“My work experience at CPL One”

We welcomed Master’s degree graduate Amy Ralph to our Cambridge office to gain some work experience. Here’s what she said about it:

Today, I wrapped up two weeks of invaluable work experience at CPL One, where I acquired new skills, reinforced old ones and, most excitingly, worked on meaningful projects that had community building at their heart. 

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to ongoing projects and was appreciative to have found myself in a welcoming team that valued and supported these contributions. 

From judging the office’s Blue Monday Bake-Off to meeting with different departments, I was blown away by the warmth, professionalism and collaboration at the core of CPL One’s working environment. 

For CPL One, working for a broad range of clients involves constant innovation, research, and a forward-thinking approach, and I quickly realised that no two days were the same. Some of the projects I got involved with included:

  • Researching and writing a SWOT analysis, then helping to present it in a follow-up client meeting 
  • Conducting TikTok and LinkedIn (desk and in person) research and analysis, and providing and presenting suggestions for future posts  
  • Enhancing my PremierPro skillset, providing royalty-free music suggestions for an advertising project 
  • Working start to finish on the first draft of a ‘hero’ video, which involved pulling together a script from several interviews, mocking up a draft with music, audio edits, and colour grading 
  • Assisting the editorial department with proofreading, and brainstorming questions for an interview article. 

Working on so many new and different projects within a fast-paced environment required me to push myself in ways I hadn’t expected. I had to constantly be willing to present my work, overcome uncertainty, have an openness to suggestions and a readiness to be proactive in learning new skills.

When I finished my work experience with CPL One, I’d gained a new perspective on content marketing agencies and the often unseen effort and human creativity behind every project. It has been an incredible learning experience.

Designs for ground-breaking autonomous electric bus project come to life 

The CPL One team’s designs for the first in a series of purpose-built autonomous vehicles for Cambridge have been unveiled.

Our team developed the livery concepts for two different sized self-driving electric buses, which are part of the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Connector project, during 2024. 

Now the first of the larger vehicles has been delivered to the project ready for track testing ahead of the planned launch of Connector later this year.

Our team, led by senior designer Robyn McCurdy and creative director Gary Phillips, worked with Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) and bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis to develop the look and feel of the livery for their buses.

“It’s great to see our design concepts coming to life,” explains Robyn. “We wanted to create a distinctive brand identity that would reflect the cutting-edge innovation being used for the electric buses and the way they will eventually connect people across the city and beyond.

“The brand wordmark and colour palette were centred on the concept of movement, using gradients paired with kinetic typography to imbue the brand with a sense of fluidity and motion. The icon we used creates the base for the brand’s graphic language and can be rolled out across animations, social media, merchandise and, of course, the livery of the vehicles.”

Backed by Innovate UK, the Connector project is part funded and supported by the UK Government’s Centre for Connected & Autonomous Vehicles.

Cllr Elisa Meschini, chair of the GCP’s executive board, says: “Connector will see autonomous vehicles being trialled on our city’s roads to investigate their potential to transform the way people travel. This is a significant opportunity for Cambridge to lead the way in innovation, paving the way for more sustainable and efficient ways to get to where people need to go. 

“Seeing the first vehicle arrive and be ready for testing is a testament to the collaborative efforts of everyone involved with the consortium and I look forward to seeing how this technology can potentially shape the future of public transport.” CPL One managing director Mike Sewell adds: “It’s great to see the first of the buses rolling off the production line and exciting to be involved in such an interesting and innovative project in our home city. Our brief was to create a visual identity that will help build recognition and trust for the Connector brand and service – and we’re confident that Robyn, Gary and the team have done just that.” 

We’re hiring: sub and copy editor

We are looking for an editorial all-rounder to join our growing team. You’ll be working in a fast-paced studio environment reading and producing copy and content for a wide range of publications both online and print.

The role

Reporting to the Senior Account Director, you will provide editorial support to the horseracing and breeding team, primarily focusing on our advertising output but not restricted to this. This is a dedicated role with a hybrid setup of working from the CPL One offices and home. Knowledge of the horseracing and breeding industry would be an advantage but is not essential.

Required skills and experience

  • Excellent written and oral communication skills with a keen eye for detail
  • Ability to work comfortably in a Mac-based environment
  • Organisational skills, project managing, prioritising work and tracking job progress
  • The ability to complete projects, often against tight deadlines
  • This role features regular client liaison so you must be comfortable with client contact and, due to the nature of the global horseracing industry, be available to work late some days
  • Attention to detail is vital. We are looking for someone who takes pride and satisfaction in a job well done

Desirable skills

  • Basic design and layout skills
  • Experience of Adobe Creative Suite, especially InDesign, and MS Word

Key objectives

  • Produce and finesse Darley/Godolphin content, including stallion adverts, on time and to the highest standard
  • Keep relevant workflow documents up to date
  • Provide support to the wider production team on the Darley/Godolphin account
  • Liaise with other teams to ensure finished products are delivered on time

Specific brands supported by this role

  • Darley
  • Godolphin

Who we are

CPL One is a full-service content marketing agency that builds communities by creating valuable, long-lasting relationships between clients and their audiences. We inspire people and bring them together around our clients’ brands and organisations.. Our mission is simple: to help people belong.

How you will benefit

  • A blend of office and home working
  • Staff Profit Share Scheme
  • 28 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays and your birthday 
  • Group life cover
  • Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
  • Employee Assistance Programme
  • Mental Health First Aiders and Wellbeing Committee
  • Discounted Private Medical Insurance
  • Subsidised parking and cycle-to-work scheme
  • Long service sabbatical scheme
  • Relaxed, friendly office, fresh fruit deliveries, social room
  • Great teamwork ethos: social events
  • Employee referral scheme

Apply now and be part of our award-winning team – please email CVs to [email protected]

When one magazine cover simply won’t do…

For the latest issue of Edge magazine, we created four different covers for our client the Institute of Leadership. Editor Louise Parfitt explains why.

How do you represent a wide range of leadership succession stories with one impactful cover image? And what if that range has to include leaders working in everything from FTSE 100 boardrooms to construction sites?

Could you do it with one image? We did it in four.

The winter issue of Edge, the magazine we create for the Institute of Leadership (IoL), is themed around the issue of leadership succession. When our team started brainstorming cover concepts, our designer Robyn came up with the idea of there being ‘shoes to fill’. She then took it a stage further:

“I liked the idea of having a pair of empty shoes on the cover. Whose are they? Who will step into them next? Will they be a comfortable fit? They needed to be a leader’s shoes. But what does a leader look like? Would they be men’s or women’s, formal or casual, for the office or the worksite?
I quickly realised that one pair alone couldn’t represent the diversity of the client’s leadership audience.

“I then asked our production team whether we could print more than one cover within our budget – and was really happy when the printer came back and said we could. In fact, we could print four different covers, to reflect just a little of the whole range of leadership experience.”

The team were delighted. We are lucky that our client supports us in pushing boundaries and experimenting with new ideas. When we explained the cover concept to them, they were on board straight away.

Now for the execution. Step forward Ian, our in-house photographer, as well as editor and writer:

“The team called in a range of shoes – my job was to photograph them against a white background in a kind of minimalist way. The trick was to shoot each pair of shoes with exactly the same lighting, camera position and colour treatment, so they matched and looked like a series.” 

After a morning’s shooting, we had eight shots to choose from. Together with the IoL team, we selected four images for the cover that were the most iconic – traditional brogues, leopard-print high heels, comfortable white pumps and tough-wearing construction boots. We used the other four images inside the magazine alongside the lead feature (comfy slippers, brown smart shoes, slip-on loafers and suede lace-ups).

We also dedicated a page at the front of the issue to showcase the four cover images and explain to the reader how the version of the cover they had received was only one part of a bigger picture.

An individual working as part of the bigger picture? That’s probably a metaphor for leadership too!

And, as a creative exercise, it’s a reminder that sometimes a little fresh thinking can help to illustrate even the most complex story.

Celebrating champion displays at major horseracing festival

“One colour. One team” campaign comes into its own in pop-up Godolphin Shop.

There was success on and off the racecourse for our client Godolphin at the 2024 Dubai Future Champions Festival in Newmarket.

Not only did promising Godolphin two-year-old horses Desert Flower and Shadow Of Light reinforce their reputations by winning their respective high-profile races, but Godolphin merchandise also flew off the shelves at a distinctive pop-up shop at the Rowley Mile racecourse.

The CPL One team worked with their counterparts at Godolphin and a range of partners to ensure the shop had maximum impact.

For some racegoers it was the first time they had seen the striking images from the “One colour. One team” promotional campaign that we devised earlier this year to promote the Godolphin Shop.

Large, eye-catching graphics inside and outside the shop reinforced two key brands – Godolphin (the horseracing operation) and Darley, the breeding and bloodstock business.

The graphics provided an impressive backdrop to the items on display, including clothing, caps, hats and other merchandise – much of which had been designed by the CPL One team. We also produced a range of other material for the festival, including racecards, posters, point-of-sale material and, of course, the winning line.

If you missed the event but are still interested in buying some merchandise, why not visit the Godolphin online shop?

Alison Horan, group head of marketing for Godolphin, was delighted with the work carried out by all the teams involved in “delivering an incredibly successful event”.

“From the strong and impactful Darley branding and client entertainment, to highlighting all the amazing charitable programmes, to the professional outfitting of the shop, we were delighted with the opportunities that were offered and delivered. And, of course, the two homebred G1 winners were certainly the cherry on the cake!” 

CPL One works with the creative team at Black Type Ltd to provide a full range of marketing services for Darley and Godolphin across multiple digital and print channels.

A rewarding new partnership

Working with the Institute of Leadership has been truly collaborative, says CPL One’s Louise Parfitt, editor of its magazine, Edge.

Over the past few months, we have been excited to begin a new partnership with the Institute of Leadership (IoL), producing its prestigious quarterly membership magazine, Edge, and developing a strategy for the creation of fresh digital content. 

From the pitch to the publication of our first issue of Edge, the process has been one of real collaboration and teamwork. We’ve taken a collegiate approach that has already shown its benefits, including for me, as the magazine’s editor.

As an editor, you often experience familiar emotions when taking on a new magazine: excitement, eagerness, trepidation, panic. Well, hopefully not too much of the last one – although I did have a couple of late-night ‘have I remembered X’ moments as the production cycle neared its conclusion.

A solid team is a source of support, a sounding board, a sense check, and a second set of eyes. At CPL One, we involved a team of writers, editors and designers who all came together to plan, create, check and produce the autumn 2024 issue of Edge – starting with senior content strategist Martin Bewick, who had been involved in our planning with the IoL since the early summer and had detailed knowledge of the original brief. 

We also fully involved our IoL colleagues, Rebecca Martin and Ciara Conway, at every step – listening to them, learning from them, and brainstorming ideas for features and designs together. We decided on the main theme: disruption and change management, where we explore and discuss team culture, leadership behaviours, organisational priorities, technological developments, and innovation. It has been great fun, and professionally rewarding.

Rebecca Martin, director of events and engagement at the Institute of Leadership, says: 

“The team at CPL One have quickly become trusted partners. Communication is always straightforward and timely, which is crucial in a fast-paced publishing environment. Whether brainstorming ideas or fine-tuning articles, the team brings an energy that is both professional and dynamic. Working in partnership with such a talented and dedicated team is a pleasure.”

Only a few months in and we feel we have built a strong relationship with the Institute, and we are excited to see it develop, both with Edge magazine and in our planning for digital content. We’re excited to be part of the Institute’s future.

Our picture at the top of this post shows Louise (second left) holding the latest issue with CPL One’s Helen King and (from left to right) the IOL’s Ciara Conway, Mel Robinson and Rebecca Martin.

And the awards go to… CPL One

We picked up two prestigious awards at the 2024 Memcom Excellence Awards, for best magazine launch or relaunch and editor of the year.

CPL One has won two awards at the 2024 Memcom Excellence Awards, held in London on 26 September.

Inspire magazine, which we relaunched for our client Versus Arthritis, won the award for best magazine launch or relaunch. And, underlining the positive impact the magazine has had for the client and the charity’s audience, Inspire’s editor Tracey Lattimore (pictured below, right, with awards host Sophie Duker) won the award for editor of the year. 

The judges said of Inspire: “The magazine showed a clear content strategy, with an excellent understanding of the remit of the magazine and what it is trying to achieve, with channel-specific goals and an aim of inclusivity. It has a strong, inviting design, with accessible, well-explained and illustrated content and a clear creative strategy.”

Commenting on the editor of the year award, the judges said Tracey was “an inspiring editor who oversaw the strategic repositioning of the charity’s content offer, exceeded all targets and developed what will be a sustainable income for the organisation as part of their new membership proposition.

“We were impressed by Tracey’s team approach, her leadership skills to curate a blend of creative, clinical and bold new editorial ideas… and her drive to create something of tangible value for the readers and organisation alike.”

Rachel Curtiss, individual giving manager for Versus Arthritis, said: “Since we relaunched, we have signed up 2,212 new members. This is more regular givers supporting VA than we have brought in in the past four years – an incredible achievement.”

The Memcom Excellence Awards celebrate excellence in the membership sector and are an opportunity for CPL One to showcase our work with membership organisations, including professional bodies, trade associations, membership charities, trade unions and the wider not-for-profit membership sector.

CPL One was shortlisted for a total of seven awards at Memcom this year, in categories including best podcast; best integrated marketing or membership campaign; best magazine, circulation less than 20k; and best agency.

CPL One managing director Mike Sewell said: “The two awards show how taking a strategic and joined-up approach to editorial planning, design, audience needs, member proposition and organisational goals, can pay dividends. The relaunched Inspire magazine for Versus Arthritis makes a bold statement, and the team can be truly satisfied with what they have achieved – it sets the bar high for any magazine relaunch.”

Find out more about the relaunch of Inspire.

See the latest issue.

Monetising the BBC Proms – how we do it

Data and a consultative approach helped our sister company Cabbells sell advertising space for the BBC Proms, says senior account director Stewart Dymock.

Our sister company Cabbells recently posted an article explaining how they monetised two publications for the BBC Proms. We republish it below, and you can also read it on the Cabbells site here.

The BBC Proms is a classical music festival held every summer at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and in recent years has explored an innovative series of Proms around the UK with concerts in all four nations. Its aim: to bring the best in classical music to the widest possible audience, which remains true to founder-conductor Henry Wood’s original vision in 1895.’

Cabbells has worked with the BBC on the Proms project since 2020. As an established and internationally renowned event, the planning and execution of the festival requires a tireless and committed approach by all the dedicated individuals involved. This applies to the monetisation of the printed promotional material as much as the entire project. The production of the BBC Proms Guide and Programme starts in late November and continues until the festival itself, which begins in July.

Our role is to sell the advertising space in both the Guide and the Programme.

The challenge

The Proms project has two parts to it – the Guide, which is published as the precursor to the event, is followed by the Programme, which provides more specific information for people who attend the event. While both provide opportunities to advertise, the Guide is less targeted and this has provided a challenge in recent years, particularly lately with the move of some brands to digital.

Since the start of the contract, we have faced significant headwinds: post-Covid audience figures were low; the client couldn’t confirm performances were happening in the first year; Arts Council funding was pulled from many advertisers in 2023; and the continued working-from-home culture means that many decision makers are even harder to speak with than they were when full-time office work was the norm.

Despite this, we have seen year-on-year increases in revenue and page yield, so much so that 2024 has been the best year yet, with an 88% increase in revenue on 2021.

The process

Most importantly, it’s about the team working on the account. We are well resourced and everyone works collaboratively – this takes the form of sharing information via a centralised CRM, having regular update meetings, both in-person and on video calls, and encouraging a collegiate atmosphere to ensure leads are shared equally.

We are also meticulous in our approach and speak to all past advertisers from the past three years to book them in, most of whom we already know through years of networking and relationship building. We are not typically ‘salesey’; it’s all about a consultative approach backed up by data.

To complete the process, we also have a dedicated client services manager who liaises with the advertisers on copy and the client on layouts, and makes sure we’re all adhering to the deadlines.

The successes

Of course, with any publication there is churn and in this market this is especially true. For the reasons previously outlined, the whole arts sector has suffered since the pandemic and so we are working hard to introduce more lifestyle advertisers to the mix. This includes restaurants, theatre, music streaming, holiday and leisure outlets, and more. This has resulted in a double-digit increase in non-classical music related advertisers.

The strategy for preserving and growing revenue

Diversifying revenue beyond the core advertisers within the private school sector and typical classical music advertisers was key to maintaining and growing revenue. Through increased outreach and an effective sales approach, the revenue share outside these two categories now stands at 40%, and includes the likes of investment companies, museums, and prestigious charities such as the Royal Horticultural Society.

Maintaining price is important to us and we have a target price per page that is tracked with every booking. We aren’t inflexible and take a constructive approach to offers, especially if it’s adding to the advertising mix by introducing new clients, but we do want to beat last year’s figures. This year we have added 9% to the page yields (the average price paid per page) on top of the increase in revenue.

And finally…

This is just one example of our strategic approach to sales and represents a little of how we tackle working with a national institution such as the BBC, with learnings that can be used on accounts large and small.  

If you would like to discuss how we can help you sell more advertising and increase your profitability, please get in touch with our team for an informal chat.

Easy reading for all as LGA magazine relaunches

Accessibility is the foundation of our magazine redesign for the Local Government Association.

What is ‘good’ magazine design? 

Perhaps it is using an arresting combination of words and pictures. Maybe it is creating page layouts that draw the intended reader in and keep them interested. Or maybe it is having a selection of imagery that delights the eye and tells its own story. 

Recently, Man-wai Wong, one of the design team at CPL One, put the final touches to a redesign of first, the magazine read by members of the Local Government Association. 

As well as the above qualities, ‘good’ design in this case meant extra emphasis on accessibility features in both the digital version and in print. We needed to ensure that first is appealing and comfortable to read for everyone. 

Of course, this should be a given for any magazine redesign, but all too frequently, the integration of accessibility features is an afterthought.

When putting ‘comfort and readability for all’ front and centre of the first redesign, our team used their knowledge of accessible design to implement the following: 

  • Use black headlines and high-contrast text for body copy, for ease of reading
  • Use keylines to clearly separate different stories
  • Avoid pictures or graphics that interrupt the flow of text
  • Place headlines and associated body copy close together, for ease of navigation
  • Place captions beneath or to the side of pictures – never over the image
  • Ensure clear signposting of sections
  • Create consistent layout templates from issue to issue, for familiarity
  • Add QR codes to encourage readers online, for an alternative reading option.

Karen Thornton, editor of first, said: “The CPL One team developed a design that champions a fresh, vibrant new look, while retaining the essence and familiarity of the existing brand. We can’t wait to see it launched and get readers’ reaction.”

The new-look first will be unveiled soon (watch out for pics of the finished product on our social media channels), and we are very proud to be continuing our long-standing partnership with the LGA, having retained the contract after a competitive re-pitch earlier this year.

Fresh approach for striking new campaign

CPL One team creates stylish visuals to promote Godolphin’s online shop.

“One colour. One team.” This is the strapline at the heart of an exciting new campaign to promote Team Godolphin merchandise to its many thousands of global fans.

CPL One already carries out a broad range of marketing for the Godolphin racing and breeding team – and we were briefed to take a fresh approach to promote online sales via the Godolphin Shop.

As the images above and below show, it features a striking combination of black-and-white photography and the same blue colour that appears on the famous racing silks worn by Godolphin’s team of jockeys.

The black-and-white core photography ensures CPL One’s creative solution has a classic and authentic feel. This is reinforced by the way thumbnail images are displayed as if they were appearing on a traditional photographic contact sheet.

Before embarking on the design phase the CPL One team carried out research with a range of Godolphin employees, customers and stakeholders. 

With a brief to maximise existing photography, the creatives show various types of merchandise being worn by a combination of models – including current Champion Jockey William Buick and various Godolphin employees.  

The creatives are being used across all Godolphin websites, and for an organic and paid-for social media and digital advertising campaign.

Alison Horan, group head of marketing for Godolphin, said: “The first Godolphin online shop launched in April 2023 and sales have grown steadily since then. We are keen to further increase engagement and sales to our global fanbase so we set the CPL One team the challenge of pushing the boundaries with a new creative approach to promoting our online products.

“We really liked the way they took the time to research some different options and design routes and are delighted with the end result.”

As part of the next phase of development, the CPL One team is now overseeing a project to create a range of new product photography that will further improve the look and feel of the Godolphin online shop.