Co-operative Bank not so Good with Money

When we set up Scamper we opened a bank account with The Co-operative Bank. They didn't have the best rates but they had the best ethical policy on the market so we thought that was worth paying for. However, since we opened our account we have had almost endless problems. Incorrect charges, duplicated transactions on statements, mail sent to the wrong address, and repeated failure of the Internet banking system. We have stuck with them hoping that we were just unlucky, and that things would get better, but we have reached the point where it is just too dangerous for our business to continue. So now we're looking the switch,but it seems that there is not a lot of choice in the market. Most banks don't have a good ethical policy, and those that do often don't have the right facilities (e.g. for international banking), and even of the mainstream banks the reviews seem to be pretty poor. A recent poll by www.smallbusiness.co.uk found that 65% of small business owners are dissatisfied with their bank.

So we're looking for suggestions. If you can recommend us a good bank, preferably with a decent ethical policy, or if you want to warn us against a particularly bad bank, then please do comment or e-mail us.

Maple Rush Jewellery Brand

Over the last few months we've been beavering away in the background creating our own jewellery brand. Maple Rush produces fun, beautiful beaded jewellery with an eco-friendly slant. It's been a great journey for us to find a balance between being a responsible brand and creating something truly worthy of our target customers attention and wallets. We have had to make some compromises along the way, but after a few months of development we think we have got it about right. The jewellery is handmade in the UK from waxed cotton cord and recycled glass beads from Indonesia, which if we say so ourselves a really stunning. We have also been trying to minimise packaging and use recycled materials were possible. However, in line with our own theories on green marketing and confirmed by some initial market testing, we are not promoting it as a ‘green brand'. Instead we are focusing on the fun style and quality of the products in the brand personality, which is summed up by the slogan 'yummy, handmade jewellery'.
Another big challenge and great experience has been planning the retail channels. Initially we intended Maple Rush to be a web-based brand, but there was one fly in the ointment. Despite the many advantages of online sales such as higher margins and low overheads, it doesn't work particularly well for selling large numbers of handmade (and therefore unique) products, as each one needs to be photographed and catalogued, which is far too time-consuming, relative to the price of the product. Initially therefore, we have put a basic brochure site online at www.MapleRush.com and will be retailing products direct to the public at the Birmingham Christmas Fair in Victoria Square during November and December. This will provide a simple retail outlet during the peak sales season and allow us further market testing on designs, pricing, packaging etc. What then? We'll have to wait and see, but there are at least a few options. Standardise the products and sell online, customize the products further and sell online but at higher prices, or maybe focus on direct retail channels such as fares and events. Feel free to drop us a line and share your thoughts.

Why Scamper?

People sometimes ask us why we are called Scamper.

From the beginning we wanted Scamper to be different from normal brand consultancies, and so we wanted a name that was also a bit different, and that represented the spirit of the company.

The name Scamper stands for two things:

1. The excitement of exploring new places and new ideas
2. An innocent connection with the Earth
   

Building Sustainable Brands

Scamper was founded on the philosophy that brands are an extremely powerful business tool, and that if used to promote positive organisations, then they can encourage social and environmental improvement.
With this in mind, we have recently introduced a new slogan “building sustainable brands”, which highlights a couple of key changes to the way that we work:

Although we specialise in brand creation and implementation, there are other specialist organisations that can play a valuable role in ensuring the success of a brand. We will therefore be building a network ethical service providers (such as Rapid Apps and Eurydice PR) to help our clients get the most out of their brands.

We will be using our branding expertise in-house to develop our own ethical brands and spin-off businesses. Watch this space more information!

This blog is supported by Scamper Brand Strategy - Ethical Branding Experts.

How did we get here?

Scamper started with the challenge that brands are one of the key elements of business success but are sometimes perceived as unethical and detrimental to society and the environment. If we believe what we hear in the media, they're responsible for everything from third world poverty to climate change. This appeared to put ethically responsible businesses at a distinct disadvantage in business terms. How could they develop powerful brands without selling their souls to the devil?

At Scamper we believe that brands are not inherently bad. They are one of the most powerful business tools and whether they are ethical or not simply depends on how you use them. We therefore only work with organisations that are progressive in their attitude towards sustainability. We believe that if we can help them to harness the power of brands to gain a competitive advantage, then we will be helping to make positive change towards a more sustainable world. The other part of business commonly seen as unethical is globalisation.

However, in a world of global industry, global communications and global social and environmental problems, we see it as essential that we face the problem head on. That’s why Scamper has a global perspective and an international team of staff and associates.