Poke’s Managing Director, Nicola Docking, was invited to chat to Sean O’Neill on podcast ‘Meet Sean O’Neill” to discuss all things creative marketing and the role that motherhood has played in her approach as MD. Here are the key takeaways from the episode:
How Poke has evolved
The vision for Poke was always to be a big agency with big clients. Poke’s services have evolved based on our client’s needs and we have really established a position for ourselves within the Liverpool City Region. The founders of Poke had previously worked for other agencies and it was established from the start that we would never promise things that we can’t do. It’s important for our team that we are able to deliver within our skill sets and keep our relationships with clients strong.
Rebranding Liverpool Cathedral
In the episode, Nicola delves into some of the projects that Poke has delivered lately. Our rebrand of Liverpool Cathedral went live in January and we are proud to have worked with the internal team on this fantastic project. As a tourist and religious venue, there were many audiences to appeal to with this rebrand, and there was resistance from some members of the congregation, in particular to the logo. However, the purpose of this rebrand was to bring the brand forward, and a rebrand is so much more than a logo. We worked on tone of voice, we spoke to volunteers about how they guide people through the Cathedral, the colours, imagery and everything that makes up the overall experience people have when visiting this iconic attraction. Take a look at our case study here to see the brand theme of ‘Look Up’ brought to life:
Why Liverpool?
Poke is a Liverpool based agency and Nicola explains that it was a no brainer for Poke to start in this city. The level of collaboration in this city is incredible and people are supportive and vocal with similar businesses within the city. This process of collaboration is what makes working in Liverpool so brilliant – there’s always new opportunities within the creative scene.
Work experience
Nicola began her career with the intention to become a journalist and began work experience opportunities. She then started working in a digital department and started to work alongside her studies, where she learned everybody’s role within her office to gain insight into different roles. Nicola became a manager at 22 and admits she still was learning as she went along, despite the fact she had work experience from a young age. Nicola’s skills as a manager have developed throughout her agency career and prepared her for the role of MD at Poke.
An empathetic approach
Another thing that prepared her for the role of MD was motherhood. Having children and working within her family business made Nicola more empathetic towards clients and has changed her mindset. She takes client pressures into consideration, along with the pressures that the Poke team might be facing on a daily basis. There is so much more in the client-agency relationship than handing over a document; it’s getting to know the client, their thoughts and opinions on the work, and communicating in a way that ensures both parties are proud of the work that has been produced.
Approach to managing a team
Along with strategy and direction for client work, there’s also strategy and direction for the way that Nicola manages the Poke team. It’s important that each member of the team feels they have someone to look towards and that we are all rowing in the same way. This outlook inspires the Poke team to collaborate with each other, to share ideas and to be open with each other about these ideas. This is why we have creative sessions, away days and also team nights out. It’s an opportunity for us to not only develop our working relationships, but to develop genuine friendships with each other. This is also a fantastic opportunity for us to define our skill sets within the agency.
Starting a branding project
Nicola’s golden advice for anyone interested in starting a branding project is to take a step back. Good marketing can only shine a light on what exists; the product needs to be authentic. Poke does a discovery phase at the start of any project to understand who the client are as a business along with their audience. This strategic process leads to greater success at launch and much less risk of friction.
Choosing the right agency
In terms of choosing the right agency for you, it’s important to find a good personality fit. And don’t get too caught up on sector experience. Finding an agency that are able to draw on ideas from outside of your sector will allow you to excel above your competitors and create something new.
