Pennebaker | Fifth Ring, as the company is known in the United States, received the award for the planning and execution of the 2009 HIMA Americas Integrated Marketing Plan. The company scored 90% for the work completed in an assessment by a panel of professional marketers and distinguished members of the PRSA Houston Chapter.

The HIMA Americas campaign used a mix of traditional and non-traditional public relations tactics, including whitepapers, telemarketing, press releases and case studies, to successfully drive sales leads and identify prospects in a business-to-business environment.

HIMA America’s is part of Germany-based HIMA Group and is the global leader in safety-related process automation.

The Integrated Marketing award recognises a project that employs the creative and effective integration and leadership of public relations strategies and tactics.

Fifth Ring’s business development director, Ian Ord, who is responsible for the Houston office said: “It’s wonderful to see our work recognised and receiving this prestigious gold award is true testament to the team’s hard work and dedication. To be award winners in less than two years since our launch in Houston is a huge achievement.

“To have our expertise recognised by the PRSA is fantastic and illustrates that our aim to increase the value of our clients business is paying dividends for our client and ourselves.”

Fifth Ring, which now employs 80 people across the United Kingdom, United States and Middle East, offers a full range of corporate communications services. The company provides a global communications strategy combined with local delivery in the key energy capitals of the world, thereby supporting the ambition of its clients to grow internationally.

Business development director Ian Ord and PR account manager Phil Allan, were joined by friend Chris Clark on the four-day cycling marathon that saw the trio join 13 other riders on the 433-mile charity bike ride throughout the length of Scotland.

The guys tackled the inaugural MOG-JOG (Mull of Galloway to John O’Groats) cycle challenge in aid of UCAN and the charity looks set to smash its £30,0000 target from the event.

Beginning at Mull of Galloway (MOG) at the most southerly tip of Scotland on Friday (June 4) and ending at John O’Groats (JOG) on June 8, the ride represented a daunting daily tally of over 100-miles in the saddle and took in some of the nation’s most spectacular – and hilly – countryside. In addition to the hours spent in the saddle the cyclists had to cope with the vagaries of the Scottish summer – single figure temperatures and rain and wind, for three of the four days.

UCAN is dedicated to raising awareness of urological cancers, and improving support and quality of life for people and families who are affected. The four main urological cancers include kidney, bladder, testicular and prostate cancers. Urological cancers account for 1-in-3 of all cancers in men and 1-in-5 of all cancers in men and women.

Ian has good reason to support the charity. In 1989, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Thanks to an early diagnosis and swift treatment, he made a full recovery. As a result, he is passionate about getting across the message to men in particular, that seeking medical advice at an early stage can literally make the difference between life and death.

“Thanks to the expert medical advice and care I received I have had 7,500 extra days of life. Taking part in the UCAN cycle challenge is a small price to pay to give something back to a charity which does so much to raise awareness of urological cancers.”

The MOG-JOG began with a 13-mile warm up from Mull of Galloway to Sandend on Friday evening. The next day, the guys and around 20 people who signed up for the challenge, tackled an average of 105 miles per day in four stages. The route stuck largely to minor roads, many included in the national cycle network.

Phil said: “It was an incredible trip, the miles ticked, the weather was foul but we have a real sense of achievement. To have raised so much money for UCAN is just fantastic. We have been astounded by people’s generosity and support. It was a tremendous effort from all those involved and represented a real physical challenge.”

Ian added: “We won’t tire of repeating of saying ‘thank you’, for the tremendous support. It kept us going during the tougher times of the trip.”

Friday saw the cyclists complete an easy 16 miles from Mull of Galloway to Sandhead after a team photo at the picturesque lighthouse on the southerly tip of Scotland.

Stage Two from Sandhead to Lanark was completed in bright, warm sunshine with a favourable wind. Before the team arrived in Lanark, tired but exhilarated and enjoyed a well-earned cold beer.

Sunday was Lanark to Pitlochry and 115 miles in the cold and mist. The journey through Livingston was grim, more stop-start cycling due to complicated routing and horrible rain. Chris had the inspired idea of stopping off at a petrol station and bought some gaffer tape to wrap round Ian’s broken finger to keep it safe. Everyone was glad to arrive in Pitlochry for a shower and dry clothes

Monday was Pitlochry to Evanton and another 100 plus miles. The bikes were taking a battering and needed some maintenance before setting off on the next stage. The Drumochter Pass heralded black clouds and the heavens opened and it was several hours in the rain before the guys regrouped for the final slog to Evanton near Dingwall.

Tuesday was Evanton to John O’Groats and the 106 miles began with a photocall for the P&J and with the rain letting up the pace was steady. As the day went on a headwind got up and it was back to slogging into the rain and fog. Ian’s knee had gone, but there was no way he was contemplating giving in as John O’Groats became more than just a name on a roadsign.



Ian: “It was a hard five days and we are delighted to have received such a large sum of money this worthy cause. I would like to credit everyone involved, as there has been a great spirit among the team, despite the horrible weather.”

For Chris Clark, of John Clark Motor Group in Aberdeen, the trip also has relevance as his grandmother has recently been diagnosed with a urological cancer.

Details of the MOG-JOG route:

June 5 - Stage one: Sandhead to Lanark, through the scenic and hilly Galloway countryside. This stage covers the South of Scotland in a day, travelling from Dumfries and Galloway into Lanarkshire (which has more hills than you might think). Travelling mostly on unclassified roads heading north east from the starting point.

June 6 - Stage two: Lanark to Pitlochry. Day two passes through West Lothian before crossing the Forth Road Bridge into Fife and on in to Perthshire and the final stop at Pitlochry in the heart of Scotland and the halfway point on the journey.

June 7 - Stage three: Pitlochry to Evanton north of Inverness. Most of the day follows the National Cycle Route 7, with long stretches alongside the busy A9, except on the old road which runs parallel and performs the role of extra wide bike path. The drop down to Inverness leads us over the Kessock Bridge to finish at the village of Evanton.

June 8 - Stage four: Evanton to John O’Groats: The home stretch leading through Alness and Tain heads north to Golspie and Brora. There’s a late sting in the tale at Helmsdale where the Berridale Braes provide the last and possibly the toughest test. The guys will be hoping for a tail wind for the final few miles run in to John O'Groats.

For more information on UCAN, which was set up in 2005 and offers support for patients and their families through the UCAN Care Centre at Ward 44 at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, visit

UAE

UAE based Lamprell has won a $129 million newbuild windmill installation vessel contract from UK wind installation specialists Seajacks. The contract is for design, construction and delivery of a Gusto MSC NG-5500 design self-elevating and self-propelled offshore wind turbine installation vessel, to be named Seajacks Zaratan and will be delivered in 2012.

KUWAIT

Kuwait National Oil Company has awarded Italy’s Saipem a contract for US$900m for an engineering, procurement and construction contract for its new booster station. The station is made up of three high and low pressure gas trains. Once built the trains will produce 234 million cubic feet per day of dry gas and 69,000 barrels per day of condensate.

SAUDI ARABIA

Luksa, a joint venture between Russia’s Lukoil and state oil giant Saudi Aramco, has relinquished 90 percent of a gas exploration block in Saudi Arabia. Luksar relinquished most of the 29,900 sq km area in Saudi’s Empty Quarter last October and has decided to go ahead with the second phase.

Saudi Arabia will store 3.8 million barrels of crude oil in Japan, helping the Pacific nation stock up its reserves while giving the top oil exported better access to Asian markets.

What would typically take six months was fast-tracked into an intense twelve-week timeframe. Work included stakeholder analysis and strategic workshops right through to logo design and key messaging. Their new strategic principle, “Enriching the community” represents the significant impact the department has on its community, tourism and media.

The award was presented at an event for UAE Government officials, dignitaries and VIPs, to launch the new brand identity, and publish the vision, mission and values of the Ajman Culture and Media Departmentat the Kempinksi Hotel in Ajman.

Annette Fernandes, Fifth Ring’s group operations director who oversaw the entire project, commented: “In a very short period of time we have been able to establish a strong commercial relationship with the department, created a strong and vibrant identity and launched it to their key stakeholders. This has only been achievable through genuine teamwork and mutual respect between our two organisations.

“What made this project standout is that every single element of the work carried out was done simultaneously in Arabic and English, from initial research, every interview and resulting messaging. We had teams thinking from left to right, and teams thinking from right to left. I know I speak for everyone at Fifth Ring when I say this has gone beyond simply delivering on the project to something that we will all hold special for years to come.”

The Culture and Media Department is the first department within the Government of Ajman to undertake such an in-depth analysis of their stakeholders and market positioning. As a result, the department is now empowered with the knowledge and vision to develop and strengthen their offering in terms of culture, tourism and mediain the emirate as well as reinforcing their image locally, regionally and internationally.

Faisal Al Nuaimi, Deputy General Manager of the Ajman Culture and Media Department said, “Although our corporate identity has never been absent, we felt the department needed to refocus and reposition itself within the community. We approached Fifth Ring, due to their reputation for delivering world-class branding, and after 3 months of in-depth research and analysis they helped us develop a new identity with a clear and compelling 2 year vision.

Fifth Ring have been working with brands and clients across governmental, energy and consumer sectors, in the UAE, Europe and the US since 1991.

Since the firm launched Pennebaker | Fifth Ring in August 2008, it has won significant business with US and international clients, including BP, GE Oil & Gas and Expro.

The US presence has had a positive impact on the company’s UK and Middle East offices allowing the company, which now employs 80 people across the regions, to offer a full range of corporate communications services through a global strategy with local delivery, creating a sound platform for growth.

Fifth Ring’s business development director, Ian Ord, said: “Many of our new business wins have been as a direct result of the international offering we can deliver to our clients and it is fantastic for growing the business further. In an era of unprecedented turmoil in the world economy it is greatly encouraging to have had a successful first year in Houston. This has been achieved thanks to a great deal of hard work from our teams in Houston and our other UK and Middle East offices.

“When Fifth Ring set out to establish our offices in the world’s main energy centres our focus was on expanding market share in the energy sector and increasingly businesses are channelling their corporate communications challenges to us because they recognise the benefits of an international strategy, but at the same time the need to deliver powerful - and localised - marketing communications message.”

Following the successful launch of Fifth Ring’s Insider’s Guide to Houston for OTC last year, the company is producing an updated online guide using its knowledge of the city.

The guide, which received around 1,400 website hits surrounding the week of OTC 2009, will provide the hundreds of north-east delegates with the inside track on dozens of the best venues to go for food, drinks and shopping in the United States oil capital, which welcomes thousands of visitors to the world’s leading oil and technology exhibition from 3-6 May.

Fifth Ring’s guide is specific to the areas that are easily accessible to delegates and lists attractions fitting in with their hectic schedules during OTC. The new guide has received further improvements based on the feedback from last year’s visitors, which has lead to new categories, including Cheap Eats, Golf Courses, Cultural Events & Shows and Greater Houston Attractions.

It has been written with support from Aberdeen’s Munro’s Travel Group, which organises the travel arrangements for almost 400 delegates attending the exhibition from the north-east of Scotland and from the Aberdeen Press and Journal newspaper.

Mr Ord said: “I am delighted with the positive response we received last year for both the OTC Houston and Offshore Europe Aberdeen Guides. The guide provides the full skinny, as they say in Texas, on the best restaurants, bars, entertainment, sights and shopping, all recommended by native Houstonians.

“This year’s interactive map is specifically created to give visitors to OTC a comprehensive guide, based on the recommendations from the people who know the city best. OTC is a truly international event and we have clients attending from the north-east of Scotland, but also Scandinavia, Europe and the Middle East, many of whom are attending the conference for the first time.”

The website can be found at www.otcinsidersguide.com

Fifth Ring Integrated Communications, one of the Middle East’s leading independent marketing companies, has made three significant appointments within its public relations division. The expansion comes as a result of winning a number of PR contracts at the end of 2009 and early 2010, totaling over AED 1.2 million in fees. Kate Doherty, joins Fifth Ring as PR account director. Australian born Kate has more than 10 years of experience in public relations and event & exhibition planning and management across Australasia, Europe and the Middle East. Regionally, Kate held the position of events manager at Emaar, before going on to consult for clients including TRESemme, Mark Wilkinson Furniture, and the European Institute of Geoscientists & Engineers. Mary Khamasmieh joins the team as senior PR account manager. Originally a business journalist in Syria, Mary has been operating at a senior level for five years, handling clients including RAK Petroleum, Deutsche Bank, Mubadala and ALDAR properties. Completing the recruitment within the PR division is Emily Houltram, who joins as an account executive. A PR degree graduate with a strong social and on-line media background in B2B and consumer, Emily moved to the UAE from the UK in 2008 and worked at ENG Worldwide prior to joining Fifth Ring. Nicola Gregson, head of public relations at Fifth Ring, said: “The whole marketing industry has, of course, taken a hit over the past 12 to 18 months and companies have had to be cautious. The last quarter of 2009 was a very busy period; we saw a huge increase in companies starting to move forwards with their marketing again, most of our new business opportunities came to us through referrals from existing clients, and following competitive pitches, we are delighted to have secured a number of very exciting accounts across both our consumer and B2B teams. “This is the first time we have actively recruited in over a year. Finding the right people takes time; there are more people available and looking for work, but they aren’t necessarily the most qualified or experienced within our sectors. A company, as any brand, does have a reputation that it builds up for its work, but we believe a service company is only as good as it’s employees, and we continue to build a very strong team”. Fifth Ring Integrated Communications is a full service marketing company, offering public relations, digital media, brand & strategy, advertising and design and production capabilities, with offices in the Middle East, the UK and North America.

The wins were achieved across all areas of the business, including brand and strategy development, design, digital media, advertising and public relations. The firm, which specialises in business to business sector, employs more than 70 people and now works with over 30 energy companies through its offices, in Aberdeen, Inverness, Dubai and Houston.

In its UK offices, new business value exceeded £700,000, much of it achieved with new clients including prestigious organisations operating internationally and regionally including oil majors and leading international service companies including GE Oil and Gas and Tendeka.

The company’s Dubai office achieved significant new business worth more than £200,000 in the oil and gas and consumer sectors. Fashion firm Landmark International has taken on Fifth Ring to promote its fashion brands New Look, Reiss, Koton and Aftershock in the Middle East and North Africa. Fifth Ring in Dubai also secured a six-figure contract with dmg world media for three of the Middle East’s largest trade exhibitions INDEX, The Big 5 and The Office Exhibition.

Fifth Ring, which has been operating in the Middle East since 2004, specialises within the energy, property and construction, education, leisure and professional services sectors, and have been working with dmg on two of its international energy exhibitions: ADIPEC and Gastech, since 2008.

Fifth Ring’s Houston operation, which enjoyed its first full year in business in 2009 has already generated almost £400,000 since opening in August 2008 and has seen the company win significant business with US clients including a major international exploration and production company, GE Oil and Gas and Expro.

Fifth Ring’s business development director, Ian Ord, said: “Many of our new business wins have been as a direct result of the international offering we can deliver to our clients. In an era of unprecedented turmoil in the world economy it is greatly encouraging to have secured an impressive level of new business. This has been won thanks to a great deal of hard work from our teams around the world and augurs well for the business in 2010.

“When Fifth Ring set out to establish our offices in the world’s main energy centres our focus was on increasing market share in the energy sector and increasingly businesses are channelling their corporate communications challenges to us because they recognise the benefits of the integrated approach in different geographies.”

Fifth Ring, which now employs 70 people, works with clients to develop and execute impactful strategic campaigns to maximise a company’s brand, regionally and internationally.

Around 30 invited guests attended the event at the Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen, which included a discussion forum with short presentations from the five business leaders as they pinpointed the key elements of how their companies’ brands affect their business. The evening also allowed guests the opportunity to sample some of world’s best whiskies, specially selected by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Guest speakers included Bob Keiller, chief executive of PSN, Trevor Burgess, managing director of investment specialists Lime Rock Partners, Bob Borland, group HR manager with ITS, Mike Beveridge, managing director of Simmons & Company and Fifth Ring’s director of brand and strategy development Peter Lyall.

Mr Lyall explained why businesses ought to place as much emphasis on how the organisation is perceived as it does on refining its core products or services.

“By choosing some of Scotland’s finest malts as our theme, we have tried to illustrate that great brands are a combination of the tangible and intangible. In essence it is simple liquor, but it is sold on notions of promise, wonder, flavour and excitement. It is one of the nation’s most successful and profitable industries that is recognised and admired around the world.

“Scotch’s position of preeminence is not achieved through some kind of magical osmosis, or weird alchemy, it is down to sound planning based on research and investment in both time and money to create and manage reputation and image.”

Trevor Burgess, of Lime Rock Partners, spoke of how trust in an organisation was essential when introducing new technology to the market. Without the backing of a strong brand name and reputation, the chances of attracting investment, bringing a product to market, or filling order books was far harder.

“Bringing a product to market is like being the parent of a teenager. It’s emotional, costs more than you believed, but sometimes they can surprise you and perform better than you ever thought possible. Branding and market positioning can make a real difference as to whether your company will succeed. It is a myth that products sell themselves. Good products do not stand a chance if their value is not clearly explained or easy to prove.”

Mr Burgess spoke of overseeing the successful rebranding of Expro during his time as group director of marketing and technology, adding: “People want to be associated with cool products, so if you look good you feel good and I believe that strong branding played a major role in the successful floatation of Expro.”

Bob Keiller, of PSN, the specialist provider of engineering, operations and maintenance services to the owners of energy assets around the world, revealed that the PSN brand reflected the company’s core values.

Mr Keilller said: “When we created PSN from scratch we had to convince people it was a good idea. We needed to define what we were going to be, our reputation, how we were going to behave and what are the values of the company. It’s about the DNA. The real way to define those core values is to live by them. They have helped to shape and define the culture of the business.”

Bob Borland, of ITS Group, specialist provider of oilfield equipment and services to the global oil and gas industry, said: “A strong brand creates reasons to believe for employees and customers. Our proposition is in line with our commitment to hiring and developing local talent. We believe it gives us a better understanding of local dynamics.”

Mike Beveridge, managing director of Simmons & Company, investment bankers to the energy industry, said there were several examples of strong branding and investment in branding had a direct effect on companies’ valuation. He said building a powerful brand is important, but there is no substitute to financial performance.

“A strong brand creates opportunities for approaches and your negotiating position is strengthened. It is far better to have someone say ‘oh yes’ rather than ‘who?’ when they hear the name of your business”.

Mr Lyall said: “Our speakers have all appreciated the value of developing a strong brand identity and their prominence in their respective fields illustrates that a brand has to deliver on its promise, if it can do so, but also include elements of attraction and flare, then it is a powerful recipe for success.”

Headquartered in Aberdeen with offices in Dubai, Houston and Inverness, the company has won public relations contracts for INDEX, The Big 5 and The Office Exhibition.

INDEX, the leading trade interior design show, The Big 5, the principle international building and construction show and The Office Exhibition, the region’s premium showcase for high-end office products and services, are run by event organisers dmg world media.

Fifth Ring will work closely with dmg world media to develop highly creative and visible campaigns leading up to, and during, the events to provide exhibitor support, drive footfall and showcase the full spectrum of what each exhibition has to offer throughout the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) communities and internationally.

Fifth Ring, which has been operating in the Middle East since 2004, specialises within the energy, property and construction, education, leisure and professional services sectors, and have been working with dmg on two of its international energy exhibitions: ADIPEC and Gastech, since 2008.

Ian Ord, business development director at Fifth Ring, said: “Fifth Ring and dmg world media have established a strong working relationship over the past two years working on international energy exhibitions, and we have constantly challenged and pushed the boundaries of what can be achieved on campaigns. It is through this work that dmg recommended us to other divisions of their company and we are delighted to have been successful in winning this work.

“The Big 5, INDEX and The Office Exhibition are well established and highly regarded trade shows within the region, and working with dmg’s internal marketing team, we have put together inspirational and memorable campaigns which will directly target exhibitors and trade visitors alike.”

Louise Bays, group marketing manager at dmg world media, said: “We are delighted to be working with Fifth Ring on INDEX, The Big 5 and The Office Exhibition. We were impressed with Fifth Ring’s creativity and passion for the events, which mirrored our own, and we are confident that we will have three very successful campaigns.

“Each of these events has a new focus – INDEX places doing business at its core, against a background of cutting edge design, whilst The Big 5 is taking steps to become the first carbon neutral exhibition in the region, and The Office Exhibition will have a strong technology focus. It is, therefore, appropriate that we also have a fresh approach to all our PR activities.”

Fifth Ring, which now employs 70 people across its Aberdeen, Inverness, Dubai and Houston offices, also offers services in advertising, design, and public relations, working with clients to develop and execute impactful strategic campaigns to maximise a company’s brand, regionally and internationally.

The guide lists dozens of the best venues to go for food, drinks and places of interest in Europe’s oil capital, which this year welcomes thousands of visitors to the oil and gas exhibition from September 8-11.

The Fifth Ring guide provides delegates with the opportunity to find out more about the Granite City, it features a variety of sections including: where to entertain clients, restaurants to visit, bars, places to visit and local delicacies including Aberdeen rowies, haggis and Cullen Skink.

Business development director, Ian Ord, said: “After the success of the Insider’s Guide to Houston we developed for OTC delegates, we thought it would be extremely helpful to have an online resource that can quickly direct people to places they may wish to go in and around Aberdeen during Offshore Europe.

“I have been visiting Offshore Europe and OTC for a number of years and people always ask where to go for good food and drinks away from the exhibition itself. We have created a specific website with an interactive map that gives visitors to Offshore Europe a comprehensive guide, based on the recommendations of Aberdonians.

“Offshore Europe is such an important event for the oil and gas industry and we have clients attending from the United States, Europe and Middle East, many of whom are attending for the first time. We are really excited to offer clients and delegates an insight to the best of Aberdeen.”

The guide has been written with support from Aberdeen’s Munro’s Travel Group, which is appointed by Offshore Europe to manage the accommodation requests for both the exhibitors and delegates attending Offshore Europe.

Munro’s senior partner Jack Burnett added: “This is a fantastic resource for delegates, giving those visiting Aberdeen something extra to consider when planning their time. The guide was well received in Houston for OTC as it not only informs new visitors of places to go, but it allows regular visitors options to try new venues and locations, whilst being confident of discovering something they will like. Offshore Europe is always a very busy time for all those involved and this gives attendees the opportunity to experience the best of Aberdeen.”

The website can be found at www.oeinsidersguide.com

William Binnie joins as service unit manager for digital media & marketing, whilst Denise Davies, who has joined from Fifth Ring’s Dubai office, has been appointed as senior relationship manager.

Bringing eight years of experience in the industry, William has provided technical solutions for a wide range of both local and international clients. With a distinction in MSc Information Technology and a first class BSc Architectural Technology, he will further develop and strengthen Fifth Ring’s digital media & marketing offering, which has grown significantly in the past year.

Commenting on his new appointment, William said: “It is an exciting time to be joining the company and I am looking forward to managing the team and working with a number of exciting clients. I am also looking forward to working for an international company and with Fifth Ring’s excellent client portfolio, I am excited to be playing a part in the company’s future.”

In her new role, Denise, who is the first Fifth Ring employee to make an inter-office move, will support both business development and brand and strategy development, where she will play an important role actively managing client accounts. Joining at a time where Fifth Ring has recently made a number of new contract wins, Denise hopes to build on the company’s success.

Denise said: “Having worked for Fifth Ring for three years in Dubai, I feel I have gained a lot of experience and knowledge and I look forward to the new challenges ahead. Fifth Ring’s dedication and ambition to push the boundaries of integrated corporate communication on an international basis is one of the main reasons I enjoy working here.”

Ian Ord, business development director at Fifth Ring, said: “I am delighted to welcome William to Fifth Ring and Denise to our Aberdeen office. William’s appointment is important for the business and I am confident that he will bring a wealth of expertise and impetus to this part of the service offering. I would like to welcome Denise back to her home city, this is the first inter-office move and it has worked very well.”

Fifth Ring, which now employs 70 people across its Aberdeen, Inverness, Dubai and Houston offices, also offers services in advertising, design, and public relations.

The firm, which also has offices in Aberdeen, Inverness and Dubai, further broadened its international reach 12 months ago when it created a Houston office in partnership with established award winning branding, advertising and marketing communications firm Pennebaker, launching Pennebaker-Fifth Ring on August, 2008

In the past 12 months, Pennebaker-Fifth Ring has secured contracts with significant businesses including oil and gas majors and international service companies. To date, the Houston office has generated almost $500,000 of revenue and has made an operating profit in its first year.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing for the communications specialists; one of the most destructive and most violent storms in recent history, Hurricane Ike, caused havoc in Houston and the fallout from the credit crunch saw the business opening in the teeth of the worst global recession in nearly a century.

Ian Ord, business development director of Fifth Ring in Aberdeen, said: “Opening in Houston was another milestone towards accomplishing our vision to build a truly international company within the major energy hubs of the world. We have been delighted with our new venture and it has achieved our objective of achieving increased market share. With a strong increase in commercial links between Houston and the Middle East and the UK, our clients are already benefiting from our international offering.”

“I’m particularly pleased we have succeeded despite being hit by Hurricane Ike last September, less than a month after we opened. Houston had seen nothing like it. The office had no power and no water and the city centre was a no-go area because of the amount of broken glass. We had to close for nearly three weeks and staff worked from home. For a new venture in its formative stages, it was a difficult time.

“No sooner had we dusted ourselves down than the entire world was hit by an economic recession in 2008 that has had severe repercussions dented the confidence of the entire business community. To have posted a profit by the end of the first quarter of 2009 was all the more gratifying because of that and is testament to the efforts of everyone in the Houston office,” added Ian Ord.

Fifth Ring’s director of public relations in Houston Brad Leone and account manager Ivana Beveridge operate closely with the Pennebaker team and offers expert public relations advice in addition to a range of marketing communications services, such as strategic marketing and research, corporate identity development, marketing collateral production, advertising, packaging, web design, multimedia and motion graphics.

Ward Pennebaker, principal of Pennebaker, said: “Our clients always appreciated what we could do for them from our Houston base, but they have been impressed and delighted with our ability to have a presence close to their operations in Europe and the Middle East. We have now developed and demonstrated a value-added, seamless services around the world.”

“With the growing cross pollination between Aberdeen, Dubai and Houston we found ourselves very much in a position where we could truly work with clients on their international strategy, but at the same time deliver powerful - and localised - marketing communication messages.”

How important is marketing for oil and gas companies working in the industry today?
Extremely important. Because this is an international business, and wherever you are in the supply chain, whether a technology company, a local service business or a global contractor, the buyers are increasingly sophisticated and have greater awareness of your international competitors, whether you know them or not.

To show your competitive advantage, you have to be able to articulate your differences. What’s more, if you really do believe that you bring added value, then you have to be able to show how, and this starts with how you manage your brand and your messages. Who you know still matters; but perhaps more than ever, it’s who you don’t know, and who doesn’t know you that is of greatest importance.

And don’t just think about customers.

Other critical stakeholder groups include recruitment and suppler/alliance. If you can’t build relationships with new recruits or potential partners, because they are not aware of who you are and what you do, then your growth ambitions will be restricted. This is especially true of the oil and gas industry, with its highly mobile and truly international workforce.

How does the Middle East differ from other regions when it comes to marketing an oil and gas company?

The major differences from say, Europe or North America are not necessarily cultural as you might imagine, but rather more to do with the nature of the market. Europeans and Americans, whether they are buyers or sellers in the oil and gas supply chain, are used to international contracts and international sourcing. Yes, there are the major players at operator and contractor level, but even the smallest technology companies or specialist service businesses will be used to dealing overseas.

For the Middle East, as a generalisation, there is less history in this respect. However, two things are happening: firstly there is a growing awareness globally of the national oil companies, as opposed to the international oil companies as being the key target clients.

International businesses who have been courting them have indeed actually moved HQs as well as setting up local offices in the Middle East to be closer to the NOCs. This means that international competition is now right on the doorstep of the indigenous local players, who traditionally might have had pretty solid relationships with the NOCs. As a result, higher levels of sophistication are required when it comes to messaging and brand management.

The second key factor is that these Middle Eastern companies are now realising that their market opportunities now extend globally, and through a mix of strategies, including acquisition, they are now competing on the home turf of the Europeans and Americans. Of course, to do this successfully, all elements of the marketing mix must be handled with the right levels of sophistication. Strategic longer-term thinking has now come to marketing, where traditionally satisfying tactical needs was sufficient.

How is the market for the companies you represent at the moment?

Things have changed in the last few weeks. Nobody is saying that the recession is over, but with a combination of rising oil price, some opening of bankers’ wallets and a return to longer term thinking and planning, things are on the up.

Enquiries are increasing; decision-making times are reducing. There is still a need for the quick and the low cost, but things are improving.

Have you seen a drop in business due to the current slowdown?

We did see a drop in business, primarily amongst those clients who see marketing communication expenditure as discretionary. For those that see it as a vital investment in terms of brand and business value creation, then although budgets were reduced, spend and intent was still there.

When times are tight, it’s the move of market share that matters, and to make this happen, targeted marketing communication aligned with business development is essential.

Any success stories?

Many. One specific client recently went from being an unknown regional player to having a global presence in less than 18 months, to such an extent that it was sold for 5 times its original value in that time.

The company, which has offices in Aberdeen, Dubai and Houston, won two website categories at the 23rd Annual Houston American Marketing Association’s Crystal Awards. Fifth Ring collected the awards for business-to-consumer and business-to-business work for Metro Marketing and Sales’ The Sage website and Inventure’s website.

Winning the Crystal Awards was the culmination of a busy time for Fifth Ring in Houston, with OTC taking place when the company welcomed Aberdeen Lord Provost Peter Stephen to its offices. Fifth Ring also launched a successful Insider’s Guide providing OTC delegates with online resources of all that is best to see and do in whilst visiting Houston.

The competition received entries from companies across Texas and Jeff McKay, the firm’s creative director in Houston, was very pleased with the results: “It’s wonderful to see that others recognise everything that goes into our work. Seamless design is important, but the strategy that goes behind it is even more essential.”

Fifth Ring’s business development director, Ian Ord, said: “It is gratifying to see the team’s efforts recognised so soon after launching in Houston in August 2008. Houston was a key part of our vision to build a truly international company within the major energy hubs of the world. To have our expertise recognised by the American Marketing Association is a real feather in the cap and illustrates that our values of acting in our clients’ interests translate seamlessly around the world.”

Ends

Notes to editors
• Fifth Ring (www.fifthring.com), established 1991 in Aberdeen, offers clients an integrated service of brand and strategy development, design, digital media, advertising and PR. It opened offices in Dubai in 2003, Inverness in 2007 and Houston in 2008.
• The company provides clients with an international strategy combined with local delivery, boasts an impressive list of clients across a number of industry sectors and is widely recognised as energy industry specialists.
• Fifth Ring has also seen the launch of its own staff development programme, Fruition, and is recognised on the Recommended Agency Register.