Bungalow Blog

It's Showtime for Strictly's First Lady: Erin Boag!

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:03:00 GMT

Bungalow Industries are delighted to tell you all about the launch of our latest project - the new website for Strictly Come Dancing's Erin Boag!

Beautifully photographic with magazine-inspired design and layout, and interview-style content, Erin's thrilled with the website - as are her fans who were eager to tweet their approval and post comments to her new blog!

We were keen from the outset that this site should present Erin as an individual performer with a strong identity beyond that of her professional dance partnership with Anton du Beke and we've created an engaging, informative and interactive site for Erin, her fans and her corporate clients.

It's really rewarding to see it working for her already: Erin is writing and uploading her own blog posts, posting answers to her fans' questions in the Ask Erin section, and managing the enquiries that are coming in via her contact form. It's also the perfect place for her to collate her favourite photographs and YouTubes and have a swish archive of her career. All this, plus the backstage buzz from her live stream of tweets makes for something new to read each time the fans log on.

We've also included Boag's Boutique - Erin's online shop, containing some lovely prints (produced here, in-house), and Erin will pop in and sign them as required. There are also some super postcard packs that we've put together along with her DVDs... and there's more merchandise to come!

Erin came to Bungalow after seeing fellow Strictly professional dancer Ian Waite's website - a brand and site we launched last September at the start of the seventh series of the show. Erin is a savvy celebrity and understood the potential held within a great website - not just for giving back to her fans, but also in promoting herself to the corporate events market. And with a powerful back-end system tracking all enquiries, Erin now has more than a website - she has an online business.

We're sure that her website will be a great asset for Erin during the 8th series of Strictly Come Dancing which all starts off with a red carpet launch on BBC1 this coming Saturday, 11th September at 6:25pm!

Bungalow couldn't be more proud and excited to have not just one, but two extremely talented clients on prime-time BBC television this autumn with both Erin and Ian appearing on Strictly. Dust off the glitterball and dry-clean the glad rags - ballroom mania is set to sweep the nation once again!

www.erinboag.com

Prospect PhD: the higher degree of marketing

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:56:00 GMT

Bungalow crafted the PhD identity for Berkshire-based Prospect Estate Agency back in 2006, elevating their existing Premier Homes of Distinction department to a property brand with refinement, style, a stronger position and larger market share. Originating straplines to hit the sweetspot of its target demographic and a visual style to spotlight properties across web, print, newspress and magazines such as Berkshire Life, our innate understanding of property enabled us to precisely position the PhD brand to target those vendors seeking 'a higher degree of marketing.'

Having copywritten and designed the original marketing ourselves at the brand's inception - indeed, defining the service - it was only natural that PhD commissioned us once again to give their marketing brochure a makeover: expanding on, and refreshing the content to reflect their now-established approach and the increasing calibre of instructions gained.

With the brand's growing market presence and track record, Bungalow are regularly called in to help present PhD's top-end properties at their very best. From the interior photography to the design, layout, captioning and copywriting, Bungalow's approach to property brochures helps convey the real character of a home. Combining creativity with property know-how, we produce brochures that go beyond agents' standard offerings and provide a more compelling narrative for prospective purchasers to engage with.

PhD's 2010 marketing brochure has helped provide several £1m+ instructions for us to work with, including Roxburgh, this lovely property in Ascot, Berkshire, valued at £3.7million:

Our service goes beyond the traditional hard-copy brochure: we also provide a smart online gallery for the vendor to share with their friends and family, along with interactive e-brochures which can be distributed at the click of a button by email or tweet.

Premier homes, by definition, are individual and each deserves a bespoke approach to its presentation and marketing. A compelling and engaging brochure not only adds great value to any Estate Agent's service, it acts as a persuasive selling tool to vendors and enhances the experience for vendor and purchaser alike.

From the brand identity and marketing materials to the presentation of its prestige homes, Bungalow Industries has delivered a unique and market-leading Estate Agency brand in Prospect PhD.

Read more about our work with Prospect Estate Agency here, and if you'd like to elevate your premier property brand, are interested in our property photography, or would like marketing materials to sell your property privately, call Bungalow Industries on 0845 60 11 470.

Homing in on London

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:41:00 GMT

After Bungalow helped property-services entrepreneur Damien Knight breathe life into his PurpleGroup brand and website, demand went through the roof. And not just from other property professionals, but from domestic customers too who were clearly engaged by his brand and its core messages. So much so, in fact, that Damien came straight back to Bungalow to launch another business! Following our advice on a clear, transparent name for the company, London Property Inspections was born and Bungalow set about the brand identity and website design.

In fairness, Damien was testing the water somewhat with this venture - he knew the demand was there, but was unsure as to where his focus should lie - trade or consumer. So, given timescale, brief and budget in measures equally tight, Bungalow set to.

The resultant site has hit the spot. Conversion rates (#visits with purchase ÷ #visits without purchase) are phenomenal (greater than 50%) and LPI is fast becoming the provider of choice for property services in and around London. In fact, a Trade-only division has since been set up and both sites are constantly being expanded and updated to accommodate the unwavering demand.

www.londonpropertyinspections.co.uk

Home page renovations for a property pro

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:16:00 GMT

It's always exciting - and rewarding too - when a one-off job leads on to a more involved and extensive project. That's exactly what happened when entrepreneur and property pro Damien Knight came to Bungalow to liven up the website of his company PurpleGroup. Whilst offering a fantastic service - HIPs, EPCs, and all the necessary gas and electricity servicing & certification for landlords - all at industry beating prices, he felt his existing website wasn't fully engaging with his customers.

Using our property know-how and gaining a fuller understanding of the customer base Damien wanted to target, we got to work expanding his existing brand identity to create a slideshow of banners for his homepage using strong visuals and catchy hooks.

They met with such approval that we were commissioned to create a livery for their fleet of vans, set up a Twitter page (starting them off following over 600 industry players - and potential clients), an email marketing campaign, provide consultancy on his website's usability and layout... and finally, to bring all this together in a smart, sharp corporate booklet showcasing their great ethos, services and resources. Damien's as thrilled as we are with it and we set it up as an e-brochure so he can impress new contacts as easily and quickly as sending a tweet or an email.

The growth of PurpleGroup's brand and collateral - matching Damien's vision with Bungalow's creativity and insight - has resulted in a new confidence and professionalism for his business - along with a strategic partnership that's all set to grow from strength to strength.

www.purplegroup.co.uk

If you'd like to add weight to your brand and increase your momentum in the marketplace, call us at Bungalow Industries on 0845 60 11 470 to discuss the possibilities!

Drawing from inspiration

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 01:32:00 GMT

Whilst clearing out the office art drawers I came across some drawings I did some years back. Drawing was my creative outlet before I picked up a camera and the technology took hold. I embraced its speed of capture; pencils and pens were sidelined.

Although still pleased with these drawings, I'm excited and raring to set to work in a more illustrative way: more interpretive, with a freer, simpler feel.

Inspired, and with a timely set of new pencils and charcoals (a super Christmas present) and a copy of "Sketchbooks: The hidden art of designers, illustrators & creatives" at hand, 2010 is a year when I go back to basics and connect with raw materials again.

David

Festive Cheer from the Bungalow!

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:47:00 GMT

Ever industrious and filled with festive spirit, we designed our own Christmas cards! We had great fun writing our own festive poem encompassing all things special to us at Christmas here at the Bungalow in Edgcumbe Park.

In the spirit of giving we're also matching the production and postage costs of our cards and will make equal donations to two very worthy causes, each with significant personal bearing:

Merry Christmas everybody! ...And if we haven't yet had the pleasure of working with you, we hope the opportunity may arise in the coming year!

David & Scott

Sign up... it's Ian Waite!

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:10:00 GMT

Busy day at the Bungalow with special guest Ian Waite stopping by to sign some more prints for his online shop. We print them all especially to order and he pops in to sign each one personally when his schedule permits! This batch will just catch the last post for Christmas... we'd best hot-foot it to the post office!

...meanwhile... quickstep across to Ian's blog and download the fab-u-lous Christmas card we've designed for him to send his fans!

A study at the piano

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:09:00 GMT

A rare and special day: an opportunity to tickle the ivories and trip the shutter! After the concerted efforts of the past few months in getting our website finished, downtime has been an elusive luxury and we both welcomed the opportunity to clear out creative cobwebs!

Fingers were a little rusty, admittedly, and Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto (the theme to the 1941 film 'Dangerous Moonlight'... later renamed 'Suicide Squadron') took some flak. The Polish theme continued with run-throughs of some favourite Chopin gems: the last movement of the B minor Sonata, his 1st and 3rd Ballades and the infamous A-flat 'Heroic' Polonaise.

All credit to David for some cracking shots too - a more picture-perfect than note-perfect afternoon, granted... but great fun, a different kind of creative collaboration... and a stern reminder to practise, practise, practise!

On Approaching Poaching

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:53:00 GMT

The perfect start to any Sunday at the Bungalow: Eggs Royale - the classic Benedict, replacing the bacon with smoked salmon. We had some spinach on there too for good measure... and it tasted as good as it looks!

The dish is also known as Eggs Arlington, a name coined by Le Caprice in London's Arlington Street; see their recipe here.

A.A. Gill also refers to the dish by this name in his mouthwatering read "Breakfast at The Wolseley" in which you can learn all about the origins of this gourmet breakfast classic - including why there should always be two eggs per serving: Benedict and Beatrice! A great book, well worth reading!

A big Thank You!

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:59:00 GMT

A big Thank You to all of you who emailed us after the launch of our site, it really means a great deal and we're delighted it's met with your approval! With such kindness shown in taking the time to write to us, we'd really like to share some of your comments here:

"Your website looks absolutely sensational. Just looking through the testimonials and case studies alone immediately makes me want to work with you both."

"I'm loving your brand: the green/grey, use of clean fonts and soft shadows throughout gives it a really nice consistency, I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Bungalow!"

"I think your web site is a very fine one. I wish you'd been around during the 20 years I was working variously as brand manager through to international sales & marketing director. It's elegant and adept, and very accessible at the same time. Not the easiest marriage I would have thought. Good job!"

"Wow! Fantastic site, really different and refreshing."

"...it's slick, polished and simple to navigate..."

"...it's so comprehensive and absolutely outstanding..."

"I think the website is absolutely mega and awesome - you should be just so proud of it!"

...and here's a tongue-twisting stream of consciousness to leave you on, from friend and photographer Zoe Barker (currently exhibiting at the Geffrye Museum in London):

"Well get you and your super-swanky awesomely amazing uber-professional top of the range peachytastic stylish incredibly complex smooth-operating inter-twining website!!"

—Can't argue with that, Zoe!

Thanks again everyone for your kind words and well wishes.

Sincerely,
David and Scott.

The first blog post from the Bungalow!

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:33:00 GMT

Hello everybody - here we are at last! It's been some time in the making, being picked up, put down (whilst we priortised our clients' work), redesigned, updated, never finished... until now! With a great final push, the site is born... and what a relief it is too!

We're absolutely delighted to have launched our website and are really thrilled to be able to present a portfolio for you all to see - we're very proud of our work and now having this website enables us to communicate our approach and ethos to a wider audience.

The site also provides a wonderful publishing medium - this blog - which will be our online pasteboard to our thoughts and inspirations, as well as keeping you updated with the latest news and happenings at the Bungalow.

Well, we'll sign off for this inaugural entry, and will gather some of the super feedback we've received about our site for our next post!

Scott and David
The Bungalow.

In the meantime, don't hesitate to get in touch: call us on 0845 60 11 470, tweet us @the_bungalow or use the form below to send us a messasge!