This is a DGB Opinion piece
FENSA have announced today that they are undertaking a number of new initiatives in an email under the heading: we’re launching a new marketing campaign for you.
One of the prongs of their new 6-point plan is to go on TV.
6-point plan
This was the crux of their email:
UPDATED logo and van sticker – with new text stating you’re a ‘FENSA Approved Window & Door Installer’. Add the new logo to your emails and website – look for it soon on FENSAonline. And get the sticker on your van before 5 March when our new TV advert (see below) goes live. Yours will arrive in the post this week.
NEW TV advert – this will be seen by millions of homeowners in 2019, reminding them why to choose a FENSA Approved Installer. Be the first to see it on the FENSA website on its go live date 5th March.
FREE Homeowner marketing pack – everything you need to explain the benefits of choosing a FENSA Approved Installer to your customers. Details to follow soon.
ADDITIONAL showroom Point of Sale – impactful marketing materials will be available to help you remind homeowners why they need a FENSA certificate, only available via a FENSA Approved Installer.
ENGAGING social media campaign – Our Facebook page and Tweets for homeowners will also be raising awareness. You’ll be able to share these to engage your customers too.
REFRESHED certificate design – more modern, informative and professional.
In case you missed it, check your inbox again. FENSA are also giving away a mini-fridge for an installer’s van via a competition.
Of the 6 points above, the obvious important one to note here is the TV campaign. They confirm that the advert is to go live on March 5th. There is no mention yet however of what channels it will appear on and at what times. My hope is that it will appear on channels popular in an evening. ITV1, ITV2, E4, Comedy Central, More4 and others of that type. If FENSA are going to go on TV they need to hit a wide audience and at the right times. For example, 2pm on a Tuesday on ITV4 or PickTV isn’t going to cut it. Hit the proper channels, hit them in an evening when most people are home from work and that should have a decent effect.
I hope also that the advert is going to be as well produced as the recent Solidor advert which started over the festive period. That’s set a new standard for TV advertising in our industry. Obviously this is going to be a more generic industry angle they take as they’re an industry body and not a company, but for people to take genuine notice of it it has to be well made.
So what about the other points…
A re-branding
New stickers are fine. They have needed a refresh for a while now. FENSA want everyone to display it everywhere in time for the TV campaign. Same goes for the certificate design. The new home owner packs could be quite useful. I know when I demonstrating to a home owner that something like that would be useful in showing the home owner what they do and what they’re about. The point of sale materials I get, some installers will use them, some won’t.
The social media thing is a big one for me. This is a free resource that has failed to be utilised not just by FENSA but so many others. It costs nothing. Anyone from any company can run campaigns from their phones. It’s not hard. So it’s good to see that they have recognised this needs to be used as part of their wider efforts. But they need to be tailored to the right demographics. For example, post things to Facebook suitable for home owners and use Twitter for B2B interactions. There is a distinct audience difference.
The title in the email says that this is a new marketing campaign for “you”, as in their installers. Yes. But this is also a big re-branding for FENSA. They’re not the only body of their kind in the industry and other players have been making gains in recent years. Many installers are indeed FENSA installers, but numbers have fluctuated and the overall market is much more shared than it used to be. This will be their effort to swing things back their way. So whilst there will be things here for installers to make use of, this is also a big effort to modernise FENSA and get their message out there. That’s how I read it anyway. I’m sure I’ll be told I’m wrong!
As we get closer to March 5th I’m sure we’ll get to know where to see this new TV advert. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for it and giving my verdict!
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