M&G Agency Life
Welcome to M&G Agency Life, a journey through the dynamic world of marketing, design, and digital with hosts Aimee and Pete. Mearns & Gill, an Aberdeen-based agency, is the backdrop for insightful discussions and behind-the-scenes glimpses into agency life. Aimee, Pete and the team share insider knowledge, and explore topics ranging from brand strategy to media solutions.
Join them as they explore the diverse landscape of agency work, serving clients across various sectors with creativity, expertise and lot's of fun along the way.
M&G Agency Life
M&G Agency Life Special: Celebrating 90 Years.
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In this special bonus episode of M&G Agency Life, we celebrate 90 years of Mearns & Gill by looking back at the people, relationships and moments that have shaped the agency since 1936.
Join Aimee and Pete as they hear from Alan Mearns, some long-standing clients, Director Suzanne Robertson and Managing Director Mike Wilson. Along the way, they revisit archive adverts from decades gone by, share memorable stories and reflect on how M&G has evolved into the integrated creative agency it is today.
From the agency's family beginnings to its exciting future, this is a celebration of 90 years of creativity, innovation and lasting relationships.
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If you’d like to hear more about anything we’ve covered just drop us line. You can find us at www.mearns-gill.com, on Instagram @MearnsGill, or check us out on Facebook or LinkedIn, just search for Mearns & Gill.
Hello and welcome to a very special bonus episode of MG Agency Life. I'm Pete.
SPEAKER_18And I'm Amy, and this isn't our usual episode.
SPEAKER_10No, it's not. This year, Mernsengill celebrates an incredible milestone, 90 years in business. Since opening its doors back in 1936, the agency has seen the world of marketing transform beyond recognition. From newspaper adverts and radio campaigns to social media, podcasts, and more. It's certainly been quite a journey.
SPEAKER_18So we thought we'd do something a little different. Over the next 40 minutes or so, we'll be looking back at the people, the memories, and the moments that have shaped Merns and Gale over the last nine decades.
SPEAKER_10Yeah, we've been catching up with some familiar faces from the agencies past and present, hearing from long-standing clients who've been part of the journey, and we've even dusted off a few vintage adverts from the archives.
SPEAKER_18Some of which definitely sound like they're from another era.
SPEAKER_10They certainly do. So whether you've worked with MNG, been part of the team, or you're simply curious about the story behind Scotland's longest established creative agency, thank you for joining us.
SPEAKER_18Let's start at the very beginning.
SPEAKER_10When you think about MG, there's one surname that immediately comes to mind.
SPEAKER_18Earlier, we caught up with Alan Mearns. He started by telling us a little more about his connection to Mearns and Gill.
SPEAKER_09Sure. Well, I'm very happy to do that. It it it's funny today, because we would put this date in the diary. Today actually it coincides with this was my this would have been my mother's 90th birthday. So that's a rather strange timing.
SPEAKER_10Strange timing, isn't it? Some time of recording, our 90th anniversary podcast. Oh, that's brilliant.
SPEAKER_09My mother wasn't involved in the business at all, but she was a great support to my father. Um but back to your original question talking about um you know my recollections, it was my grandparents that started the business in 1936. Uh both uh grandmother and grandfather. Grandmother really was the the driving force before um uh ladies in business were uh were were a thing. So sh sh she was uh certainly the uh the the instigator, but obviously uh heavily supported by my grandfather. But the first the first agency in Aberdeen was uh one called Nelson Mill Publicity. Um and my grandfather worked for them uh for a spell. So you know you you talk about breakaway agencies and oh my god, how many breakaway agencies have there been in Aberdeen at my time? Um but actually my grandfather was the first one because he he he uh decided that um he could do it better himself. Uh so this is James Mern. This is James, right. James and and and Agnes. Yeah. So so they started in 1936 and then along came the Second World War, and of course that was uh uh uh a a problem. So not a great time at starting in the world. No, not really. Not really a great time. So so somehow it ticked over over the war years. And after that it became um uh a guide book publishing company. Okay. Um and uh it was largely it's a long story, but it was largely driven by uh the city council uh or councils across Scotland were trying to promote tourism in Scotland, which was uh they were ahead of their time at the time.
SPEAKER_10I mean, there's some great places to visit in Scotland. We just spoke about it. There's Ballater, Balmora, all these wonderful places.
SPEAKER_09It was a very successful uh piece of business through the I don't know, the late forties maybe to the late 50s. Yeah. And then gradually um uh package holidays started to come in and people were going to uh more exotic places and so on. So that that kind of bit of business began to to decline. Um and I guess one of the themes of about the agency really over all these decades is uh how it kind of reinvented itself on a number of occasions. There have been about four or five um kind of key moments uh uh where it it it's had to evolve to the next level. So the guidebook uh uh business kind of dwindled and came to an end. Yeah. But the ad agency uh was really beginning to ramp up uh through the late fifties, through the sixties. Um and I remember as a kid coming in here uh to get a lift home from school or whatever. Um How old were you when you joined the business? I was well, I joined the business in 1978, and I was nineteen then.
SPEAKER_10Oh wow. I'm picturing a scene from Mad Men back in the day with you on foam X boards pitching to mine.
SPEAKER_09Oh absolutely, absolutely drinking whiskey at the desk. Well, do you know that uh the uh it was all about um client relationships and so on um and uh uh long lunches and uh lunches, one of our clients was um Gerrard's restaurant in Chapel Street, which was people of a certain age will will remember. And I remember lunches, uh well, particularly my father with uh certain clients, he would go at lunchtime and they would sit there all afternoon and have a whiskey and maybe another whiskey. And then it came to dinner time, so they just stayed here, didn't I?
SPEAKER_06Yeah. Well line.
SPEAKER_09I mean bring back that culture. And that was how how business was done. Another of my colleagues, uh Guy Short, we we dealt with a company called Alina May, who were camera uh uh retailers and brudgers all over Scotland. Their head office was in Dundee. So Guy would go down for for meetings on a kind of once a month basis. And he said, Well, I drive or will I take the train? Well, I think I'll drive because I forgot I've got stuff, but I said, Yeah, I know what's gonna happen. He would phone me about seven o'clock and he said, We went for lunch and we had uh six pints. I went back afterwards and did the work, but I was a no-fit state. How'd you do a day's work after that? But yeah, it was different times, but uh it wasn't always like that, but there were there were occasional.
SPEAKER_18So M and G has obviously reached its 90th anniversary this year. Did you ever imagine the business would still be going strong all these l years later? Uh what do you think has been the secret?
SPEAKER_09Yeah, well has been the secret. I did ask my father about 25 years ago to write down the history of the company, which he did, and there's four or five pages of that.
SPEAKER_10Is that the actual manuscript?
SPEAKER_09I am holding the actual manuscript here. Um and it it where was the piece? Yes, he he he concluded. Um he concluded it all by saying in all of this, MG has invested in the latest technology and most importantly, skilled and experienced staff. Okay. It has a high reputation for quality, and there is no reason to doubt that it will prosper for many years to come. So that was 25 years ago.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, wow.
SPEAKER_09But do you know, I mean, when you're doing it, you're really thinking of the now and how am I going to get this done today or this week and so on. You're not really thinking um ahead to the future. You know, we we always just kept our heads down, worked as hard as we could, looked after our our our our clients as hard as we could, looked after our staff as well as we could as well. Because if you look after your staff, they'll look after your clients and everything will kind of follow into that.
SPEAKER_10I think that still rings true to what we do today, because one of our values, we talk about being the go-to people. We make life easier for our clients. And that's kind of what we want to do. I wonder if you can tell us a few more of your early memories for back in the day, Alan.
SPEAKER_09Any pitches that stand out or various ones we did um I suppose to put this in some context, when I uh joined the business in 1978, at that time there was a a company called Mitchell Self-Drive Car Rental, which is locally owned. Um you know, again it's 30 odd years and its Mitchell ceased to be. But in its time it was uh it was a huge, uh huge business and a huge client. Um my father looked after that, and uh they had I don't know, something like 15 branches up and down uh the country, including Manchester, Leeds, uh these kind of areas. So they represented something like half of the turnover of the company. So um I I guess this was an another evolution point. We've talked about the guidebooks, we've talked about the evolution into advertising. So when I started my brief was to look at um this is fine, but if I think I'm just client, it's um you know not not the best. Um but uh the the the the the task if you are prepared to take it is to build the business, build the client base as extensively as you can, build the business basically, so that it's not reliant on one single client. So um really through the eighties and the nineties we we we pitched and won for all sorts of clients like um Spar Scotland. Um clients like uh Esselmont and Macintosh uh department store clients for a long time, Norco. Uh we did a lot of work for the university for their Queen Centinary in 1995.
SPEAKER_10And we still work with the uni as well?
SPEAKER_09Yep. So I mean that's all good stuff. Uh a lot of work with um well, what was then called Grampian Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise, Grampian. So, you know, a wide range of uh of different clients. But I suppose back to your question, Pete. Um one of the of the of the key clients was was BT and we won the Scotland um or the North our Scotland account uh for them and did a good work for them. One of our contacts there um said, look, there's a big project that's coming out of London. Um but I love your work. We think you should better it. And we were thinking, well, you know, there's there's agencies across the line agency. So myself and a colleague went down just the two of us and uh wondered what uh um uh how it would go, but we had good work um and we pitched quite a lot of people in the room. And lo and behold, we won it.
SPEAKER_10That is a story to be proud of because you're up against some some huge names within the industry, some big agencies are really competitive, and you pull together a pitch that obviously, you know, small-ish agency from the north wins it.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, yeah. So uh so so that was that was really satisfying.
SPEAKER_18So looking back over your time here, what's the biggest change you've seen in advertising and marketing marketing industry?
SPEAKER_09So many changes. I mean just too many types of any uh but I mean obviously the uh uh the digital world has has come has completely transformed everything. Any single biggest change? Um uh I guess there are good good changes and bad changes, but I mean I mean back in my day, uh in the early uh part of my career, the only way to communicate with a client was to either to see him or her face to face or on the telephone. That was it. There was no other means of communication. So I would spend my life on the telephone. I would go out to a client meeting and I would come back and I would have something like twelve messages of of people to call to call back and so on. Um so you know that that was a big change. And actually it it was you know, i dealing with people face to face was was great. And and uh and also speaking to them on on the phone. Um yes, email obviously has a has a great uh part to play, but there's nothing like personal communication. Exactly. Um so that that was the on the client um side of things, but you know, again, back to your question. I mean, uh I guess it is that the the digital world has um has has changed.
SPEAKER_10Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. This has been really interesting. Unfortunately, we don't have lots of time today, Ellen. I want to wrap up with one final question. Remind me, how long were you part of the agency? Because you were MD as well, obviously, for a for a stretch.
SPEAKER_09Well, since 1978, and uh I'm still working as a a consultant. Yeah, and now so to this day you're still a consultant. And so we're getting on for a couple of years shortly. Yeah. Half a century.
SPEAKER_10You have been here certainly the longest member of staff that we that we have, and you were still a consultant looking after some key accounts. Yeah. When you walk into Mearns and Gill today, what makes you most proud?
SPEAKER_09What makes me most proud um is an easy question, really. The that the the the business is still here, that it's still thriving. And the the the the culture of the business is it's still the same. It's you know it's down to 100% down to the people. Um the people are the business, but without the people you have no business. We don't uh we don't sell baked beans or we we don't have as many stock and traders, stock and traders of people. So um I guess that's is what makes me most proud.
SPEAKER_10Well, Alan, thank you so much for being a part of this bonus episode. It's been great. And you know what? Let's turn the mics off and just chat a little bit longer. Thank you. Thanks. It's been brilliant hearing those stories from Alan. You really get a sense of just how much history sits behind the Mearns and Gill name.
SPEAKER_18Talking of history, we've been digging through the archives and found some fantastic old commercials.
SPEAKER_10Yeah, advertising has changed massively over the years, but there's something really charming about these. So let's wind the clock back and take a retro commercial break.
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SPEAKER_17If you want service in Alan Kamaha locally, one company stands out.
SPEAKER_18Oh, I absolutely love these.
SPEAKER_10Yeah, they're so good, aren't they? You can instantly tell which era they came from, but amazingly, you can also tell how much creatively still shines through.
SPEAKER_18It just goes to show that while the tools have changed over the last 90 years, great ideas have always been at the heart of what MNG does.
SPEAKER_10Of course, an agency doesn't reach 90 years without building some incredible client relationships.
SPEAKER_18Yeah, some of these relationships have lasted for decades.
SPEAKER_10I caught up with Melanie Henderson, cruise and marketing manager from Lerwick Port Authority, to chat about working with Mearns and Gill and why that partnership has stood the test of time. I started by asking her to give me an overview of her role and what they do at Lerwick Port Authority.
SPEAKER_01So I've been with the Port Authority um now for almost 20 years in April uh next year. That'll be my 20th year with Lerwick Harbour. The Port Authority is um a trust port in Shetland, so we're we're Shetland's largest commercial port, and we're also Britain's most northerly commercial port. So we handle a really big range of shipping from all different industry sectors. Uh, we're very much a multi-user port, um, catering for the fishing sector, oil and gas, decommissioning. Tourism is now a big portion of what we do with the increasing numbers of cruise ships that are visiting us. And um we've got the lifeline ferries and cargo service that runs out of the community daily uh that connects us with Aberdeen here as well.
SPEAKER_10Okay, so there's a lot going on. And did you just say 20 years you've been with the port?
SPEAKER_01That's right. Yeah.
SPEAKER_10So I'm guessing you really like your role.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's it's so varied. Um honestly, no two days are the same in the harbour. Um there's a core of what we do that is very consistent. The harbour has been around for a long time, and its success is built on um improving and continuously um improving what we do for succeeding generations. So we're always kind of standing on the shoulders of the giants before us and doing what we do, but there's and the trade sectors that we work for are ever evolving. So yeah, it's a really interesting, varied job. And I've been very fortunate to be involved with so many different projects, especially in my role. Um when I started at the port, you know, I work mostly in the office and with the you can the finance and admin side of things as well, um, and a lot of different systems for helping organize and run the business. Um, and then moving across to move to more involvement with our external stakeholders and the relationships that we have with our customers, and that's how I've got to where I'm at I am today is working more with the project-based tasks in the job, but uh yeah, looking after some of our kind of core customers and stakeholders.
SPEAKER_10Aaron Ross Powell And speaking about relationships, I did say you've been a very long-standing client. Do you know how long you've been with Merns and Gill?
SPEAKER_01Aaron Ross Powell, Jr. We've had a relationship with Merns and Gill now for over four decades. Um it started um well before my time with the port, uh with my predecessors who had an involvement with the team here um under Merns and Gill years ago. Um and and again they they were supporting us back then in all the sectors that we're working in. So it wasn't specific to one particular thing, but um what we've found over the years is that Merns and Gill have always taken a really active interest in all our sectors. Okay. Um but going above and beyond, I think that's the thing that stands out for me the most is that the interest goes way deeper than just um producing materials for us actually goes into understanding the harbour, really knowing our customers and what we are trying to do and supporting um how we engage with them in a really meaningful way as well. So it's been an incredible relationship that we've had. So almost like an extension of your own team. Yeah, it has felt like that very much at times. Um, and almost like Marns and Gill is very embedded in what we do as well. So yeah.
SPEAKER_10Aaron Powell Can you tell us about how the relationship with Murns and Gill first started? Do you know much about that?
SPEAKER_01Not so much about the details of how it started in the beginning. That again, my predecessors uh because it's been it's been quite some time since then, but I know just having a look back through the the archive materials that we've got, because we've got um our business has been gone now since 1877 and we've got files that go way, way back. Um but looking back through what we've done in terms of marketing and uh the involvement of Madensgill, I can see um a support for international trade shows. We've had various industry groups that have been very active at the time, so Shetland Oil Industries groups and years and years ago. And and that's the times that we ha we had full-on support um from the team here to to get involved with marketing directly to those sectors.
SPEAKER_10So over these 40 years, are there any standout members of staff? Is there anyone that does stand out as being a kind of key member of that relationship?
SPEAKER_01Aaron Ross Powell When I came to the port first, the chief executive at the time was Sandra Laurenson working there, and they were they had a very good relationship with the double act, uh Derek Robb and Dick Much. Um and that team, they were great. They were so much fun to work with and and again just really involved in what we're doing all the time, um, but watching everything that was going on and supporting um hugely with everything that we needed to go on. So as time moved on, I had m had more and more involvement with them over the years, and I've always found them to be like Dick especially was just always a step ahead of me.
SPEAKER_06Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And what I loved the most about working with him was always the challenge. You know, he would you could we'd put something together, he would come back with questions, with more in-depth knowledge needed to build the picture of what we were doing. And that was so appreciated. I I think it's really important to get that challenge when you're working on things because it draws out the real meaning behind what you're doing and the purpose why you're doing it. So I found that support and ev uh absolutely invaluable. Just always prompt and always a step ahead. And I have too many unanswered emails. Uh so many that he sent that I couldn't get answered at the time, but but he's been a tremendous support over the years, especially in my in you know, in this last um few years as I've changed roles, going from a more admin role into the cruise and marketing role. Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_10Yeah. So I I guess a lot of people will see an agency as as someone they can trust, and it makes your job easier. So I guess over the long time, 40 years that you've been with us, you've had not only account managers who've known your business really well, but like you say, it's been fun as well.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. It's really good fun. And um you absolutely captured it earlier when you said kind of embedded in the organization. I think that building over time, um you you know you you know what to expect, you know how to work with each other better, and things flow um so much better from that too. But it's been, yeah, really invaluable relationship over the time.
SPEAKER_10Aaron Powell That's really nice to hear. Thank you so much again for joining us on the podcast. I've got one final question. So what's next for Lyric Port Authority? Is there anything anything exciting in the pipeline?
SPEAKER_01Aaron Ross Powell We're really excited about what's coming up next year. It's going to be our 150th anniversary.
SPEAKER_10So you know what? We're 90 years. You're 150. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Lots of lots of plans. We we've got lots of plans ahead. We want to make it a special commemorative year and look forward to the future and how we're adapting and evolving and continuously improving what we do at the harbour.
SPEAKER_10Here's to the next 40 years of working together.
SPEAKER_01Yes, indeed.
SPEAKER_10Melanie, thank you so much.
SPEAKER_01Thank you very much.
SPEAKER_10Uh it was wonderful hearing Melanie reflect on her experiences with Mearns and Gill and particularly her memories of Dick Much. Sadly, since we recorded that interview, Dick has passed away. We'd simply like to take a moment to remember Dick and recognize his enormous. Contribution that he made to the business over many years. Dick believed wholeheartedly in building lasting relationships with clients, and that's something that's become a real theme throughout this episode.
SPEAKER_18And on the topic of relationships, one that has grown over many years is with the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
SPEAKER_10MG first began working with SPE back in 2012 on the Offshore Achievement Awards, and since then the partnership has grown to include conferences, exhibitions, and events throughout the year.
SPEAKER_18And earlier I caught up with Ian Phillips, the president-elect of SPE International, to reflect on that journey.
SPEAKER_03So the origins go back to probably uh before your director Sue uh uh Suzanne Robertson joined. SPE had been involved in a slightly distant way with a thing called the Scottish Offshore Achievement Awards. Yeah. And this was run by Scottish Enterprise designed to celebrate, in their world, technical achievements by small companies that they were supporting in the northeast of Scotland. But they done it for 20 years and they decided that uh they couldn't make it profitable, so they were going to shut it down. Now I'd been on the other side of the table, I'd been judging, and in particular I'd been at events where uh people were in tears because of the recognition by their from their peers. So I thought crazy that this disappears. So I took it to SPE and said, uh I think we should take it over. And in true SPE fashion, the answer was, no, that sounds like a great idea, so long as you do it. And so I looked around for support because SPE is an all-volunteer organization, so it was impractical for a bunch of volunteers to take on quite such a large event. And up popped this lady called Suzanne Robertson, who'd uh just left the Chamber of Commerce where she'd been running the Northern Star Award, and she said, hmm, that's something we could probably do. And lo and behold, you could. And now here we are, what are we it's more than 10 years. I think it's 14 or 15 years later. Um the Offshore Achievement Award remains uh a significant feature on the Aberdeen landscape. Uh but more widely, um Men's and Gill supports SPE with all of its what we call continuing education events.
SPEAKER_18So going back to the first project, obviously the Offshore Achievement Awards, what were you hoping that Marineza Gill could bring to the event and did they deliver?
SPEAKER_03So we'll start with the the deliver up absolutely in spades. I think the truth of the matter is we didn't really know. We had a template of what Scottish Enterprise had done previously, and we knew that didn't work. So um we did we made several big changes on to be honest, it's in the mists of time as to whether that was Merns and Gill or SPE committee members who dreamt it up, but we decided to up the game. So historically, for example, the Scottish Officer of Demon Awards were held in things like university halls uh on on at Aberdeen University. At a small-ish scale, probably 200 people. So we decided to go for the stars. Um we we uh we we went um originally to the uh Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, which then got knocked down. Um we now go to Tekka. And we have typically four to five hundred people there. And it it's become an event where we experiment. So we we've had some really big names. Speakers have come and sp and spoken. We've if I remember rightly, the first one that we did was Kevin Bridges uh as the uh as the speaker and host. And you know, that came because we'd given Lenz and Gill not quite free reign, but pretty close. And and and this was like, oh hey, that sounds pretty cool. As long as you get the sponsorship to pay for it, and we're up for this. And that's what happened. So um the event became very much the the yardstick by which other similar events were measured.
SPEAKER_18Yeah, it's amazing. I mean I've seen the event as it is now, and it's amazing to think back at the kind of smaller scale it was um at the beginning, which is really interesting. And you also mentioned the relationship has grown to include conferences, events, and so much more. Was that always the plan, or has the partnership simply just grown over time?
SPEAKER_03Originally the answer is no, it wasn't the plan. But um I have been involved with the SPE ever since I was at university many years ago. And I had chaired SPE Aberdeen section in the early 2000s, and well I said I remained on the board after that in particular, um, sort of being the chair who looked after the offshore achievement awards. And then in 2016 there was a big collapse in the oil price and uh SPE had some serious financial problems. We were heading down the tubes, to be honest. And so uh I got a call from other long experienced members of the board saying, would you mind coming back and helping us figure what to do? And one of the things I found was that our continuing education events, which had always been the mainstay of our income, were losing money, and which is crazy. And the reason they were losing money is because uh the costs were fixed. All of the the the the company that ran it at the time, uh two very nice and very capable ladies who had a business of their own. But the contractual deal was that they took a fixed fee. Okay. And uh in many cases that fixed fee made the whole thing uneconomic. So long conversation with them, they said they were not willing to change, so we said, fine, in that case we're going out to bid. And what we invited and what Mennon Gill agreed to do was a much lower fixed fee and then an incentivized arrangement. And that was transformational.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_03That has meant that uh literally Mons and Gill are on the same page as SPE on every event. We want it to succeed and we wanted to make money, and so do you. So it's a pretty important commercial basis. Now, on the back of that, um SP Aberdeen has uh turned around completely. It's now a pretty sizable small business, and the only way it can work is when we have uh pre paid professionals to do things because ultimately we're a bunch of volunteers on the board. So although we're technically directors of the organization um and we do a whole lot of work voluntarily, ultimately it needs somebody who's there every day hassling for sponsorship, um, chasing down suppliers and so on. And Middle Gill does that in a really effective way.
SPEAKER_18Yeah, amazing. And finally, then, after more than twelve years working together, what do you think has made the partnership so success successful? And what would you say to congratulate MNG on reaching its 90th year anniversary?
SPEAKER_03So what's made it successful has been mutual respect and flexibility. Um in the t the the years that uh we've worked together, uh there have been downturns in the oil and gas industry which have meant that we can afford to do things, or we uh found events that were no longer as successful as they were previously. And rather than being obsessive about oh, we only work with uh with PJ Live, um, one of the things that Brett and Menzinger has done is taken the proactive initiative to find lower cost places to run events so the same event can run just a different hotel in Aberdeen. And mysteriously it's a lower cost base. So I think the uh the flexibility and the proactivity has been uh particularly uh instrumental from our point of view. I think the other thing is people. Um it's uh a bit of a cliche to say, oh, our business is successful because of the people. But I think in Menzingill's case, um you've got great leadership from Suzanne Robertson who has managed to find a way of being in control and uh of hiring really effective individuals who uh um she trains up and then uh releases them almost like into the wild. And they actually do a very, very similar job to her very, very effectively. She's always there in the background. But um for us it's been a great way of uh sort of um spreading any risk out. You know, if you've got one person who you're utterly reliant upon, being a proverbial fell under a bus problem becomes a bigger and bigger issue. So but what MG has grown is a great team of people running events. So um from our point of view, it's a relationship that works extremely well. And I only hope that you have another 90 years of doing the same.
SPEAKER_18Yes, definitely. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. This has been very, very interesting.
SPEAKER_03Thank you, and bye-bye.
SPEAKER_10One thing that's really stood out from today's conversation is that Murns and Gill has never stood still.
SPEAKER_18The agency has continually evolved, and one person who's seen that first hand is Director Suzanne Robertson.
SPEAKER_10Yeah, we both caught up with Suzanne, who's a director in the business and heads up the events team, to talk about how the agency has changed some of her favorite memories and how she's helped grow MG's events business over the years. We are now joined by Sus!
SPEAKER_12Hello, hello, hello, hello. Thank you for having me here.
SPEAKER_10Suzanne, you're a director in the business. You head up the events team. You've been with Mearns and Gil for quite a while.
SPEAKER_13I have, I have Suzanne.
SPEAKER_122007?
SPEAKER_13I did. I joined in 2007. It doesn't feel like that long ago, I have to say, but long before that, I did get a taste for the business. Yeah, long before.
SPEAKER_10Tell us what it was like when you joined.
SPEAKER_13So uh Graham Mearns, so he was my uh godfather. So when I was 10 years old, I used to come into the studio where we're sitting here today, actually. When it was a podcast studio, yes, I used to sit at one of the easels. Um they had easels, they had letra sets and they had very strong smelling uh pens. Oh I really have this memory of very strong smelling pens that the designers used to hand draw their used to uh in quotation marks help help out. And I did do some work experience through the years here as well.
SPEAKER_10So you were destined to be a part of the business.
SPEAKER_13Yeah, I know. When when Alan asked me to join, I was delighted. I was like, yeah, definitely. You know, because it it feels like a family, and it's it quite literally was a family. Um so I I can't remember how old I was probably at this time. I was maybe about 13, 14, thinking I was cool for being a donut advert. Oh my goodness, yes. It would be. So myself, and I roped in a couple of friends at the time. And also I was the the the pair of feet in a in a shoe and feet. Too new. You have these skills. Famous, famous feet, yes.
SPEAKER_10And what was it like then the early days of your role when you started here 19 years ago?
SPEAKER_13So I I officially joined the business in business development, actually. Okay. And then that progressed into account management and then into events. So I've had a bit of a flavor of various roles while I've while I've been here.
SPEAKER_18You'll obviously have seen the agency evolve firsthand. What's been the biggest change you've seen during your time here?
SPEAKER_13So I believe we've we've always moved with the times. I think that that's true. Um, and that's probably true, you know, since the business started 90 years ago this year. We've adapted our services, and I believe that's why, you know, we have stayed around for so long. And listening to our clients and what they need is key, you know, being being their partner. And I think that's you know, listening to them is is is really what works. Um, probably for me, the most interesting changes have happened quite recently. Okay. Um and it's on the digital side. And you know, it's the team that we have now, our digital team, really have their finger on the pulse. I mean, it's it blows my mind what what they're what they're doing. You know, they've got case studies on on our website. Look out on our socials for insights and tips, but they really are. They're they're a great team. Uh, talking of teams, we do, I do believe generally we do have the best people. Uh we're all specialists and experts, you know, in our in our own right. And you you know, you do get this full team of experts across the various um services that we provide. So rather than in historically, I would say we were known as a traditional advertising agency. Now we're very much an integrated creative, creative agency. Yeah.
SPEAKER_10So Suze, you've been a huge part of building our events offering over the years. Do you want to tell us how that came about and what's been one of your favorite events or projects that you've worked on?
SPEAKER_13Yes. We were delivering, or Marns and Gill were delivering events before I joined the business. And the first event that uh they organized was in 2002, where Total, uh as they were known then, asked us to organise a large marquee event for 650 people. And that's when it started, and then it it it uh it sort of mushroomed from then. You know, we a lot of clients, you know, saw this, you know, not many events, big events like this, were happening in the area. So it so that was that was great. Um and then some of the memorable events, I guess, after I joined were some of the larger marquee events where we could theme them and we could be really creative. And you know, we didn't used to, I guess, replicate the uh traditional themes. We used to push boundaries, although I never want to hang upside down Christmas trees again.
SPEAKER_18That's amazing.
SPEAKER_13Imagine why. Um in terms of my favourite, I I don't think I've got I I don't have one favourite. I mean, all events, for whatever reason, you know, I I enjoy working on them all for different reasons. And the favourite part has to be just knowing that we've done a good job, you know, and we've met their objectives. That's that's what it is. Right.
SPEAKER_18And then thinking back over the years, are there any moments, campaigns, or maybe memories that really stand out to you?
SPEAKER_13There are probably too many. We don't have much time to go today to go through them all. But yeah, I think one memory was being asked to organise an important client's wedding. And weddings are different from events. But I was also heavily pregnant at the time. Right. So I didn't go into labour then, but I'm really surprised I didn't. Um and then another another memory um was a client, a particularly difficult client, who I will not name. The the success of the event depended on us buying a wooden toy plane for this person's son. And if we didn't find it, we would have, yeah, it would have been a disaster. So I had to break the speed limit to get this toy. There's been challenges. Yeah, got the toy and then they left. But I managed to catch up with them and they were delighted.
SPEAKER_10So you go above and beyond. Um okay. I think one thing, well, one thing people often say about Murns and Gill is that it's all about the people and the relationships. Why do you think so many of our clients have stayed with us for so long?
SPEAKER_13It is about the people. I you know, we are a great team. You know, we we genuinely enjoy, we love what we do, and that comes across and we have fun as well. You know, our clients I our clients love working with us. Um they also like the fact that, you know, they're not just getting access to one person, they're getting access to, you know, a team of specialists, as I've said, as I've said before. So yeah, it's definitely about the relationships for sure.
SPEAKER_18And then finally, after all these years, what does Marns a Gill mean to you and what are you most excited about as we look towards the future?
SPEAKER_13I think as I said at the beginning, you know, Mearns and Gilles always felt like a family and it continues to do so even as we grow. You know, a lot of organizations I think as they grow lose that feel. But I very much think that we still have that. Um and I am genuinely excited as to what's you know what comes next and how we will continue to adapt and provide new solutions, you know, especially right now, times are tough, but we're not standing still.
SPEAKER_10Absolutely. Suze, thank you so much. You've been a big part of the business, and it was great that you could be a part of our 90th anniversary podcast. Here's to the next 90 years.
SPEAKER_18Definitely. Oh, it's amazing hearing how the agency has evolved.
SPEAKER_10Yes, but before we look ahead, we couldn't resist sharing a couple more gems from the archive.
SPEAKER_18Here's another trip down memory lane.
SPEAKER_10We'll be back right after this commercial break.
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SPEAKER_10I love these so much. I don't think adverts sound quite like that anymore.
SPEAKER_18Maybe not, although there's definitely something nostalgic about them.
SPEAKER_10And while advertising has changed dramatically, there's one thing that hasn't, and that's about telling stories that connect with people. So we've spent this episode looking back over nine decades of MG's history.
SPEAKER_18So it feels only right that we finish by looking ahead.
SPEAKER_10Absolutely. And joining us in the studio now is Murns and Girls managing director and owner, Mike Wilson.
SPEAKER_18Mike, thanks for joining us. Hello.
SPEAKER_10Hello, nice to be here again. I think. It is, it definitely is. And this is a special bonus 90th episode of the podcast. What a celebration. 90 years. And uh let's keep it going. That's the answer. Let's keep it going. Another 90s.
SPEAKER_0290 years and onwards. We'll come to that a bit.
SPEAKER_10Mike, so firstly, you are our MD and you became the owner of Mearns and Girl in April 2016. So a whole decade ago, what attracted you to a business with such a rich history?
SPEAKER_02I think the answer to that is well, prior to Murns ⁇ Girl, I was a fourth generation family member of Willie Wilson's Aberdeen founded distributor of plumbing, heating, and electrical products, a business that was actually founded in 1901. So a little bit older than Mearns ⁇ Girl. Okay. But I suppose I had that experience of firsthand of balancing the history of an organization with keeping the business up to date and relevant to its customer base. And I think what you see in that is what makes a business with longevity work is about having great people and great service. And that is the key to I think any multi-generational business. And I think I saw that combination of people, clients, and great customer service in Merns and Girls. So it was quite an easy segue for me into something very similar to what I experienced before with those same kind of core principles that make a business successful. Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_10So very different sector, but principles that you feel make a business successful culture as well?
SPEAKER_02Aaron Ross Powell Absolutely. And I think it is interesting that until you move sectors, you probably don't think you can move sectors, but there's definitely an element of the core element of a business is the same regardless of what obviously there are massive differences in what selling toilets to selling marketing and events. But yeah, definitely it's all about the people, the clients, and that customer service focus.
SPEAKER_18Looking back over your time leading MD, what are you most proud of?
SPEAKER_02That's such a hard question. I mean it has been ten years, uh it doesn't feel like that, but um and I suppose we have achieved a lot in that time. Uh I suppose a couple of things for me, there's a sort of combined activity for me in terms of it's been about growing the team, uh expanding our services, and delivering great work for both existing and new clients. And that's the kind of technical side, but as you said, Pete, it's that also that team culture that we've got, which I think has been important. In terms of growing the team, I I think it is about expanding the services. New people in the business has been what has been the key to growth in recent years. And it is about you know taking on exceptionally talented people across the business in each of our service areas. There's no doubt for me is that that that expertise that you've got at the core, whether it's on brand, digital events, web, PR and comms, advertising, media solutions, you know, we've got real experts in the team. And they are the people that are delivering the results uh for our clients, sort of time and time again in terms of helping clients achieve their marketing goals. So absolutely at its centre for me is, you know, and that is what I'm most proud of, is that team of exceptionally talented people that that have made it work. But I think also it is that culture piece that that that you mentioned in terms of I think that is also fundamental to delivering success. I think if you're good people but not the right culture, you you you we'd struggle. And I think for us, one of the things I'm really proud of is that we defined our culture um a couple of years ago um, if you like, and it was kind of from the team that that that that was delivered, rather than it just being some words that we put up on a wall. And you know, it is about partnership um in terms about both with our clients but also internally within our teams. It is about support in terms of being there for each other, it is about integrity, in terms about we care about doing what's right. It is about being pioneers and still pushing the boundaries of the business. And again, I think that's why we've been here so long and continue to be. And there is a sustainability bit too that I think everyone cares about now. You know, what's the future going to be? Um and for me, uh the people And that culture is absolutely about what makes the business ticks and what will mean it's been it will be continued successful.
SPEAKER_10Yeah. And there's certainly been themes threaded throughout this podcast. We've had great conversations with, you know, Alan Murns, we've had Suzanne, and we've spoken to Melanie from the uh the Port Authority and uh and Ian from SPE. And certainly it it's came up a lot, the people, the team at Mearns and Gill, the the culture. It keeps on coming up again and again. So that's been really good, really good and really interesting to hear. Mearns and Gill has continually evolved over the last 90 years from traditional advertising to today's fully integrated creative agency. How important do you think it is to keep evolving while still staying true to what we stand for?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I I think it's fundamental, and that's what I said about you know, I think any multi-generational business, keeping uh that keeping evolving and keeping up to date is is how you're going to succeed over over many years. Um and I think, you know, particularly in marketing, I think marketing is a very fast-paced, changing business function. Um, and as an agency, it is absolutely I think a large part of our value to clients is in providing the expertise that really works for them, and that means about staying up to date. Um so I don't know. I think for me it's about to be an effective agency, you need to know what to do and how to do it, and that's critical. And that's about having the right people with um uh with the knowledge of of how to do it well. I I think there's still a challenge, or not a challenge, but there's still a reality of the fact that it's a mixture of traditional and innovative tools today. Yeah. Um and I think there's there's an element of sometimes that's forgotten that there's actually there's still a real need for traditional ways of of marketing a business as well as the new tools. But it is again, it's about the people having those skills that can assist a client with working out actually these are the right tools for you to use to at the end of the day, we're helping clients to communicate their messaging to their customers. And just to give you a plug, you know, on that sort of new innovative tools side of things, I think we've just done the kind of uh Let's Talk Tech uh podcast series, which the two of you have have wonderfully delivered for us. Series three available wherever you get your podcasts. Exactly. A good plug. But it it it's a good example of where if anyone wants to see how up to date we currently are as a business, it's a great series to listen to and really, really hear from the the the team that are delivering this great work. Just there's there's lots of change, but we have the people that are up to date with those changes. And I think that's a good listen if anyone wants to kind of say what is at the cutting edge of marketing at the moment, and and to hear um some of the tools that we've got as well as the traditional ways of of of doing marketing events.
SPEAKER_10And digital is certainly another theme that's came up quite a lot on this podcast episode.
SPEAKER_18And we've obviously touched on the fact that the marketing communications world is changing faster than ever with AI, new technology, and like changing client expectations. What excites you most about where the industry is heading?
SPEAKER_02Uh yeah, it it's I think for me it's still about communicating an organization's messages to their target audiences. So, yes, the kind of uh how you do it is changing, um, but I think it's still about telling stories that connect with people. And I think you've mentioned that already. Um so I think the tools will continue to change. I think that there's no doubt that what we know today won't be what we're using tomorrow. Um but the exciting part for me in terms of agency life is that continuing to adapt while just being razor focused on customer service and getting tangible results for our clients. You know, it works because we actually do deliver what we're uh what we're asked to deliver for clients in terms of them reaching their marketing goals. So that's the excitement is that uh you know, as long as we do keep up to date, the tools will change, but the fundamentals of communicating, telling stories, connecting with people, helping clients get to their customers and get action, I think will always be exciting.
SPEAKER_10Yeah. Brilliant. So moving away from that into relationships, because that's another theme that's came up a lot throughout this episode, and whether that's with clients, colleagues, or the wider business community. Mike, why do you think they've remained such an important part of our success?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I I think again it comes back to one of the reasons for for taking on Merzen Girl was, you know, it's it's historically had that very good, solid customer relationships. And I think you know, we we we we are continuing to build on that. And I think actually all businesses should be relationship driven or or successful businesses are relationship driven. So yeah, I I think it is around the that I suppose for personally there's a kind of I see it as a virtuous cycle with um client relationships in particular, that if you deliver great outcomes for a client, that then leads to additional work. And then additional work leads to an ongoing long-term business relationship. And I think that is actually in the DNA of of Murns and Goal. Yeah. Is actually getting close to the customer, understanding what they need, and then delivering for them. Yeah. That that that's fundamental. And I think it is that it's an old adage, but the closer we get to our customer, the more effective we are in delivering for them. And we put a lot of effort into getting to know our customers, getting to know who their target audiences are and how we can help them reach those people.
SPEAKER_10Yeah. And that certainly ties into what Alan was saying earlier on in the episode as well.
SPEAKER_18And so finally, if someone was sitting down to record MG's 100th anniversary podcast, only in 10 years' time.
SPEAKER_02Only in ten years.
SPEAKER_18Um what do you hope they'll be saying about the agency?
SPEAKER_02Well, firstly, I hope it's me sitting here. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_08And you, yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_02Um talking about the hundredth anniversary. Yeah, I I think Margin Gold is uh and continues to be such a great business that my hope would be the narrative is actually simply more of the same, if if I'm honest. You know, I think that in 2036 we should be still talking about great people, great clients, and a thriving business that still is ahead of the curve. That's that would be the plan. Um because it's it's you know, it's been historically a great business, it is cont it continues to be and is today a great business. So why can't we continue with that in the future? And the elements are the same. We just you know it will be different. It'll there'll be other things that we haven't even thought about that we'll be talking about. But it'll still be about people, it'll still be about relationships, and it'll still be about doing some great work. Well, here's to reach in a hundred years.
SPEAKER_10Mike, thank you very much for joining us today and for being a part of this very special 90th anniversary episode. Happy birthday.
SPEAKER_18And thank you to everyone who's shared their memories with us throughout this special episode.
SPEAKER_10Yeah, we've heard about family beginnings, lifelong friendships, long-standing clients, memorable campaigns, and just how much the industry has changed over the last 90 years.
SPEAKER_18But if there's one thing that's come through in every conversation, it's that MG has always been about people. The relationship was built with clients, colleagues, and the wider business community has always been at the heart of this agency.
SPEAKER_10Yeah, 90 years is an incredible achievement. And while we're celebrating the past today, it's clear that this story is still being written.
SPEAKER_18From all of us at MG, thank you to every client, colleague, partner, and friend who's been part of the journey over the last nine decades.
SPEAKER_10So here's to the next chapter.
SPEAKER_18And who knows, maybe someone else will be sitting here recording the 100th anniversary episode in another 10 years' time.
SPEAKER_10Thank you for listening to this special 90th anniversary edition of MNG Agency Life.
