Case Study
Clifford Devlin
Based in London, Clifford Devlin specialises in inner-city demolition and asbestos management and consequential building works. The company which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2012 employs 90 full-time staff. It provides services to all participants in the construction supply chain.
SECTOR:
Demolition/Asbestos removal
THE BRIEF:
While the business is successful, the majority of its revenue was derived from just a handful of high-profile clients. To reduce its exposure and reliance upon these customers Clifford Devlin approached Handmade Marketing in 2004 with a broad remit to improve its brand presence within the construction industry and generate new business leads.
THE SOLUTION:
We embarked upon some initial customer research to discover the key attributes that persuaded them to select Clifford Devlin as their preferred contractor. Interviews with key client contacts enabled us to identify USPs which would form the cornerstone of the content of its marketing communications. Following a root and branch review of the firm’s outbound communications we commenced on a 6-month project to redevelop and upgrade its website and brochureware.
THE RESULT:
The website was redesigned with a new, modern look/feel, intuitive navigation system and new content including recent projects, news stories etc. A full content management system allows it to be updated quickly and easily.
The company’s corporate brochureware was re-designed and is now available in print, pdf, e-book and CD-Rom formats.
We set-up an e-newsletter system by consolidating existing company contacts into an initial ‘subscribers list’, designing an email template and populating it with news stories and other content. Its 14th issue will be distributed in September to regular subscribers who now number over 1300.
To increase brand recognition amongst its key target markets we planned a rolling PR campaign which consists of regular news releases and commissioned editorial which is submitted and published in key construction trade media. Feature articles about case studies and other themes such as social housing and sustainability have appeared in Project, Construction News, Architect, Builder, Designer and Contractor, Concrete Engineering and RICS Business among others.
We also devised a 25-minute animated presentation to help educate the Middle East construction industry about the specialist techniques the company uses to demolish buildings in inner-city locations. Illustrated with ‘virtual’ demolition footage and narrated with a voiceover the content has been circulated to selected contacts through the Gulf States on CDs contained in presentation DVD cases. This has led to several introductions.
Handmade Marketing also provides marketing support for Clifford Devlin’s bid management supplying qualitative content for PQQs, ITTs and interview presentations.