LBi International

LBi London is #1 in Top 100 Marketing Agencies League Table

Posted by Imogen Thacker October 25th, 2010

LBi has topped the NMA Top 100 Interactive Marketing Agencies 2010 guide to become the UK’s NUMBER ONE DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCY second year running www.lbi.co.uk.

Founded in 1995 LBi currently employs almost 500 digital specialists in the UK and provides marketing and technology solutions to a range of quality clients including BT, M&S, Virgin Atlantic, Electrolux, Etihad, Unilever, Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays and E.on.

This year, LBi has expanded its media offering by merging with leading search specialist, bigmouthmedia, to make LBi the largest digital marketing and technology agency in Europe. Bigmouthmedia clients include BT, British Airways, Europcar, Fujitsu and Radisson.

Highlights for LBi in the past 12 months include winning some amazing accounts including E.ON , the UK’s leading power and gas companies, Virgin Atlantic, Ericsson and Comparethemarket.com.  Bigmouthmedia wins include Standard Life, Littlewoods Europe, Habitat , Dyson, and Radisson

LBi has also made several key hires during the past year including Andrew Pinkess as Director of Strategy, Glenn Jones, as Client Partner and Phil Gripton, as UK MD of bigmouthmedia.   And the infamous industry event of the year, the ‘LBi Rave’, is set to have its second succession mash at the LBi London Brick Lane offices, on Thursday 2^nd December.

Anil Pillai, MD, LBi UK says: “2010 has exceeded all of our expectations.  The agency has more self-belief, creative energy and breadth of skills. As a result, we have enjoyed greater new business success and strengthened our existing client relationships. 2011 is set to be a promising year as we see our work bearing fruit and continue to move the agency forwards”.

Ewen Sturgeon, CEO, LBi UK says: “Our work is more blended than ever before which sets LBi up to enter 2011 with great promise. The integration of CRM, Social Media, and Analytics into more traditional marketing disciplines will be the foundations for LBi’s work going forward”.

Lyndsay Menzies, CEO, BMM UK says, “Its testament to a great team that in 2010 not only have we combined the two business but have continued to see strong performance whilst now engaging with clients right across the digital spectrum. 2011 looks set to be another successful year for the company”.

Tags: Anil Pillai, bigmouthmedia, Ewen Sturgeon, LBi London, LBi UK, Lyndsay Menzies

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LBi appoints Caroline McGuckian to MD of LBi Milan

Posted by Imogen Thacker June 1st, 2010

LBi is pleased to announce that Caroline McGuckian has taken the role of Managing Director of LBi IconMedialab based in Milan.  LBi IconMedialab is the leading digital agency in Italy and has been established for 11 years.  LBi IconMedialab retains a stellar list of clients such as Lavazza, Alfa Romeo and the European Space Agency.  Caroline’s position will be key to ensuring that the Italian office offers a consistent LBi global offering to both international and local clients engaged in that territory.

Caroline leaves LBi UK where she has held the position of Head of Media and Director of Strategic Services for 7 years.  This is an important step for LBi as Italy is a key strategic market for LBi’s fast growing roster of global clients. One of her first challenges will be to integrate a very strong local bigmouthmedia offering and to build stronger capabilities in Social Media, CRM, Analytics and the LBi dashboard offering.

Caroline will also retain a group role advising on the development and integration of LBi’s expanded media and search capability, resulting from the bigmouthmedia deal.

Ewen Sturgeon, CEO of LBi UK says “LBi Milan is a key office which has the potential to be a very important part of the group. Both Luke Taylor and I are very excited that Caroline has taken on this important challenge and are certain she will make a huge difference. While performing this role Caroline will also be advising the UK and Lyndsay Menzies on how best to continue developing our media and search capabilities across the group and will also be involved in other key group initiatives“

Tags: Caroline McGuckian, Ewen Sturgeon, IconMedialab, LBi London, LBi UK, Luke Taylor

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LBi and Microsoft Gold Certified Partnership

Posted by Imogen Thacker May 14th, 2010

LBi, the world’s largest independent marketing and technology agency has again received the Microsoft gold certified partnership accolade and continues to provide clients with best-in-class digital solutions built on Microsoft technologies. LBi was able to achieve the Gold Certified partnership because of the large number of successful client implementations on Microsoft technologies in 2009 and also LBi increased the number of certified developers in the network by 15%.

“The Microsoft and LBi partnership represents a great opportunity to deliver innovative solutions to clients.” says Matt Pilgrim, Partner Account Manager at Microsoft. “With Microsoft’s Platform, development tools and increasing functionality and interoperability across the range of products, there is a great base for LBi to add to their creative flair and technology insight to empower their clients with productivity improving solutions and compelling experiences across a range of delivery mediums.”

LBi’s breadth and depth of skills and delivery of successful services and solutions has seen LBi gain Microsoft competencies in SOA and Business Process, Information Worker Solutions (Enterprise Content Management and Forms Specialization), Mobility Solutions, Custom Development Solutions (Web Development Specialization) and Business Intelligence. These Microsoft competencies have helped LBi achieve the Gold Certified Partnership with Microsoft for the fourth year running.

Anil Pillai, Managing Director for LBi UK, says “Our clients are increasingly asking us to participate in defining opportunities to innovate using digital media. Our partnership has deepened over the last few years offering us more insight into some of the tremendous research and development on platforms and devices coming through the Microsoft stable. These early views provide our teams with inspiration and input into new and innovative ideas for brand marketing and consumer engagement.“

LBi has been a Microsoft partner for over ten years and the relationship has seen a significant investment in people, training and infrastructure at LBi offices worldwide. Riaz Ahmed, Head of Microsoft Solutions at LBi values the partnership:

“I encourage my developers to keep up with the latest innovations and products from Microsoft and this partnership helps LBi tap into product and research teams at Microsoft. We get to find out what’s coming up and get the necessary training and support to help put a best in class Microsoft technology solution in place for our clients. We’ve had some great client success stories with solutions built on .NET, Commerce Server, SharePoint, BizTalk and SQL Server. At LBi blending technology, creativity and user experience is key, our relationships and engagements span various industries and we have developed Microsoft solutions for some of the world’s most recognised brands including Sony, Marks & Spencer, BT, Toyota, HMV, Volvo, NHS, Sara Lee, Newell Rubbermaid and many more.”

LBi has a stellar track record of developing cutting edge Microsoft solutions whether it’s developing the next large scale multi-language CMS platform on SharePoint, an international multi-branded eCommerce solution on Commerce Server and BizTalk or an international campaign site developed on .NET and SQL Server. What makes these projects so successful is the ability to combine these technology implementations with great design and user experience as well as the insights of marketing strategy and planning.

“2010 is a big year for technology at LBi” added Mr Ahmed. “and with an array of new Microsoft products spanning multiple devices and platforms, you can count on LBi utilising them to develop something exciting and technologically innovative for our clients.”

Tags: Anil Pillai, Gold certified, LBi, LBi London, LBi UK, Microsoft, Riaz Ahmed

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LBi to host CANNES workshop

Posted by Imogen Thacker May 14th, 2010

Mentors for the session orchestrated by Laurent Ezekiel, LBi’s Worldwide Client Services Director will include Emma Jenkins, Associate Marketing Director, P&G, Gav Thompson, Director of brand strategy, 02, Jason Goodman, Chief Executive officer, Albion and Kieron Matthews, Marketing Director, IAB (Internet Advertising Bureau).

Laurent Ezekiel will host a workshop at the Annual Cannes Lions festival on June 24th at 3pm entitled: ‘The Quest for the perfect storm’. This will be based on solving the diverse issues facing agencies and marketers when they receive a global brief and the premise that one size no longer fits all. Today, the same pitch might need to cover mobile in India, twitter in Brazil, TV in Australia, social networks in the Netherlands or the Middle East and radio on the west coast of the USA.

The seminar will cover how a brand can achieve the perfect global relationship with their customers factoring in geography, diverse processes, culture and a fragmented media landscape. The brief to the audience will be to create and answer a practical global brief and present back at the session. Following a brief presentation with advertising, social media and digital examples from countries as such as Brazil, Japan, India, Korea, Denmark, Singapore, Sweden, the US and the UK the workshop will help inspire the delegates to tease out ideas that make the most of the digital arena whilst considering their application in other media. Mentors will show planning techniques, past success stories, key insights and data to help stimulate the groups.

Laurent oversees LBi’s global clients and helps develop the LBi network, globally. He is excited about the event and says “We’ve assembled a top class team and we’re looking forward to putting some of our experience into practice…”

Tags: Laurent Ezekiel, LBi, LBi London, LBi UK

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