Exclusive interview with Chalk & Ward's new managing director 

A leading strategic marketing and communications agency in Devon has welcomed a new Managing Director.

Chalk & Ward, based in Exeter’s Southernhay business district, has grown to become one of the leading independent marketing agencies in the South West.

The company, established in 1998 by Robert Chalk and Giles Ward, offers clients the highest standards of commercial strategic thinking, branding, and digital. 

The current creative director, Alister Tickle, has taken over the role from co-founder Robert, who is remaining with the agency in a consultancy role.

Exeter Today spoke with Alister to learn more about him, the company’s history, and its plans for the future.

Above: Alister. Image: Chalk & Ward

Alister explained that although he was not expecting the initial promotion conversation with Robert, over time, he began to feel that he could take on the role. 

“Taking over a really well-known business in Exeter is a massive opportunity, and I’ve loved working here, so helping to make Chalk & Ward even more successful is exciting rather than nerve-wracking.”

Alister is originally from Leicester but has lived in Exeter since he was three years old. Having decided against going to university, his early background was in reprographics, so he already had a thorough understanding of design and print when he joined the company as a junior artwork designer 25 years ago.

Alister admitted that everything about working in communications has changed since then.

“I would spend my whole day doing ads and print copy. We had content in nationwide magazines and newspapers every week, so you would constantly see your work everywhere. Now, we hardly print anything, and we do very few ads. All our work has moved to branding and digital.”

Boasting a particularly strong team of professionals with a variety of specialities, Chalk & Ward’s continued ethos is to prioritise the strategy behind all the work and its clients’ best interests.

Above: Team at Chalk & Ward. Image: Chalk & Ward

“I know that marketing agencies might be seen as being a bit ruthless, but I think we set ourselves apart and always act for the good of our clients' and as genuinely as possible.”

Over the years, the company has worked with a range of companies across all sectors, including 

P&O Cruises, Dartington Crystal, Lympstone Manor, Buckfast Abbey, and global packaging corporation, DS Smith.

When asked whether there was a strategy that he felt particularly proud of, Alister mentioned one of the company’s longest-standing clients, Mole Valley Farmers, and specifically, their Country Dog food campaign.

“When we started researching the dog food market, it became obvious that it was being humanised. The way that pet food companies list their ingredients and the meat content, they really sell it based on how good it is for your dog, much like what we look for when buying food for ourselves. We therefore created the premium Country Dog brand and positioned it as one of the best diets on the market for dogs. 

“This strategy really elevated their presence in store. People were buying the Country Dog range over more well-known brands.”

Alister also recalled a rural PR campaign for the same organisation, designed to help country dwellers feel less isolated during lockdown. The campaign encouraged people to nominate individuals in their local community who had gone above and beyond during the pandemic. It was fronted by none other than Caleb Cooper from the Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm and attracted extensive coverage in both print and broadcast media.

When reflecting on their successes and the work they have accomplished, Alister once again stressed the importance of having a strong and genuine team: “When Robert and Giles first started the business, they put a lot of stock in employing the right people.

“An employee’s personality can mean more than their education. You can teach someone how to be good at something, but you can’t necessarily teach them how to be a nice person. I’m extremely proud of the team we’ve got at the moment.”

Above: Chalk & Ward's summer party. Image: Chalk & Ward

Looking ahead, Alister discussed Chalk & Ward’s goals to grow and potentially attract larger clients.

“With any business, especially in the industry we are in, everything is always moving so quickly. We have always kept up to speed with it all. If there is a change that has happened in London or America, we’ll be up there with the curve. We have always been very adaptive. We need to do that still and continue navigating it well, especially with AI.

“We are all going to need to embrace AI. We cannot hide away from it because it is not going to go anywhere. It is only going to get better and be more utilised, so we need to make sure that we are using it in the best possible way.

“AI should be used as a starting point. You can ask it to create something, and anything that it is going to give you is going to be based on information it read or found on another website. It is already generated information that is basically reformulated and given back to you, which, from a creative point of view, means that, fortunately, we are still always one step ahead.”

You can find out more about Chalk & Ward via their website.