NEWS
COMMENT
Brands with purpose have power
DOUBLE ELEVEN DOUBLES IN SIZE
Middlesbrough-based games developer and publisher Double Eleven has announced it has doubled the size of its team in just 12 months , having welcomed its 200th employee .
The company , which launched 12 years ago from humble beginnings in a loft , has remotely recruited 103 new crew members to its Teesside headquarters and grown its Kuala Lumpur studio to 20 since the start of last year .
This growth has resulted from recruiting world-class talent locally , nationally and internationally from America , Japan , Europe and many other countries . Two-thirds of those recruited have relocated to the Tees Valley .
Double Eleven has brought experience from outside the games industry , welcoming Iain Farrell , who joined from Analox as programme manager , and Sarah Lowe , from Mitsubishi Chemicals as training and development manager .
Middlesbrough-based tech company Salesfire has doubled its office footprint to accommodate recent growth .
An award-winning software as a service ( SaaS ) company that specialises in conversion rate optimisation and intelligent personalisation , Salesfire has taken a further floor at Albert North ’ s prestigious SIXTEEN / 26 building , meaning it now has 10,000 sq ft of space .
The company was developed to replicate the experience of an in-store sales assistant online by intelligently recommending products and creating a personalised customer experience to increase sales ,
Recruitment drive - CEO Lee Hutchinson is celebrating Double Eleven ' s rapid expansion .
All non-development teams have seen growth , including publishing , people and culture , IT and operations .
The company has gained a worldwide reputation and is currently collaborating on Minecraft Dungeons with Mojang Studios and Prison Architect with Paradox Interactive , as well as other unannounced projects for Xbox Series S / X and PlayStation 5 . It recently launched the Rust Console Edition .
The company has also made further investment in quality assurance engineering and process automation , opened a new development studio in Kuala Lumpur and expanded its facilities in its Teesside headquarters .
Not stopping there , the company will recruit an additional 100 staff over the next 12 months , making it one of the top three independent , UK-headquartered games publishers and developers .
Salesfire doubles its Albert North base
conversion rates and revenue .
Businesses relocating to Albert North can take advantage of benefits including high-speed broadband and rent and rate incentives .
As we look ahead to a post-pandemic future , there ’ s never been a more important time for businesses to balance purpose with profit – not just to build a better world , but also to build better organisations and more informed brands .
The necessary introduction of new ways to work , shop and live has coincided with – and in some ways accelerated – an already seismic shift in what customers are looking for in brands .
Where cold-hearted corporates were once king , there ’ s increasing demand for brands to reflect outlooks , lifestyles and , more importantly , causes that add personality and meaning .
A purpose-driven cause should sit at the heart of a well-built brand that not only provides a clear point of difference but has the power to shift cultures and drive a movement that uses business as a force for good .
From the inside out , your cause – or ‘ Why ?’ as we call it – should empower everything you do .
The more authentic and meaningful that is , the stronger , more robust and more resilient your brand will be .
Before you start looking at colour palettes , wordmarks or type choices , think about your purpose ; think about your cause ; think about how you want to change the world .
One thing ’ s for certain : society ’ s most challenging problems can ’ t be solved by governments and non-profits alone . That means the power of purpose will only grow stronger .
And those who live by their purpose will be the brands best positioned for long-term success , no matter what circumstances emerge .
Mark Easby Managing director , Better
The voice of business in the Tees region | 7