Mark Braddock & Carolyn Hall launch ‘Chatterblock’ at Block

So here is my VERY EXCITING news. We have been working on this project for the last 3 months or so and today - we launched! I am so excited to be working with my Block buddies.

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PERTH: Two of Perth’s most respected marketing and communication executives, Mark Braddock and Carolyn Hall, have formed ChatterBlock, a division of brand management agency Block that specializes solely in digital and social media strategy.

ChatterBlock now sits alongside Block’s existing divisions: Block Consulting, Block Branding and Block Imagining.

“Many marketing executives are curious about using social media to reach their consumers but they have no idea where to begin. At ChatterBlock, we hope to play a leading role in helping companies implement digital and social media strategies,” says Mark Braddock, Creative Director and Co-founder at Block.

“One-on-one conversations with people have always been the holy grail of marketing communications, but until now they have always eluded us,” says Hall, explaining her decision to join ChatterBlock at Block.

“With the rise of digital media, this holy grail is within our grasp. We can now communicate directly with people without always needing costly, drawn-out product development cycles and focus groups. We can take a product or idea directly to the brand’s audience and they can tell us if they like it and would buy it. This is a radical shift for all business owners, big and small,” says Hall.

ChatterBlock will work with clients to show them how, when using digital media, it’s all about integration with their existing communication campaigns. It’s not about technology, but a way to grow closer to their existing customers as well as access new audiences far more effectively than mainstream media channels sometimes allow.

Braddock brings a wealth of experience to ChatterBlock having worked at The Martin Agency and Ogilvy in the United States and Smarts Advertising in the UK before returning to Perth in 2002. He formed Block with co-founder and Managing Director Tanya Sim in 2002.

Carolyn Hall brings 22 years of experience to ChatterBlock as former Senior Vice President for McCann World Group in New York, the largest marketing communications organization in the world. At ChatterBlock, she will also continue at the helm of brand consultancy, City Hall.

“We’re excited about collaborating with Carolyn because she’s passionate about all things digital, and offers a unique perspective as a result of her mixed background as a marketing and advertising executive. She already authors several blogs, and her website SmallNotes has been hugely popular, making her a bona fide digital expert,” says Braddock.

In 2006, Hall returned to Perth from the United States as Brand & Communications Director of the Royal Automobile Club (RAC), which became the top-ranking brand in the Annual WA Business News branding survey for two years running under her leadership.

Block’s decision to launch ChatterBlock heralds a major shift in the WA advertising industry, which is making way for niche, specialist players like ChatterBlock in addition to the large agencies that have traditionally dominated the landscape.