blur Group has provided Butlins, one of the most iconic British tourism brands, with a radical approach to sourcing marketing.

In May 2011, Butlins briefed the Creative Services Exchange, needing to create a social, mobile app that holiday-goers could use to share and send photo postcards.

As a special project, its marketing budget was fixed and the response from potential suppliers was that this budget was too low for the requirements specified. The online Exchange is renowned for its ability to offer high value for creative projects through its low-overhead, high transaction infrastructure: cost-effective, but no creative compromise so the decision was made to use this approach.

From a shortlist of on-time, on-budget pitches from agencies in the UK and the US, all willing to deliver to this budget, Butlins selected a London-based agency to build a creative and unique app while keeping within the brand guidelines. Released on 17 August 2011, the ‘Postcards!’ app sends an image and personalised message to up to 10 people and is available on iPhone, iPad, Android and Facebook.

Jae Hopkins, Head of Communications, Butins says, “blur Group’s Exchange is like the eBay of Marketing. I could find exactly the creative I needed, for the price that I’d set up front. We had a great choice and were thrilled with the results—at half the price of other alternatives.”

Philip Letts, founder and Chief Exchange Officer at blur Group says, “Butlins found that by submitting a brief through the Exchange, they could stretch their marketing budget but still get exactly what they wanted—and more. We’re seeing more businesses globally with specific requirements for their campaigns —whether it’s a quick turnaround, a specific skill set or a particular geographic region— and thanks to its efficient processes and technology, the Exchange is able to meet and exceed all of these briefs.”

blur Group’s Creative Services Exchange allows businesses to brief any sort of campaigns—from events planning, to mobile app design, to PR strategy or any marketing project.  With 12,000 professional and experienced creatives and agencies from 130 countries available to pitch, the Exchange is now one of the largest global creative networks.