Award-winning medtech enterprise Testcard has appointed Smoking Gun and Genie Comms to handle its comms, PR and social media management.

TestCard, which has just launched an at-home, non-invasive UTI testing kit that turns a smart phone camera into a clinical-grade scanner, is also receiving SEO and PPC counsel from the Manchester-based agencies.

TestCard is shaking up the UK healthcare market with its at-home testing kit which comes with an accompanying mobile app, for a quick and easy way to detect a urinary tract infection (UTI). The app provides immediate results that can then be shared with a healthcare professional.

The brand’s commitment to empowering people to take control of their own health will be at the core of the comms messaging, as Smoking Gun and Genie Comms seek to educate consumers on the benefits of quick, at-home health testing and monitoring.

Luke Heron, co-founder of TestCard, said: “We’ve known Genie Comms for some time and Smoking Gun came highly recommended to us – we know what an impact they have had for other health brands in driving sales.

“We were immediately impressed not only by the team’s credentials but also by their energy and understanding of our brief and business challenges. We’re looking forward to combining all our talents for this industry-first launch.”

TestCard was born in 2017 after a discussion at the school gates. Luke Heron and business partner Dr Andrew Botham were talking about medical tests and how people – men in particular – delay seeking professional help.

They saw a problem with the way people traditionally accessed tests, which can often be a resource hungry process. For many people across the world, it is extremely difficult to access a quick and simple test, which means slower access to help.

TestCard went on to beat Apple and Samsung to win ‘Top Emerging Technology’ at CES 2019, and the credibility of this win propelled the company forward in ways it could never have imagined.

It has recently secured a further £4.5m funding that will be used for new product development, FDA applications and product launches – and also to bridge to its next funding round anticipated in the second quarter of 2021.

Smoking Gun Managing Director, Rick Guttridge, said: “We welcome TestCard to our roster of health and wellbeing clients and we’re looking forward to working with a start-up business with such big plans.
“Our wealth of experience and expertise in the health and lifestyle market, combined with TestCard’s ambitious plans and innovative offering, creates the perfect platform for us to deliver results that make a genuine business impact.”

Gill Galassi, co-founder at Genie Comms said: “We specialise in delivering compelling strategic, consumer-centric communications to deliver commercial results. We’re really excited about working with Smoking Gun to deliver this very thing for TestCard and their truly unique proposition.”

TestCard has a progressive product pipeline. Alongside UTI tests, it is also working to develop a drugs misuse test, a test for pregnancy and ovulation as well as glucose pre-screening.

Inspirational story of two determined young women who set up a community business to champion sustainable fashion celebrated in new podcast Then One Day…
After months in lockdown, Stitched Up is re-opening to the public with a pop-up site and is searching for new volunteers.

The Covid-19 crisis is reshaping shoppers’ consumption habits, as lockdown has encouraged people to question their buying habits and consider more ethical options.

Now, as more shoppers turn against the questionable practices of the global fast fashion industry, a community business leader in sustainable fashion is preparing to re-open to the public after growing its audience online during the pandemic.

Stitched Up, is a Manchester-based community business that runs upcycling workshops, clothes swaps and sustainable fabric sales, is opening a new pop-up space at Stretford Mall from 24 October until the end of March 2021.

The pop-up will enable Stitched Up to restart its face-to-face workshops and retail operations, having moved all activities online during lockdown.

Stitched Up adapted to the pandemic by producing new how-to video content and by increasing its engagement with people on social media channels like Instagram.

The business found that it was fielding new queries from people who were getting creative during lockdown and re-discovering hobbies and craft activities, including sewing. This helped it to reach new audiences both in Manchester and across the country.

Stitched Up also received £7,200 in emergency funding from independent trust Power to Change to compensate for lost revenue during lockdown.

Now, Stitched Up has become the latest community business to feature in a new podcast series by Power to Change. The podcast hears from Stitched Up co-founder Bryony Moore, who talks about how the business got started, its sustainable aims and wider role in the community, and its ambitions for the future.

The podcast series from Power to Change shines a light on those individual heroes across the country who are stepping up to make a difference in their communities and inspiring others to take action. In the latest episode, Bryony talks about how the Covid-19 pandemic has encouraged people to stop and think about their consumption habits, their relationship with fast fashion, and more sustainable alternatives.

Stitched Up is now on the hunt for new volunteers to help it run the pop-up site in a safe, socially distanced way.

Bryony says: “We’ve always been a business that thrives on social interaction, so lockdown was a particularly tough time for Stitched Up. The silver lining was that the crisis offered a real chance for people to think about how they consume products, including their relationship to fashion. A lot of people haven’t been able to shop in the same way as before, and that has made them stop and think.

“They still love clothes as a way to express themselves, but more people now want to consume in an ethical way. In particular, they’re looking to recycle and make do and mend more, which is why we saw such a positive response to our online tutorials during lockdown. With our new pop-up site, it’s exciting to be able to engage with the public in a physical space again, and build on the rising interest that we’re seeing in sustainable fashion.”

Stitched Up was founded in 2012 by a group of six women who wanted to provide an ethical alternative to the global fashion industry – providing a space for people to learn new skills and think about more sustainable ways to source and restore clothing.

A North West-based SaaS animation firm received more than 500 applicants for two new business development manager roles.

Viddyoze is one of the region’s fastest-growing companies and its technology is now used in 250,000 monthly clips worldwide.

The Lancashire-based business recently advertised for business development manager roles in London and the Midlands following a strategic change in its business and received more than 500 applications.

Former MediaCom executive Fiona Hunt, who has just been appointed board adviser to Viddyoze to oversee the next stage of the company’s growth, described the response as ‘phenomenal’.

She said: “We had over 500 applications, but it wasn’t just the quantity that was really impressive but the quality of applicants.

“It was a hard job narrowing it down to just two with such a strong field and I think the number of applications reflect the fact the Viddyoze brand is going from strength to strength and people are excited to be a part of that .”

The two successful applicants were James Townsend, who will be the business development manager based in the Midlands, and Jordan Gelbart, who will be London-based.

Gelbart joined from London tech incubator Hyper while Townsend came from Norwich-based Signs Express.

Hunt, who has also worked with brands like Google and MediaCom, said the roles followed a strategic decision to target the B2B market with their new enterprise products.

Viddyoze has just celebrated its fifth birthday after being founded in 2015 by David Chamberlain, Jamie Garside and Joey Xoto.

Chamberlain said: “It’s an exciting time for the business. Jordan and James will give us the firepower we need to activate these markets that we’ve already seen organic growth from.”

In September it announced 10 new hires, including new head of content Narinder Purba, taking its total workforce up to 52. Clients include Tesla, Sony and PwC.