A phone call brings news of a hot deal to create a new branding for a cosmetics firm.
We’re in Lowton.
Chris Fogg, who went to St Catherine’s Primary there as a boy, and on to study design at Wigan and Leigh College’s Pagefield centre, has brought his business home.
Chris, now 35, studied at the Glasgow School of Art. A run of good fortune saw a film he’d made win an international prize and he was soon summoned by top advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi.
Since then, major rebrands for household names, BBC and international work have kept the former St Catherine’s altar server busy.
“My starting point is always to find out exactly what a firm’s objectives are and help them to perform more effectively,” said Chris. “New media means marketing has moved way beyond just advertising. I knew I could build an agency to do this.”
Back “home” for just over a year now, Chris’s new business is a success. Chris is using local talent – designers, artists, models, accountants and printers. Easy transport links along the East Lancs help clients reach him quickly.
“People tell me they’d never have thought a firm like this would open here, but why not?” said Chris.
“This area is fantastic. Would I have gone to learn my trade in Glasgow were it not for the enthusiasm of Pagefield’s tutors? People saw my passions and took me on – I want to do the same.”
Working with Chris is Matty Andrews, 23, from Ashton, and a former writer for the Wigan youth newspaper The Linc, who impressed Chris with his proactive style.
Matty said: “Ten years ago I was campaigning for better parks, now we are employing locals right here.”
A former Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra drummer, Chris was taken by the buzz created by bands like The Verve. London is a much less personal place in Chris’s experience. “There’s a resonance about Wigan. I want to harness that. Everyone has heard of it, let’s make that a positive.” He sums up his ethos: “Local pride and an international reach.”
Contact Chris on 01942 673868 or at Chris Fogg More information at Fogg Associates (external link)
