UTI goes Manc

iris Manchester hosted their very first UTI event last week in The Atlas Bar in the Deansgate area of the city.

As you'll see the logo has been all flat-capped up by our northern friends. Smart.



‘The thinking man’s pub crawl’ was attended by a mixture of agency people, TV companies, creatives, entrepreneurs, and marketing directors from Manchester businesses.



Si Scott, who chatted at out first UTI in London, was first up. His legendary work has been used in campaigns for Audi, Nike, Orange, MTV, Guinness and Hugo Boss. Si talked about the evolution of his work and how he thinks the rise of digital has led to a lack of attention to detail in design. He also recounted the countless times that his intricate hand drawn work been mistaken for computer-generated artwork.

Here is Si mid-chat...



Next up was new media expert Mirage Islam. As a contributing editor to industry bible Contagious, Islam gave some insights into ‘two-track branding’, whereby advertisers continue to use mass marketing but support it with ‘niche’ marketing. This bespoke approach strengthens one-to-one relationships through channels like digital with examples ranging from ABC & Unilever’s joint site, ‘In The Motherhood’, to Fiat’s EcoDrive and O2’s ‘The Blueroom’. Use of digital channels such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as Search Engine Optimisation, were discussed with reference to the Compare the Market’s ‘Compare the Meerkat’ campaign.

Mirage has a word...



Peter Draper, former marketing director of Manchester United, wrapped up the evening. He discussed the rapid change witnessed in the world of football over the past 20-25 years. He cited the catalysts as stadium disasters that prompted review of all stadia and investment into the sport by Sky in the early 90s.

Pete works the floor...



Draper drew on his experience with Manchester United during this time and how the club was quick to recognize that fans should expect great customer service rather than take fans for granted, just as any other business would recognize the importance of customer service. He believes this can be applied to business in all sectors with an emphasis on a great customer experience right through, so that brands can convert customers into fans.



The night went down a storm - as UTI tends to. The next one in Manchester is in July so check here for more details and to register - and I'm told there will be footage of the talks uploaded here soon.