remains at the forefront of the Alternative Finance industry, providing vital funding for dynamic growing UK businesses.
Agency Sauce was engaged by ThinCats in April 2017 to increase brand awareness and allow the brand to access more borrowers.
The Solution
Working closely with ThinCats’ in-house team to develop and implement business and marketing strategies, Agency Sauce was commissioned to complete a full rebrand project, as well as execute a PR & social plan, to ensure ThinCats remained disruptive through its brand positioning and front of mind in the alternative finance sphere.
Concentrating on wider business objectives to clarify its approach and ensure results were relevant for ThinCats, Agency Sauce developed renewed brand positioning and values, and tone of voice, alongside a complete visual redevelopment of the ThinCats logo and look and feel of the brand. Utilising PR & social as key methods to raise brand awareness and drive intrigue, the new brand and website were unveiled at the end of 2017.
Agency Sauce’s social media activity saw the building of custom and lookalike audiences to grow data and attract new users to the website. Hashtag research enabled the agency team to grow social media audiences organically, making sure ThinCats’ posts contained the right hashtags to be seen by the right people.
Agency Sauce continues to work closely with the in-house marketing and content team to leverage opportunities for exposure through ThinCats’ social media platforms, the drafting and distribution of case studies, advisory content for SMEs, industry commentary and business news. The agency team is also dedicated to building the profile of key spokespeople for ThinCats and has developed and implemented a robust media relations approach to secure interviews with target media journalists as well as supporting on the delivery of ThinCats branded events to existing and potential partners and customers.
The Result
The rebrand project saw Agency Sauce deliver all-new brand collateral for ThinCats, including business cards, pitch templates, fact sheets and a case study methodology, lifting the brand persona and creating marketing tools that work for the ThinCats sales team.
Using its extensive network of finance journalists and influencers, Agency Sauce has ensured widespread coverage for ThinCats' deals, appointments, case studies and funding announcements. In nine months the team has delivered 156 pieces of coverage, with total OTS standing at 8,173,549.
The strategy has paid dividends, with ThinCats reporting a record year of lending in 2017. Using data collected by ThinCats and interpreted and crafted into news stories, a fast-moving social media strategy, and highly targeted journalist meetings and interviews, Agency Sauce has exceeded ThinCats' KPIs.
