Express & Star

M3 roars forward with German wildlife attraction win

A full service advertising agency has cast aside Brexit uncertainty to secure a major project for one of Germany’s leading wildlife attractions.

Published
Stuart Perry

M3 has illustrated the strength of the UK’s creative expertise by overcoming the domestic challenge of a host of big agencies to be appointed to complete a strategic brand review of the Serengeti Park, a spectacular 20-acre resort boasting 1,500 wild and exotic animals and 40 stunning rides, in Hodenhagen, Lower Saxony.

The firm, which has offices in Albrighton, near Wolverhampton; Birmingham and London, impressed bosses with the way it had helped West Midlands Safari Park increase visitor numbers considerably over a 15-year period, not to mention the execution of ‘Land of the Living Dinosaurs’, ‘Visit Ice Age’ and 2019’s ‘Discover it All’ commercial and multimedia campaign.

It has assembled a dedicated team of creatives, planners and account managers to complete a brand review in order to support its 2020 vision.

“We’ve started to make a real name for ourselves internationally, with this latest contract following big wins with Harley Davidson, Solmar Villas and Affordable Car Hire,” explained Nick Lovett, managing director of M3.

“The initial enquiry came after our work with West Midlands Safari Park had impressed Fabrizio Sepe, Owner of Serengeti Park. He invited us over to Germany for a chat so a couple of us got on a plane and went to meet him, completing a two-day fact-finding tour of the attraction.”

He continued: “There was chemistry straight away and we were delighted when we had a phone call shortly after asking us to take over the brand review project. It just goes to show how a small UK agency that is dynamic and creative can win work on an international stage.”

M3’s approach will be based on the three Ds of discover, define and deploy and this will start with a number of on-site workshops in Germany, designed to understand visitor behaviour and how the current/future brand relates to the ‘customer experience’.

This will help to provoke conversations about the current positioning statement and a brand story that will give Serengeti Park the platform it needs to execute its 2020 vision.

Stuart Perry, creative director at M3, will be leading the project on the ground. He said: “We’ve assembled a great team of experts that have plenty of experience in this field and also an understanding of the different media mixes that go into moulding a successful creative campaign for Serengeti.

“There’s lots of challenges around working with international clients, not least understanding the local ‘nuances’ and how this is communicated through the brand story. This is something we’ll get to grips with at the earliest stage and with the help of linguists who have an excellent grasp of the dialect.

"The brand review and positioning will be completed over the next six months and, then if they like what we come up with, we would love the opportunity to deliver the concept, a new website and external marketing campaigns across all media channels.”

M3, which employs over 40 people across its three offices, has seen turnover grow 15 per cent over the last 12 months, with annual fees now passing more than £4m per year.

It offers significant expertise in online and offline advertising, digital marketing, creative communications and acquisition marketing to clients in the automotive, industry, leisure, and travel sectors.