Clients

The Musicians Benevolent Fund is the music business's own charity. Founded in 1921 it has grown to be the largest of its kind in the UK, helping around 1,500 people of all ages and in any area of the music business who are in need as a result of illness, accident or other misfortune.

In 2008 the charity realised fundamental changes were needed to their communications to allow them to compete in an increasingly difficult market for fundraising.  Albion Media was hired to act as consultants to implement a re-branding and overall communications review, including the development of a new website.

The new strategy bought in a complete change to the way the Fund communicated with its stakeholders with a new mix of PR, advertising, direct mail , online ‘word of mouth’ and personal approaches.

Case study:

Albion Media client for:

• Strategic consultancy and communications planning
• Website and digital marketing
• Public relations

THE BRIEF TO ALBION MEDIA
Over the past two years, with the arrival of a new chairman and the appointment of a new chief executive, the Musicians Benevolent Fund has undergone major changes and fundraising has acquired a new importance.

Market research indicated a need to raise awareness of the Fund among its two chief target audiences: musicians (potential beneficiaries) and music lovers (potential donors). This necessitated an upgrading of the Fund’s marketing and PR activities.

In 2009, Albion Media was retained by the Musicians Benevolent Fund to implement a dynamic new corporate identity across a range of marketing tools, including new print advertising, and subsequently to deliver a complete new marketing strategy for the Fund, covering both beneficiaries and donors and embracing current trends in the music industry. This entailed a full-scale review by ALBION MEDIA of the Fund’s communications and the planning and resourcing of its marketing activities.

APPROACH and ACHIEVEMENTS

• The creation, in collaboration with the advertising agency AMV BBDO, of a striking and distinctive logo, launched in Summer 2009, and its implementation across all marketing and communications.
• Design and production of the Fund’s first-ever annual review, showcasing the new brand and presenting the Fund’s full range of activities and achievements.
• Development of a comprehensive communications strategy, marketing plans and media plans to reach key target audiences (musicians, music lovers, influential figures in the music industry) using a variety of means including advertising; direct mail  ‘word of mouth’, personal approaches and online media.
• Development of sets of key messages for use across all marketing and communications
• Preparation of a comprehensive brief for a new website and advice on selection of a specialist company for its design and build