Samenvatting

Unitedstudios was founded in 2008 and its principal mission is to establish a superior quality photo and film production studio in the south of the Netherlands through creativeness, innovation, flexibility and outstanding customer service. The studios main service is providing complete advertising solutions, product photography and film productions. This report was commissioned to examine how Unitedstudios is perceived in the film and photography market in Noord-Brabant / Gelderland. In this report solutions will be recommended to increase the studios image and to improve its market position. Methods of analysis include interviews with marketing and advertising agency professionals, (former) clients and employees. Furthermore the studios administration provided results to further determine trends and developments in the market. The research draws attention to the fact that production budgets have dropped and the number of clients has decreased between 2012>2014. Investigation reveals an incongruity between the studios identity and image. Furthermore Unitedstudios fails to effectively communicate their unique selling points, as clients seldom mention communication as one of Unitedstudios’ strong suits. However, this is seen by Unitedstudios as one of their unique features. Additionally, clients and prospective new companies do not perceive Unitedstudios’ “brabantse gemoedelijkheid1” as a positive addition to a professional studio. Besides the lack in personal communication with clients, the studio also lacks in communicating their capabilities towards its target audience. Analysing the internal organisation reveals that the studio does not possess a clear internal communication structure and the overly centralized decision making process negatively affects communication efficiency and clients satisfaction. The market Unitedstudios operates in has also taken a new direction; brands and agencies are moving towards interactive film and photography instead of stills and pack shots. Unitedstudios is currently insufficiently communicating its capabilities to take advantage of this development. To strategically solve these problems and take full advantage of the markets trends, amongst the following recommendations are made: Divide client contact responsibilities to increase the internal communication structure. Achieve a better position by more effectively communicating the studios capabilities. Improve client and prospect communication frequency to ensure long term relationships. Develop a standard pitch to easily inform agencies and brands. Hire a communication professional to restructure the company’s communication structure. Stress the importance of customer relations to Unitedstudios’ employees. Establish a solid social media format in which Unitedstudios’ professionalism and affordability are projected.