The sun always shines on TV

Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell surfs the channels.

Marketing strategies in today’s tech savvy world is all about digital and online, right?

If you want to get in front of people with money to spend, you have to have your finger on the pulse of Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Houzz. Having a website is no longer good enough. At the very least it has to be responsive to whichever device it is being viewed on, and then you’ve got to think about generating leads for your customers, or providing a comprehensive library of technical information, or supplying apps that can help installers on site.

And that was just off the top of my head.

But what about television? The beauty of digital marketing is that you get a big bang for your buck, and done properly, you can build a great online presence. Think TV, however, and you can visualise your entire marketing budget being blown on one 30-second ad. Understandably, that marketing route doesn’t tend to get a look in – a spot on local radio, maybe, or an ad on the back of the bus, but that’s as far as it usually goes.

Which is why it was exciting to see Origin’s new ad launch this week during Coronation Street.

Neil Ginger, CEO and co-founder at Origin, said: “It is not often manufacturers of completely bespoke products launch national advertising campaigns, but we see it as a huge sign of intent, and we want everyone to be a part of it.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant by everyone being a part of it, but after seeing the ad (whether Neil meant this or not) I felt that the whole fenestration industry benefited. It is a beautifully shot 30-second advert that literally revolves around the front door.

I hope Origin and its partners see a good return on this investment, but I imagine that all companies will benefit simply because the front door has been promoted. Homeowners will look at that advert, then look at their own front door and think that maybe it is time for an upgrade.

Like all good marketing, this one advert doesn’t stand in isolation. It will be supported by an extensive campaign, including social media content across Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest, as well as press and showroom opening days.

Interestingly, Fensa has also reported that the first six months of its TV ad campaign exceeded expectations, and that its Approved Installers are reaping the benefits.

Anda Gregory, managing director of Fensa, said: “It is a very positive result to see the TV campaign driving business to our community of Approved Installers via the Fensa website … The statistics are impressive: The TV ad has been seen by 56% of the UK population to date and each person has seen one of our ads an average of eight times.”

Are we seeing the dawn of a new age in marketing?