Summary
2010/2011 saw the PR Division of CIB emerge from the depths of the recession bigger and stronger, having managed continued growth despite economic uncertainty - with fee income continuing to rise and the team growing by two.
Since the appointment of a new PR Director in 2005, CIB's fee income has increased by 107 per cent. Notably, the team even achieved 27 new client wins across 2009/10, when the recession was at its worst. The young team has grown from six to 10, and now includes a social media executive. Low staff retention (senior management team all with 6+ years service) contributing to a stable environment and high client retention.
A national agency, CIB has offices in Leatherhead and Ellesmere Port, currently servicing a total of 38 clients. CIB delivers. For Fernox a major product launch, for Forbo the management of a complex matrix of brands and target markets, for Catnic stand out PR as part of an integrated campaign. For clients as a whole more than 67,000scc in print media alone.
The PR division of CIB specialises in the built environment and has been entrenched in the construction sector since 1985. Against a backdrop of real economic uncertainty in the construction industry, CIBs PR team has worked towards achieving the business objectives of both the company and each of its clients, with outstanding results.
Client engagement
Clients benefit from a high level of technical understanding and a passionate interest in the market. Key editorial relationships are nurtured and maintained through a professional, insightful approach and excellent technical writing skills. Working alongside the client marketing departments is vital to any PR campaign and CIB strongly believes in the value of training, investing heavily upfront in any new client to ensure a technical and commercial understanding of the client’s market sector, brand positioning, business strategy, product features and benefits, along with key industry issues.
Across both the PR and media buying divisions, valuable relationships with the major publishers also help to generate innovative ideas outside of standard press releases, case studies and features, with roundtable debates, seminars, site visits, product tests, press events and competitions
all forming part of the mix.
Clients also benefit from CIB's knowledge and contacts in the sector with regular ‘Media Bulletins’ detailing one-to-ones with editors on their editorial policies, wish lists and any changes to the magazine. CIB also holds ‘CIB Sessions’ with guest speakers on topics of interest. Examples include a seminar on ‘What Sustainability means to Architects’ hosted by the then editor of the AJ, Kieran Long, and a seminar guide to social media.
Key to finding a successful solution is the initial PR brief and CIB works alongside clients to research and develop strong propositions, based on solid facts and insight. Notable CIB campaigns include the work undertaken for the following clients:
Fernox
Entry to Fernox has been a client of CIB for over nine years and in 2010, Fernox launched the TF1 to the heating market. To help drive through sales, CIB needed to create activity not just for the initial TF1 launch but to support the 2010 business plan and sustain coverage for the year. The objective of the marketing campaign was to generate 3000 sales leads, to sell 8000 units from October-December and to gain coverage in all key plumbing and public sector press. Through a press launch and a targeted PR campaign, these targets were all met. The PR generated 2198 single column centimetres of coverage, which was an advertising equivalent of £47,492.
Francine Wickham, global marketing director, Fernox, said, “CIB uses its expertise to maximise Fernox's PR coverage in order to achieve the company’s business objectives. Fernox considers the Fernox TF1 to be one of its most successful marketing initiatives to date, having now produced over 100,000 TF1s since October 2009.”
Forbo Flooring Systems
The objective for Forbo Flooring Systems, following a large acquisition, was to communicate to its wide target audience and raise awareness of the fact that Forbo now offers a fully integrated product portfolio across a wide variety of floorcoverings. With strict targets in place in terms of segment placement of PR, in April 2010-2011 CIB achieved 6,170 sccs, gained 172 items of positive coverage across forward features, PR and case studies from a target of 150 in 2010, as well as opening up new opportunities for Forbo through editorial comment pieces, profiles and interviews, which the company had not previously been engaged in.
Julie Dempster, marketing manager, Forbo Flooring Systems, said, “CIB understands the intricacies of the different sectors in which we operate. They combine knowledge with their professional approach to PR and marketing to deliver quality editorial coverage for us, all
the while supporting and helping us to achieve our company objectives.”
Catnic
For client Catnic, the creative division of CIB developed a new proposition – ‘Make it Happen’, to be used across all marcomms activity. As part of the campaign CIB worked with Professional Builder magazine and agreed an idea extension that secured Catnic a year long editorial series aligned to
the key message. The Make it Happen competition appears monthly in Professional Builder magazine, with each issue covering a full write-up of the winner’s experience and a reinforcement of Catnic's brand and key messages. So far 380 people have entered the competition and 859 sccs have been generated in PB alone, with a campaign total of 2156 sccs across all other PR activity.
Mike Murphy, sales & marketing director, Catnic, said, “We challenged CIB to develop a way to engage our core customer and confirm Catnic's position as a market leading brand. CIB proved that they understand the market and how best to communicate with it. The campaign not only fulfils the brief but delivers an integrated approach, as well as providing us with a platform from which to reach our other target audiences too.”
Social media
CIB is effectively integrating social media into its PR offering, forecasting an additional fee income of £80,000 in its first year of operation. Clients who have extended budget into social media include GE Lighting with Facebook, Knauf Insulation with Twitter and You Tube, and Graham, the first plumbers’ merchant to develop a fully integrated offering across its own blog, Facebook page and Twitter, with CIB developing the strategy and managing all content.
With a dedicated resource, CIB has opened up new services such as filming for social media channels. Exhibitions and events are now brought to life for clients, with CIB able to offer the service at a more accessible price point. Projects include overviews of Ecobuild 2011 for Knauf Insulation (Augmented reality 328 views, product launch 195 views) and Light+Build in Frankfurt 2010 for GE Lighting (Facebook only no stats available) and Graham's Go-Karting Challenge final (Facebook only no stats available).
