After three decades in the coastal town of Folkestone, the award-winning agency has moved to Ashford, settling into a town centre office just minutes from Ashford International Station and its 37 minute high speed rail service to London. And in a bold statement of intent, Sagittarius has announced its aspiration to open an office in London to help it cope with a steadily increasing client base in the capital.
“These are perhaps the most significant developments in the agency's history and signal that we are serious in our ambitions to expand to become a leading force in the sector,” said Chief Executive Officer Paul Stephen, who has bolstered the senior management team by promoting existing Director of Digital Nick Towers to Managing Director.
“The changes made have injected a new sense of energy and direction into the business and this is reflected in our choice of new office. Ashford is a dynamic location with great road and rail connectivity, including the new 140mph rail service to London which enables us to service clients in the capital with ease,” said Paul, adding that opening a second office in London was also on the cards.
During the past year major digital marketing projects have been completed for the European Red Cross, Hertford College, the Marlowe Theatre, Jacksons Fencing, Kent County Council, NST Travel Group, Ski Weekends and Pantone Inc.
Nick Towers said that Sagittarius is helping clients find the best way to grow their business using the best possible marketing techniques available at the time. ‘What may have worked well only a few years ago may not be the best solution now. We need to re-evaluate all the time.
“Many clients don’t necessarily want a new website or need to re-invent the wheel. But they do want more ‘bang for their buck’, so looking at their marketing to ensure it is targeted correctly and maximises return on investment is key. We have a mix of skills here that allow us to add real value to our clients and we believe this is where the future lies for a company like ours.”
These latest expansion moves follow a busy 12 months for the consultancy – last summer it launched a new brand, Sagittarius Digital to better promote its digital services.
Nick Towers said the trend during the recession had been for businesses to focus more of their marketing budget on digital campaigns. “In these tough times clients are demanding results that offer a greater return on investment and better brand engagement across a range of media, and this is helping to drive the growing demand for digital marketing.”
Sagittarius Digital offers a full range of digital services, from website design and build, search marketing (search engine optimisation and pay-per-click) and online advertising to social media planning, and targeted email and viral marketing.