Latest News

Group gets IiP award – 15th May 2009
Mackman Group, an award-winning research, marketing and design company in Sudbury, is celebrating after gaining the Investors in People standard for staff training and development.

Director Paul Mackman said: “We are extremely proud to have achieved the Investors in People standard.

“We believe that investing in our people brings an added benefit to our clients since a valued and well-trained team offers the benefit of excellent customer service and an improved understanding of our customers. I am very proud of the dedication that our employees have demonstrated by achieving this standard”.

Beer days – 14th May 2009
Ale-lovers from all over the country will be heading to Suffolk this weekend to attend the Sudbury Institute Club’s eighth beer festival.

Drinkers will be able to choose from 25 beers and a selection of ciders at the club in Station Road, which is celebrating its
175th year.

The event, which is being sponsored by the Mackman Group, is being run on Thursday and Friday evening between 6pm and 11pm and from 11am until 11pm on Saturday.

There will be live music on Friday and Saturday night, and barbecued food will be available on all three days.

Tickets can be bought on the door for £2.

New website for Common Lands – 14th May 2009
A charity set up to protect and enhance ancient meadowlands has gone global with the launch of a new website. The work of the Sudbury Common Lands charity can now be viewed by a worldwide audience after the site went live last week.

Adrian Walters, Sudbury Common Lands ranger said the website would also help in raising financial support from the public.

He said: “The website represents an important step in raising the profile of the charity. As the Common Lands have become increasingly popular, so the cost involved in managing them have risen.

“The Common Lands doesn’t run itself and we rely on the help and generosity of the public.”

The site provides pictures and information about the area and features a facility allowing members of the public to donate money to help with the cost of maintaining the popular riverside environment.

Designed by local agency The Mackman Group, the site has been funded by Business Link through the East of England Development Agency along with a donation from the estate of former Sudbury resident Kit Farnes.

www.sudburycommonlandscharity.org

Mackman Group, Business to Business – 21st April 2009
The Mackman Group was established in Colchester five years ago and provides a range of award-winning services including research, public relations, marketing and design.

The group has won a host of awards in its five years in business including being named best new business in 2004 and growing business of the year in 2007 at the Colchester and District Business Awards.

In 2008 it won the business to business category at the Colchester and District Business Awards and small business of the year at the East Anglian Business Awards.

The enthusiastic and plain speaking approach combined with the enthusiasm and energy to achieve results continues to encourage healthy client acquisitions.

Increasingly it is winning contracts for satisfaction/business survey work, branding, brochures and websites.

It has contracts with international manufacturer Ryobi, Chelmsford Borough Council, The Food Company at Marks Tey, Twinings, Ovaltine, Land Rover Monthly, The Crown – Stoke-by-Nayland, Clarice House, Global Stone and Baker Tilly.

The Mackman Group also has a strong track record of working with local charities and community groups.

Stylish and distinctive – it’s all in a day’s work for Sudbury firm - 9th February 2009
An award-winning research, marketing & design company has been praised for its design expertise.

Mackman Group was appointed by Global Stone, Essex-based supplier of natural stone hard landscaping products, to update and revamp its website and produce its 2009 brochure. The end product was described by independent paving expert AJ McCormack as “distinctive”, which “will set Global apart from all of their would-be competitors”.

Sudbury-based Mackman Group, which was named winner in the business to business category at the Colchester and District Business Awards 2008, designed and produced the clear and stylish new brochure for Global Stone, sister company of Colchester-based builders merchants, Kent Blaxill. The company also redesigned the website to mirror the easy-to-navigate A4-sized brochure. General Manager for Global Stone Shirley Spittal said “We have been impressed with the design and creativity of Mackman Group. After designing our website our new brochure was a natural progression and one that we are extremely impressed with. Both are excellent tools which show off our products to their best.”

Independent website pavingexpert.com, which offers hints, tips and advice to homeowners laying their own paving, reviewed the new brochure and said: “Regarding the new look and styling of the 'Product Guide', it is highly distinctive, and will set Global apart from all of their would-be competitors. It's definitely different.”

Despite the recession business is booming for Mackman Group, which recently completed vital research work for international car magazine, Land Rover Monthly. The firm’s other clients include Twinings, Ovaltine, Clarice House and The Crown - Stoke-by-Nayland.

Mackman's success - 23rd December 2008
A winner at the Gazette's Colchester Business Awards has seen record growth this year.

Mackman Group, which picked up a business-to-business award at Charter Hall last month, saw its figures soar by 60 percent on last year, despite the economic downturn.

The company which was set up in Colchester's Dutch Quarter, celebrated the success alongside the completion of a research contract for Land Rover Monthly (LRM), an internationally-read magazine for Land Rover enthusiasts.

The firm's research staff completed a satisfaction survey for the magazine after the LRM Show Billing, dubbed the Glastonbury of motor shows, which is attended by thousands of enthusiasts from around the world.

The work involved getting feedback from 10,000 visitors to the show through an on-line survey and telephone surveys of trade customers.

The company now based in Sudbury, was praised for its "professional" approach to the work, which will help towards improving LRM Show Billing 2009.

Mackman Group research director Gemma Mackman said, "The project was challenging but fun. The show is so important to Land Rover Monthly and Land Rover owners, so it was nice to do this piece of work.

"The timescales we worked to were challenging but that made the experience of carrying out this work positive and the team really enjoyed it."

Samantha Voke, cirulation and marketing manager of Land Rover Monthly magazine added: "We thoroughly enjoyed working with the team at Mackman".

"We are very pleased with the design and execution of the surveys and the results were delivered to deadline, in a simple to understand, professional way."

Paul Mackman, business development director added, "Despite fears of a recession and thanks to the hard work of our team, we have had a great year. We are really proud of our achievements and are looking forward to 2009."

Sudbury firm celebrates - 18th December 2008
An award-winning research, marketing and design firm in Sudbury has just completed a three month project for international motoring magazine Land Rover Monthly.

The Mackman Group, of Station Road, carried out a satisfaction survey for the world's biggest Land Rover show, polling views of more than 10,000 visitors on-line and by telephone with trade customers to the show, attended by thousands from around the world.

The project maked a successful year for the group, which was named East Anglian Small Business of the year.

Movers and Shakers - 16th December 2008
Sudbury based research, marketing and design business Mackman Group has welcomed two new members to its design team.

Angela Balaam has been appointed as designer and James Nott is gaining work experience as part of his graphic media degree at Colchester Institute. Both will report to Studio Manager Bruce Burgoyne.

Ms Balaam graduated from Cambridge University with a graphic arts degree and has previously worked as a graphic designer for two Bury St. Edmunds based companies. Director of Mackman Group, Paul Mackman said, "Angela brings with her valuable design expertise and it is a great pleasure to welcome her to the team"

Mr Nott has completed a National Diploma in graphic design and has just started his third and final year of his graphic design degree.

Having worked at the firm during the summer break, he will continue to work one day a week while studying.

"James has shown great promise and I'm sure that he will make the most of this opportunity." said Mr Mackman.

Business to Business - 2nd December 2008
The judges were impressed with the professionalism and understanding of its business customers displayed by the Mackman Group.

Its comprehensive service, covering all aspects of marketing from research to design and implementation and its enthusiasm to form a vital partnership with its customers was especially impressive.

Not content with just carrying out a project, the team wants to properly understand its customers' needs and have the expertise to carry out exercises, such as satisfaction surveys, evaluate needs and design and implement requirements.

Mackman also demonstrates its ability to adapt to suit its business customers by tailoring packaged services especially for start-ups. These are customers who too often are excluded from marketing support at just the time it is most needed and at a price that is affordable and spread over a period to ease cash flows. This support has extended to attending meetings with customer's bank managers and at client's annual meetings.

National name customers such as Twinings, Baker Tilly and Odgers, Ray and Berndtson are fulsome in their praise of the team's skills and ability to deal with sensitive information and understanding of their needs and requirements.

Winning the award represents a pat on the back to all the team and recognises its combined professionalism and ability to "break the mould" - not flash but just professional! A very well-deserving recipient of the title.

Small Business of the year - 25th November 2008
Sponsored by Suffolk Chamber of Commerce. Winner: Mackman Group. Sudbury-based marketing and research company Mackman Group was named Small Business of theYear.

Meet the finalists - Small Business of the Year Award - 11th November 2008
Mackman Marketing is a Sudbury based research, marketing and design company serving a varied and impressive portfolio of clients across East Anglia. Its clients are typically market leading independent organisations who are ambitious and growing. Mackman takes a colloborative approach to its work, respecting clients' knowledge of their own fields while seeking to bridge any resource or knowledge gaps in research, marketing and design. Since launching in 2003, it has almost doubled turnover and sales profits each consecutive year.

The Mackman Group - 4th November 2008
The Mackman Group offers a collaborative approach to research, marketing and design that bridges resource or knowledge gaps. As a business-to-business provider, it is as responsive as you would expect an internal department to be.

The teams' enthusiastic and plain speaking approach combined with the enthusiasm and energy to achieve results continues to encourage healthy client acquisitions. Increasingly it is winning contracts for satisfaction/business survey work, branding, brochures and websites. Most notably this year they have secured contracts with Twinings, Ovaltine, Land Rover Monthly and a variety of on-going contracts with various Baker Tilly offices.

New Faces - 30th October 2008
Two new members have joined the design team at Sudbury-based Mackman Group, which offers marketing, design and research services across the Anglia region.

Angela Balaam has been appointed as designer and James Nott is gaining work experience as part of his graphic media degree at Colchester Institute.

A Cambridge University graduate, Angela previously worked as a graphic designer for two Bury St. Edmunds companies.

Time For Tea - October 2008
Researchers at Sudbury company raised a delightful cup of tea in celebration of a job well done after they were praised for their "exemplary" work by an International client. Mackman Group, UK leaders in research and customer satisfaction surveys, won a contract to carry out Twining's on-line international customer satisfaction survey last year. Researcher's did such a good job that they secured the contract for the annual survey again this year.

Gemma Mackman, research director of Mackman Group, based in The Old Press Rooms in Station Road, said: "We are really proud to include Twinings in our list of clients. Customer service is high on our peoples' agendas because it is a key way to differentiate yourselves from your competitors."

Job is just their cup of tea - 22nd August 2008
Work completed by a marketing and research business has been hailed as "exemplary" by a national company. Mackman Group's research division has carried out Twinings tea company's online international customer satisfaction survey for the last two years.

It received the praise for the most recent survey from Twinings' international customer services manager Helen Shaw, who said Mackman Group, which was established in Colchester's Dutch Quarter in 2003, had helped Twinings "proactively improve" its customer service management.

Twinings renews research contract - 21st August 2008
A tea giant has raised a cuppa to a Suffolk-based research firm for its "exemplary" work.

Mackman Group, of Sudbury, has secured a second contract to carry out an online international customer satisfaction survey for Twinings after successfully completing a similar exercise last year. Twinings' international customer services manager, Helen Shaw, praised the work carried out by the company and said it had helped the tea company "proactively improve" its customer service management. 'We have worked closely with the Mackman Group to initially scope then deliver customer satisfaction surveys on our behalf. At all times we have found their knowledge, research and expertise exemplary," she said.

Mackman Group employs ten staff and offers services in research, marketing and design from its Station Road base. As part of the Twinings contract, it devised the methodology, designed the questionnnaire, built a secure web portal to collect the data, analysed the information and prepared a findings report. It contacted Twinings' trade customers internationally for feedback. Research director Gemma Mackman said: "We are really proud to include Twinings in our list of clients and enjoy working with Helen and her team. We hope to continue the work next year when we can start trending from three years' data."