Icy Calm Pty Ltd
Cool, calm and collected strategy and copywriting.
Services Overview
In terms of my core services, most people are pretty clear about what a copywriter does, less so with that of a Strategist. For me, one is a subset of the other, and both need to know an awful lot about a client before they can do their job properly.
In the role of Strategist I aim to solve any number of business and brand challenges for my clients. This always begins with listening, asking questions and independent research to ensure I fully understand their business, the category, competitors and landscape in which they currently or intend to operate in.
I then aim to find the business focus, identify core values, competitive positioning, ideal audiences, key messaging and optimum channels of communication. In addition to this I develop a written brief that brings together the attitudes and interests of both client and consumer, and provides the creative team with a platform of insight from which to seed their thinking.
Whether it is planning or writing, much of what I do is simply searching for the clues that will solve a client challenge, be it increasing sales, raising awareness, enhancing prestige, creating jobs, cutting costs or benefiting society or the environment.
For those that require a comprehensive look at their brand and communications, I have developed a dedicated Marketing Strategy Package designed to examine and establish strategic brand fundamentals. It is most useful when a business or organisation is in start-up mode or looking to reinvent or reinvigorate its sales and marketing activities. It includes a variety of exercises, tools and processes that come together to help create the core marketing plan for the organization and creative brief for those responsible for implementing the plan and strategies contained within.
Over the years I’ve worked in a lot of different creative, strategic and management environments, so my skills are not limited to purely strategy and writing, nor can they be easily defined. It’s very difficult to put what I do into a box! There’s also the issue of terminology – some like to call me a ‘strategist’ and others a ‘planner’. So to find out what I really do, I took a survey of my clients to find out what they thought I do, or have done for them. Here’s the results…
As part of that survey I also asked my clients how they rated our working relationship on a range of different criteria. The results are below and thankfully quite flattering!
Over the years I have also taken a few different personality and IQ tests, but one I have found very insightful, thanks to Johannes at PLAY, was the Kolbe Test. The Kolbe A Index measures a person’s instinctive method of operation (MO), and identifies the ways he or she will be most productive. Here’s my top level summary… quite appropriate actually!
Nigel has worked with us on a wide range of clients for copywriting and brand and web strategy. We love working with Nigel! It’s great to work with someone who is genuine and who is so easy to work with. We get the results we need for our clients and truly enjoy the process. I can’t recommend Nigel enough and don’t tell everyone but, it’s great to have a strategist who also does great copy – it’s a magic combination!
Sha–mayne Chan, Director, 2Birds Design
Client experience
3 mobile
350.org
ACT Health
Aerosure
Alphabet Foundation
Amazon Conservation Association
Amnesty International
Australian Ethical Investment
Australian Transport Safety Bureau
Australian National Maritime Museum
Barefoot College
BOLD Inc
Borneo Orangutang Survival
Bravehearts
Bruny Island Charters
Cantor CO2e
Charles Darwin University
Coca Cola
Cockatoo Island
Coco Republic
Collider
Crowe Horwath
Deutsche Bank Asia Pacific
Eleven Eleven Project (11.11.11)
Environmental IQ
Essential FX
Exponential Markets
Fisher Price
Fox Sports
Frasers Property
General Pants
Green Team
Greenpeace Australia
Hackett Films
Hire a Hubby
Imperial Hotel
Lenovo
Macquarie Bank
Moon Group
MySpace
Nyrstar
Odyssey Leadership
Optus
Pacific Solar
Parks Australia, Kakadu National Park
Pinctada Resorts
Plantmaster Products
PLAY Communication
Qantas
QRail
Queen Victoria Building
Red Cross Australia
Red Dust Role Models
SA Water
Saint and Sinner Wines
South Pacific Whale Sanctuary
Sydney Dance Company
Sydney Foundation
Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
Sydney Opera House
Thomsons Lawyers
TIP TOP
Tourism Northern Territory
Tourism Victoria
Turner Freeman Lawyers
Tyro
Urban Attitude
Virgin Mobile
Vodafone
VW
Whirlpool
Wines of the King Valley
Wool Innovation
Wrap and Roll
WWF