Water of Life

The Water of Life is such a great expression. 

Fundamental, elemental and full of promise, it is a phrase found in fairy tales, science fiction and even the bible!


Noble Ox in full flow

For Nicholas Hepworth, founder of Common Futures, water really is fundamental.  Pioneering new ways to manage the life-giving resource equitably, Common Futures brings a fresh approach to the complex challenges of international development, climate change, environment and water management, and ‘doing business’ sustainably.

In summer 2011, Nick commissioned Noble Ox to create a brand, visual identity and website for Common Futures.  In October, Common Futures launched and the client was delighted: 

"Establishing a new entity is a daunting prospect, so working with Noble Ox has been brilliant; we knew we were in safe hands from the start.  Listening with sensitivity and perception, Charlotte led us through the branding process.  From there, she devised a bold, robust online approach inspiring the rest of the Noble Ox creative team to go the extra mile and deliver a fantastic visual identity and website...” 
Nicholas Hepworth PhD ~ Managing Director, Common Futures

Find out more about the Noble Ox approach to the Common Futures project, Noble Ox Case Studies. 

Water of life

The phrase also gives us the word whisky, derived from uisge beatha, the Gaelic for water of life.  Not surprisingly, this was the preferred definition on the Noble Ox Night at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in November.  Here, we were truly blessed with a life-affirming range of stunning single cask malts, a memorable evening, with great company...

"The event had a great feel.  On the way home I genuinely thought myself very lucky to have been invited to such a special but low key tasting."   John Mark Di Ciacca ~ JEF Developments Ltd

A BIG thank you to the Society, Noble Ox looks forward to hosting more events in the year to come.

Charting new waters

Talking of which, the New Year holds much excitement as we dive into new projects with new clients, whilst making sure all brand and marketing activity for existing clients is water tight!

Contact us to discuss how the Noble Ox blend of imaginative, no-nonsense, hardworking marketing will drive your brand and prosperity in 2012.

Meanwhile, thank you for your continued support for Noble Ox, wishing you all the best for the festive season and coming New Year.

Charlotte


Please visit Noble Ox Marketing for detail on Noble Ox Brand Design Marketing Services and view Noble Ox Track Record for more background and client feedback on our work to date. For some extra flavour visit the Noble Oxtales archive. Then, all you need to do is contact Noble Ox.

The Angels Share

Over the last few weeks Noble Ox has been blessed with good fortune.

Flying high and taking new clients under our wing, we have enjoyed great adventures.

And, as for this month’s celestial theme?  Well, as you will see, angels really do feature throughout…

More on the new Noble Ox clients in the months to come, meanwhile, set your halo to a jaunty angle and let’s head south.

In the company of angels

Those familiar with my work know that, in business and beyond, I believe ‘communication’ often hides behind dull, jargon-fuelled language that does little to engage, let alone inspire.  For several years, I’ve followed the work of John Simmons, writer of Dark Angels – how writing releases creativity at work, a book that inspired the Dark Angels Creative Writing in Business courses.  In late September, I managed to squeeze onto one such course and flew to the autumn sun-kissed hills of Andalucia to join the Dark Angels.

John led the course with fellow tutor Stuart Delves, the gifted Edinburgh-based wordsmith with whom I worked on the acclaimed 26 Malts project.  John and Stuart treated us to four days and five nights of intensive tutorials, exercises and projects, helping us find new ways to unlock and express our imagination.

The company, the place and the course were heavenly and I was somewhat daunted by the calibre and talents of those around me.  So, when it came to the last night presentations, it did feel a little like the closing moments of It’s a Wonderful Life.  All we needed was the tinkle of a bell as this Dark Angel was awarded her wings.

Now from Spain to Scotland and the dark to the canny…

The angels share

Within the whisky industry, it is widely known that angels consume approximately two percent per annum of the whisky held in warehouses during the long maturation process.  Some call it evaporation; those in the know call it The Angels Share.

In early October, we invited folk to the first Noble Ox Night, a whisky tasting at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.  This new venture was very much to test the water, to see if there was an appetite for such a gathering.  Well, within two days all the places were taken!

So, to all angels, especially those watching over writers and sleeping whisky casks, thank you for sharing the inspiration and the spirit.


Slainte
Charlotte
  
Find out more about Noble Ox Marketing 



Please visit Noble Ox Marketing for detail on Noble Ox Brand Design Marketing Services and view Noble Ox Track Record for more background and client feedback on our work to date. For some extra flavour visit the Noble Oxtales archive. Then, all you need to do is contact Noble Ox.

Noble Ox Nights – an invitation

Don't you just love it when worlds collide and paths cross?

I do, especially when it leads to the discovery of a shared interest and enthusiasm for single malt whisky.

To quote Mark Twain "Too much of anything is bad.  Too much of good whisky is barely enough."

Since leaving The Scotch Malt Whisky Society to plough pastures new with Noble Ox, I have met and worked alongside a good number of folk with an interest, indeed a passion for single malts.

So, to celebrate these shared moments, we invite you to our very first Noble Ox Night - a private Whisky Tasting at the Vaults, the Society’s spiritual home in Leith, Edinburgh.

The time, the place

On Thursday 10 November at 6.30pm, a small group of like-minded souls will gather in the Tasting Room, the Society’s inner sanctum.  Here, we will indulge in a relaxed evening, whetting the appetite with a welcoming dram, followed by a gently-guided, three whisky tasting and a selection of the chef’s most mouth-watering delights.

The Tasting Room provides the perfect setting.  This is the place where keen noses keep strict quality control over the casks put forward for bottling.  The individual casks that pass the scrutiny of the Society's Panel are bottled at cask strength, each a limited edition, a truly exceptional encounter.

Talking of which, please note there are only ten places available for this truly exceptional encounter.

The deal (and what a deal)

My good friends at the Society are lending their support to this fledgling Noble Ox Night, so I’m delighted to say each place costs just £12.50 (inc VAT).  This is astonishingly good value for an evening of the world’s finest single cask, single malt whisky, savoured in good company and beautiful surroundings.  

With such limited numbers, it really has to be first come first served.  So, please check your diary and contact Noble Ox soon to secure your places around the Society’s Tasting Table.

I really hope you can join us for a memorable Noble Ox Night

Slàinte mhath

Charlotte

Please visit Noble Ox Marketing for detail on Noble Ox Brand Design Marketing Services and view Noble Ox Track Record for more background and client feedback on our work to date. For some extra flavour visit the Noble Oxtales archive. Then, all you need to do is contact Noble Ox.

Vintage Oxtale

Wine is sunlight, held together by water ~ Galileo 

Maybe a wee bit early for the grape harvest, but this Oxtale is dedicated to all things ‘viticultural’, in honour of the winner of this year's Noble Ox Birthday Prize Draw.

Digging deep...

Yesterday morning was spent amongst the rambling brambles around Arthurs Seat, clearing Himalayan Balsam, an ‘invasive species’ which affects the surrounding biodiversity.

For a short time we were joined by a very helpful 6 year old who was wonderfully curious about the whole exercise.  He didn’t speak a word of English but, luckily for me, he was French so we were able to chat to a certain extent, tho’ I had to dig deep for accurate vocabulary to describe what we were doing and why.

Mind you, it is well over twenty years since I lived in Montpellier, France where I wrote a dissertation on the French Wine Industry, the nearest my degree took me to anything to do with the land.

SO what has any of this bramble-type rambling to do with this year’s Noble Ox Prize Draw?  Well, not much really, other than a convoluted connection with wine and going back to some roots.

And the winner is...

This year, we’re excited that Linda Ward from Vintage Roots had all the right answers in all the right places and, in grape-like fashion, was picked randomly from a healthy bunch of entries.

Vintage Roots are 'the organic wine people' and, according to Linda, the offer of a free Noble Ox day has come at the right time…

"I first met Charlotte a couple of years’ ago and was impressed by her approachable nature – and loved the name of her business, particularly with my passion for biodynamic wine production and its relationship with the cow..!   Since then I have been a follower of Noble Ox Marketing so was delighted to hear that I was the winner of its birthday prize draw.  I am really excited about the opportunity to have a day with Charlotte to explore some of the project work I will be developing for our company."

Onwards and upwards...

Thank you for helping us celebrate this year, it is really encouraging to have your support as we reach each modest but meaningful milestone.  Meanwhile, back to the current projects as Noble Ox Marketing takes the strain but, as the August rain stops and starts outside, a final dedication to the vine...

There is not the hundredth part of the wine consumed in this kingdom that there ought to be. Our foggy climate wants help ~ Jane Austen (Northanger Abbey)

Cheers and all the best
Charlotte

Please visit Noble Ox Marketing for detail on Noble Ox Brand Design Marketing Services and view Noble Ox Track Record for more background and client feedback on our work to date. For some extra flavour visit the Noble Oxtales archive. Then, all you need to do is contact Noble Ox.

Happy Birthday Noble Ox

Does time fly when you are having fun?  Well, another twelve months have flown by and as Noble Ox celebrates yet another birthday, we're having fun.

So following the success of last year’s anniversary competition, join in the celebrations by taking part in this year’s Noble Ox Birthday Prize Draw.

Noble Ox Birthday Prize Draw

This is your chance to win a FREE Noble Ox Day AND either a bottle of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s finest single cask malt whisky or a meal for two at the award-winning Whitmuir the Organic Place.

Simply visit Noble Ox Case studies and the Noble Oxtale archive to find the answer to the following three questions:

1. What iconic Scottish mammal was used in the new Corporate Identity for Fathers Network Scotland?
2. Name at least one product featured on the Newtech Hardware homepage?
3. Approximately how many Social Enterprises has Noble Ox supported over the last 12 months?

Please email your answers, including your name and a contact phone number via the email link on Noble Ox Contact by 29 July 2011. The winner will be selected at random w/c 1 August 2011.

Good Luck!

In the meantime, thank you for your continued support and interest in Noble Ox Marketing

All the best
Charlotte

Please visit Noble Ox Marketing for detail on Noble Ox Brand Design Marketing Services and view Noble Ox Track Record for more background and client feedback on our work to date. For some extra flavour visit the Noble Oxtales archive. Then, all you need to do is contact Noble Ox.

Out in the Field

Noble Ox enjoys working with people who want to enhance the quality of life.

In turn, we attract clients driven by the desire to deliver excellence and connect with audiences in a meaningful way.


So, in addition to providing hardworking marketing across traditional business and services, Noble Ox is investing in the UK's dynamic and inspiring Social Enterprise sector.

Identifying the potential

The diversity, energy and vision of the social entrepreneurs I meet reveal a sector that is so full of potential yet often misunderstood and, therefore, underestimated.  As with many organisations whose intentions are good and ambitions are great, Social Enterprises need help in presenting themselves, creating an impact and connecting with current and potential target markets. 

Work on the ground

Over the last 12 months, Noble Ox has been delivering a programme of pro bono marketing surgeries and workshops through associations with organisations such as the Edinburgh-based Melting Pot.  As a result, we have helped some 30 or so organisations kick start their marketing activity.  In April, Noble Ox was also commissioned to devise and host a branding workshop for students taking Social Enterprise Academy's groundbreaking Social Enterprise MSc course at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Raising our profile within the sector, Noble Ox has joined the Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition, and become a partner with Firstport’s Startbright initiative, supporting social entrepreneurs by providing cost effective marketing packages.

Delivering inspiration, driving prosperity

So, as investment in the UK’s burgeoning Social Enterprise sector broadens the reach of Noble Ox, we identify great new opportunities to create and deliver inspiration, ensuring existing and future customers drive brands and prosperity.

From quick-win tactical and digital marketing to longer-term marketing planning, new product development and brand strategy, keep an eye on all things Noble Ox.

Visit www.noble-ox.com which features regularly updated case studies and client feedback.

Many thanks and all the best

Charlotte


Please visit Noble Ox Marketing for detail on Noble Ox Brand Design Marketing Services and view Noble Ox Track Record for more background and client feedback on our work to date. For some extra flavour visit the Noble Oxtales archive. Then, all you need to do is contact Noble Ox.

Nature of the Beast

Survival in the natural world requires massive investment.

It is only by creating an impact, sustaining a presence and finding a way to communicate that species can compete and survive...


So, why are these essentials often overlooked when it comes to competing and surviving in the business world?

Learning from the experts

In between and betwixt running Noble Ox, I volunteer for Historic Scotland's countryside rangers, helping with biodiversity projects in my 'back garden' (also known to Edinburgh folk as Arthur's Seat and Holyrood Park!).

Such endeavours provide the perfect antidote to 'the day job' but I also love the fact that lessons to learn from nature are never far away...

Take, for example, the sheer beauty of the plumage and exquisite melody of the tiniest bird, as it invests so much energy in making an impact, claiming a territory and differentiating itself from the competition.

Or, perhaps, it is the striking elegance of two swans engaged in mesmerising courtship display to attract, communicate and establish a lasting relationship.

Then, of course, there's the vibrant, stunning colours and scents of the flowers competing to attract their essential target market for pollination.

The lessons to learn

Luckily for us, the benefits of all this investment are also there to refresh, inspire and invigorate the senses and souls of human beings.  An effect that is always welcome.

So, wouldn't it be great if we could bring much more of that creative energy, delight and essential attraction into our own market place?  Why not?  It is, after all, the nature of the beast!

Investing in the way your organisation looks, feels and communicates is as fundamental to its survival as the proverbial 'birds and bees' are for humanity.
 
Standing out from the crowd

Such a great expression for this time of year when nature is in full flow with every species looking and performing their very best.  Competition is at its peak and territory is up for grabs, so the time to invest is now.

Contact Noble Ox Marketing, to discuss how we will ensure your organisation stands out from the crowd, creates an impact and makes its presence felt.

All the best
Charlotte


Please visit Noble Ox Marketing for detail on Noble Ox Brand Design Marketing Services and view Noble Ox Track Record for more background and client feedback on our work to date. For some extra flavour visit the Noble Oxtales archive. Then, all you need to do is contact Noble Ox.

Off the Shelf Oxtale

“Now, you know we don't do 'off the shelf’ solutions when it comes to marketing...”  I smiled.

This was on the day Noble Ox was commissioned by Newtech Hardware, a leading UK supplier of architectural shelving systems.

Needless to say, from the initial brand review to the development of a ‘joined-up’ on and offline marketing approach, including an ambitious website build, the Noble Ox approach was far from flat packed!

Getting the job done

The world of architectural shelving is a seriously competitive business, Newtech operates in a very crowded B2B market place.  Noble Ox advised that effective brand definition and differentiation was essential, as was a strategic SEO and keyword approach when it came to planning and delivering the digital marketing approach, including the website build and launch. 

Actions speak louder than words 

You can find out more about the Newtech project plus other new case studies, by visiting Noble Ox Case Studies and there is new client feedback in Noble Ox Track Record.

AND finally, for a little light relief, visit www.noble-ox.com to view the rather lovely slideshow now gracing the homepage.

Let me know what you think

All the best
Charlotte


Please visit Noble Ox Marketing for detail on Noble Ox Brand Design Marketing Services and view Noble Ox Track Record for more background and client feedback on our work to date. For some extra flavour visit the Noble Oxtales archive. Then, all you need to do is contact Noble Ox.

Solid as an Ox - A Noble Oxtale

A good reputation is paramount when it comes to building a solid foundation for sustained success.   

With this in mind, Noble Ox works hard to maintain its reputation as a trusted agency delivering no-nonsense, hardworking marketing to drive brands and prosperity.

We focus on driving up standards of communication and presentation, equipping our clients with the confidence to engage and inspire existing and potential audiences.

In turn, Noble Ox attracts clients who care about what they do and, importantly, the way they do it. Driven by the desire to deliver excellence and connect with target audiences in a meaningful way, Noble Ox clients understand the difference between good and bad marketing.

Noble Ox client feedback from recent projects:

Thanks to Noble Ox, we have a clearer idea of our values and a much better website!   We very much enjoyed working with Charlotte and gained a great deal from the process.  Our expectations, both of the process and the end result, were well managed through Charlotte’s clear communication style.  We look forward to working with Noble Ox again in the future.
Richard Wilkinson, Heartwood Timber Frames (Jan 2011)

Working with Noble Ox has meant we’ve been able to quickly and efficiently tackle a problem which was severely holding the business back.  The communication was clear and direct and the project was fun and a breath of fresh air.  Noble Ox delivered a high quality solution which has transformed our fortunes.

I would recommend Noble Ox to anyone – finding a team so focussed on and receptive to a client’s needs as well as offering such a direct and personal service is, in my experience, very rare. Their service was exceptional – thank you, Noble Ox!
David Drysdale, Fathers Network Scotland (Jan 2011)

To provide a solid foundation for your brand, marketing and communications, find out more about the no-nonsense, hardworking Noble Ox approach to marketing.

All the best

Charlotte 


Please visit Noble Ox Marketing for detail on Noble Ox Brand Design Marketing Services and view Noble Ox Track Record for more background and client feedback on our work to date. For some extra flavour visit the Noble Oxtales archive. Then, all you need to do is contact Noble Ox.