Just over twenty - five years ago, a new British Standard for fire tests on building materials and structures was introduced. Put simply, the new standard involved the introduction of positive pressure in the test furnace. This may appear innocuous enough but the implications were enormous. Suddenly timber fire doors were failing fire tests as pressure forced hot gases and flames to exploit the gaps around door edges. In 1977, to combat the problem, a company called Mann McGowan launched a range of intumescent seals on to the market. These were fire stop products that expanded to form a seal when exposed to fire, but did not interfere with everyday functionality - and it revolutionised modern intumescent technology throughout the world.

Specifiers now taking a keen interest

Mann McGowan is a busy, technology based company, with no dedicated in-house marketing communications function. The Creative Department were appointed to undertake this role on an outsourced basis, with the remit that a comprehensive fully costed and timetabled communications programme should be drawn up for implementation as soon as possible. A detailed audit of all relevant aspects of the company's operation was undertaken and one thing became clear immediately. Whilst historically intumescent technology had been the province of specialist contractors, today, there is a great deal of interest from the specifier market too, brought about by the introduction of ever more stringent health and safety legislation, combined with the sheer diversity of application possibilities. Customer retention remains paramount of course and the plan reflects that, but there is a real opportunity to build bridges with this new, influential, specifier audience too.
We identified just the means to do it.

Demonstration press launch

A particularly high - performance smoke seal, which had to be fire tested under strict conditions, had recently been developed. This presented us with the ideal vehicle to combine a press launch with a product demonstration. Editors and journalists from the leading specifier titles were invited along and turned out in force for the event, giving the Mann McGowan management team the chance to introduce themselves and discuss topical company and market issues. To sustain this relationship, the plan allows for the distribution of targeted press releases throughout the year, to coincide with editorial features that we have identified. In addition, technical case studies featuring in - depth information, CAD drawings and dramatic photography on high profile projects will also be placed in key publications.

RIBA CPD

Whilst on - going press relations activity will help raise the company's profile in the sector, it is important to have regular, direct interface with specifiers as well and The Creative Department were enthusiastic that Mann McGowan should become members of the RIBA CPD Providers Network. It is the ideal medium for communicating innovative, technical subject matter. To speed up the membership process, we undertook to write the material and saw it through the approval process. The seminar is written in HTML, a superior format to the traditionally used PowerPoint, with a host of benefits for the session designer and the presenter.

Twenty five years on

As part of the customer retention activity and of general introductory interest to prospects and new customers, we also recommended the production of a 25th Anniversary Brochure, for general distribution as a celebratory piece.

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