Travis Perkins, the UK’s second-largest building merchant, is
appointing an agency to help transform it into a mainstream
advertiser.
The company said this week that it had made its selection from the three
agencies understood to have pitched for the business - worth more than
pounds 2 million - but would not be naming the winning shop until the
new year.
The pitch has been called in an attempt to make the company more
top-of-mind with hundreds of small building contractors as well as
self-employed tradesmen, many of whom do not read specialist titles but
represent a market where margins are higher.
At the pitch, which was led by Bronagh Carey, the company’s marketing
director, agencies were asked to present strategic proposals on how it
should be positioned as well as creative work to reflect that
position.
Travis Perkins, which is based in Northampton, sells building materials
and rents tools at more than 400 of its branches throughout the
country.
The 60,000 items it carries include timber, plumbing supplies, nails,
sheet materials, doors, heating equipment paints and bricks.
The agency brief covers the main Travis Perkins brand as well as
Keyline, the building materials chain bought recently from the Irish
manufacturer, CRH, and the latest in a series of acquisitions.
The appointment will be the first of its kind for the company which has
previously relied on ad hoc arrangements.
’The need to establish brand credentials in a market with so many
players makes it likely that the company will try to improve its direct
marketing database and move into mainstream advertising,’ an industry
source said.
