Partner Article

Sunderland firm secures £1m contract which will create jobs

A marketing firm is looking to further expand its team after securing a £1m contract for a multi-national corporation.

Sunderland-based Surreal Creative beat off competition from around Europe to win a contract from Portuguese décor giant Sonae Indústria to create and launch a new brand for the company.

The firm employs over 5,000 staff across eight countries and is one of the world’s largest producers of wood-based decorative materials and has an annual turnover of more than £1bn.

Managing director Ian Smith and his team came up with Innovus, a name with Latin connotations designed to not only convey the contemporary and creative nature of the products it was attached to, but also work well in different markets and cultures.

Thanks to the contract, Surreal is now recruiting to add to its team of seven.

Ian Smith, managing director of Surreal Creative, said: “Having only been established for four years, working with Sonae Indústria has been a fantastic experience for everyone at Surreal.

It was an exciting challenge to create and deliver the same global message across different countries and cultures, with the long term aim of operating in 15 countries worldwide.

“We’re delighted with the reaction that Innovus has received so far.”

Launch events have already taken place in France, Germany, Spain and the UK.

The rollout of Innovus to Sonae Indústria’s other markets around the world will continue throughout 2011.

He added: “In such unpredictable economic times, this is great news for Surreal Creative and a feather in the cap for the North East’s creative industry.

“We’re all proud to have achieved so much in such a short space of time.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .