Following an extensive vetting process, Switch Media in Fenwick Street, have been accepted as an approved supplier to the BBC for new media commissions.

Aaron Bimpson, Switch Media commercial director, said: “We’re really proud of the whole team at Switch Media and delighted that we have made it on to the list of approved BBC providers.

“It is an exciting time for Switch Media and we hope to be working with the BBC on new media commissions in the very near future.”
The Liverpool web design and internet service provider is one of the fastest growing technology companies in the UK.

Switch Media were awarded Gold in the Fresh Creative Awards 2009 for Best Use of Typography last November for the Liverpool-based Letterpool project and have recently been shortlisted for Best Use of Typography in the prestigious Roses Advertising Awards which will take place in May 2010.

For more information about Switch Media or for interview opportunities please call Caroline Aspinall at Active Profile on 0151 601 8688 or email caroline.aspinall@activeprofile.co.uk
 

Switch Media, hailed as one of the fastest growing technology companies in the UK, is shortlisted in the Best Use of Typography category for their recently published book containing the best of the Letterpool entries.

This is the second national award nomination for Letterpool project.

The first saw the Letterpool website scoop Gold at the Fresh Awards last November and now Switch Media have received a nomination for their 196-page hard back book, Letterpool: Urban Art and Architecture in Liverpool.

Aaron Bimpson, Switch Media commercial director, said: “We’re really delighted to be nominated for such a coveted award and are especially pleased that it is for Letterpool – a home grown art project of ours.

“We believe that we are the only Liverpool-based company to be nominated in this year’s awards so are understandably proud.

“For the creative community the Roses Advertising Awards showcase innovation and creativity in the industry.

“It is a highly prestigious event and gives us the chance to show off the great creative work that is going on in Liverpool.

“Letterpool is a beautiful book that really captures Liverpool’s creative language.

“We hope its art, design and photogrpaphy will impress the judges, but more than that we hope that the Liverpudlian pride in their city and their love for Liverpool’s art, culture and heritage will shine through.”

Letterpool was a project to collect images of great Liverpool typography, whether on signs, buildings or on works of art.

The project received extensive national and local media coverage – being featured on Channel 4 and in publications including METRO, the Liverpool Daily Post and .NET Magazine.

Judging for the Roses Advertising Award is headed by Trevor Beattie from BMB, who created the FCUK brand for French Connection and designed the “Hello Boys” campaign for Wonderbra.

Switch Media is shortlisted alongside McCann Erickson and BJL. The winner will be announced at an awards dinner at the Ramada Hotel, Manchester, on Thursday May 6 2010.

For more information about Letterpool, please visit www.letterpool.com or email info@letterpool.com

Notes to editors:

The Letterpool Book is available from bookshops across the city centre, including W H Smiths, Waterstones, News from Nowhere, Utility, TATE Liverpool and FACT for £14.99. It is published by Switch Media Press. ISBN 978-0-9563955-0-4


We’ve all heard the arguments for and against online shopping versus ‘the real thing’. Many consumers lack the time to spend walking round shops; the money to risk impulse buying; and the patience to deal with the never ending crowds and queues. For those people, the internet has provided a convenient route to the high street, allowing them to browse websites in the comfort of their own home and having their purchases delivered to their door. Or using the internet as a stepping stone to ‘the real thing’; a browsing tool to help find exactly what they need before heading directly to the actual shop and buying that item there and then, as they don’t completely trust the website’s product description or image.

However for a number of consumers, online shopping just can’t compare to ‘the real thing’. As convenient as it may be, it is impossible for online retailers to offer that all important shopping experience. A day spent in good company, browsing shops and getting a feel for their atmosphere and their style. Being able to try on the clothes and instantly know whether the colour, the fit and the fabric, make it the perfect item for you. And if not, you leave the item behind and move on to the next shop full of different and wonderful creations. No harm done. And this is where some online retailers are falling short, while others are taking the lead.

One particular online-only fashion retailer (ASOS – www.asos.com) has gone from strength to strength over the past few years, despite not having the luxury of a bricks and mortar shop to build up a client base, create a strong brand identity, and offer customers that security of having people they can physically see and speak to. Their success is partly down to an inspired and on-trend product range and a great PR team, but the thought that has gone into their website gives it that extra edge and clearly shows that they are trying to make up for what they lack in the shopping experience.

Multiple product angles, model shots, a zoom feature to offer that essential close up on the details, and most importantly, video footage of each item of clothing being modelled on a catwalk. That video allows us to imagine ourselves wearing that item; understanding how the fabric falls, the proportions, the colours, everything we would look for if we were trying it on for real in a changing room. Obviously it can’t guarantee it will fit like a glove, or make you look as good as the model in the video, but these advanced features arm the customer with as much information about a product as is possible for an online store, reducing the uncertainty over whether a product is suitable and giving them the confidence to go ahead and make the purchase.

It is strange then, that despite how helpful and influential these features are, this company is in a minority of online retailers who have gone to these lengths to give their customers that extra confidence to make a purchase. Surely the larger retailers, who rely on their already strong reputation to attract online custom, are missing a trick that could increase their online sales even further. From personal experience, there is nothing more annoying than buying what I think is a full length top from the website of a leading brand, only to receive it 3 days later and discover it doesn’t even cover my belly button. Then finding myself doing exactly what I was trying to avoid in the first place; searching through the rails on my lunch break for something more suitable, as I no longer trust the online product descriptions or my judgement of online images. This could all be prevented if these retailers took on board some of the functionality used by their online competitor; advancing their websites to truly cater for their online market and improving the quality of their website to match the quality of their actual stores.

I suppose the moral of the story for retailers, is not to get over confident and just assume that their popularity and success will transfer to the online market; they have to work hard at attracting and maintaining their online customers just as much as their offline customers. The use of advanced features and functionality in their websites is a key factor in this, as when used correctly, it can go a long way to providing that missing link between the online experience and ‘the real thing’. I think we have established that, for the majority, online shopping will never be quite as popular as ‘the real thing’, but it is clearly going strong and will continue to do so, as long as the retailers make the effort to provide a good service and understand that the needs of their online customers are different to the needs of their offline customers. If this isn’t understood, then the most successful offline retailers will find themselves losing the online battle to those companies who are putting some serious thought into their online market, and more specifically into the continuous improvement and development of their websites.

Sarah Gomery

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