A change for the better

Over the last few years, many aspects of the glazing industry have been through an accelerated period of change. Marketing is no exception, as Iain McInnes, founder of WeBuildBrands, explains.

In the business world, change is arguably one of the only things that remains constant. Every so often however, certain factors act as a catalyst, driving change at a greater than usual pace.

This has been the case recently. The advent of Covid-19 brought with it the need to change attitudes and approaches to work. It became apparent that colleagues no longer needed to be located in the same physical space to collaborate effectively.

The rest of us quickly learnt what tech giants, who are typically the early adopters of progressive employment and business practices, have known for years. That fully remote and hybrid working isn’t just feasible, it’s often highly advantageous.

At the same time, Covid led to an acceleration in the digitalisation of many processes and interactions – and markedly so for companies involved in the provision of professional services like marketing. Digital adoption has taken a quantum leap forward at both an organisational and industry level.

This sea change has created exciting opportunities for marketing agencies – and, perhaps more importantly, for the clients that use them.

A break from tradition

For a profession that prides itself on thinking outside of the box, it seems strange that the traditional marketing agency model has endured as a ‘one size fits all’ solution for so long. Yes, the traditional agency with its bricks and mortar presence and hierarchical structure has its place (and especially in terms of bringing future generations of talent into the industry) – but it also has its pitfalls.

Dealing with large teams consisting of account execs, account managers and account directors for example can lead to inconsistencies. For a start, your key messages can become diluted or even distorted as they pass between different people.

Plus, it’s not always easy for someone at an early stage in their career with limited commercial exposure to communicate, whether that’s visually or in writing, in a way that resonates with business leaders and senior decision makers. Increasingly, companies in the glass and glazing industry are looking for an alternative to the traditional agency model and at WeBuildBrands we’re proud to offer it.

New possibilities

WeBuildBrands has been quick to embrace many of the new and emerging methodologies and opportunities. In fact, we have a distinct approach that delivers some equally distinct benefits.

To begin with, as a fully remote business, we are not restricted by the need to recruit our team from a given geographical area. Instead, we can draw on a nationwide pool of talent, employing the best PR professionals, social media managers, graphic designers, web developers, and other marketing professionals regardless of where they are located.

Our approach also takes a cue from other consultancy-led, professional services businesses such as law firms and accountancy practices. When working with organisations of this type, most of us would expect a senior member of their team, such as a partner, to handle our affairs.

In much the same way, clients that work with WeBuildBrands benefit from senior involvement as a matter of course – day in, day out. We are not an agency where our biggest hitters are only wheeled out at the pitch stage or for client meetings, and where it’s the more junior or less experienced members of the team that do the heavy lifting on a daily basis.

Our clients deal either with myself – who has over 25 years marketing experience gained specifically within the glass and glazing sector – or my colleague, Wayne Leith.

A new addition to the business, Wayne also has over 25 years of marketing experience, gained across the construction industry and in a variety of roles – from copywriter and creative director to PR manager and even agency owner.

Our high-end, high touch approach enables our clients, which includes many of the biggest and best-known names in the fenestration market, to benefit from expert advice and outputs based on hard-won experience. Admittedly, it’s a business model that’s not always easy to scale but for us that isn’t an issue.

As a company our focus has always been less about quantity – and much, much more about quality.