Category: Press release | 19th Jan 2009

Relationship marketing agency HS&P has announced the launch of Legends, a new multi-channel word of mouth agency.

Legends is the agency’s third new launch in less than a year, following the dedicated consultancy Loyalty Practice and data specialist, data.HS&P. HS&P’s founder and CEO Justin Hicklin will extend his duties as CEO of HS&P to head up the new company.

Legends will empower clients to embrace the relatively new discipline of word of mouth marketing, with the added value of traditional targeting and meaningful measurement. Based on HS&P’s WOM experience with brands including Diageo, Honda and Which?, Legends’ offering will focus around creating valuable consumer conversations for brands.

The Legends team will create these conversations – on and offline -  through understanding, and consequently, targeting the influencers within any sector or market with memorable experiences. An experienced team of analysts and planners will immerse themselves in consumers’ worlds, experiences and conversations in order to create engaging brand stories that those influencers will be keen to spread. Finally, Legends will measure the impact of the WOM on individuals, brands and the business.

Justin Hicklin, HS&P’s CEO and head of Legends says: “Word of mouth has always been an extremely powerful tool, but traditionally, agencies and clients have not known how to target, measure or use the impact it can generate. Our job is to create the right stories that reflect the brand. We want these stories to be supported by experience and these experiences be easily discussed, passed on and developed. These stories are, more often than not, at the heart of the brand and once you understand your influencers, whether your own salesforce, your retailers, key consumers or media, you can campaign these stories so that they become a fundamental underpinning of a brand or service.

We are in a unique position to deliver the next generation of word of mouth marketing – partly because we understand consumer relationships – but more than that, we know how to target and measure these engagements. Today’s WOM has grown up, creating a buzz is one thing, but you must know who you need to talk to in order to make that buzz and ultimately generate engagement with the right people, and drive sales cost-effectively.”

He continues: “This was a natural addition to HS&P’s rapidly developing group of companies. Helping us to deliver consumer insight through another channel, Legends heralds the start of just one more way we work with brands to build measurably better relationships.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Established in 1998, Hicklin Slade & Partners is a relationship marketing agency that builds measurably better relationships between brands and consumers.

This manifesto is delivered through core competencies in account planning, digital capability and creative, supported by two dedicated consultancies, the Loyalty Practice and data.HS&P. Designed to embody a new approach to customer loyalty, the Loyalty Practice empowers clients to build and benefit from loyalty by systematically addressing their business challenges. data.HS&P was launched with a unique focus on ‘data for digital’, helping clients to ensure they are applying the right level of planning and evaluation to email marketing.

HS&P approaches client briefs with a rigorous focus on planning and measurement and has pioneered a unique system for payment by results. A third of the agency is made up of planners, all of whom work directly with creatives and account handlers, and beyond that, with clients and their customers. This dedication to accountability has enabled HS&P to get, grow and keep customer relationships for brands including Norwich Union Direct, Honda, Diageo and Camelot.

Author: HS&P

HS&P is an integrated relationship marketing agency. Our current clients include Diageo, Honda, Norwich & Peterborough Building Society, Norwich Union and Ted Baker.

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