1. IN THE BEGINNING
Inside the Box Marketing was first established in 2011 by industry veteran Chris Globe. For many years previously, Chris had gained a raft of experience whilst working for WHS Halo in variety of Sales and Marketing roles. On establishing Inside the Box Marketing, he was delighted to be asked by Liniar to support their marketing efforts as they began their stellar growth in the industry.
From the beginning, Chris held a vision that he wanted to help new, up-and-coming businesses who had little or no marketing experience. His aim was always to help unleash the potential in their products and services using the skills and knowledge he had acquired during his 30-years in the industry. Sticking to the vision and having the experience to know what companies in Fenestration need, has enabled the business to thrive over recent years.
2. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
Over the last 12 months, the business has expanded and employed an experienced PR Manager to bring additional resource for ITBM. Stephanie Tague joined Inside the Box Marketing after having numerous years of experience working in marketing roles for businesses across the Fenestration industry.
Adding more means to the businesses has developed a new dynamic, with the company now being able to extend its client offering further. Previously, Stephanie had developed skills and knowledge working with hardware, manufacturing and component companies.
Having the knowledge of how organisations operate in the Fenestration industry, is a major benefit to a client, saving time and effort on their part. Experience is also key to ensure as a consultant, Inside the Box Marketing is able to scope out a perfect marketing strategy or campaign for its clients.
3. ALL ABOUT YOU
Inside the Box Marketing has a diverse portfolio of clients from across the glass and glazing industry. Ensuring these clients and their businesses receive the best from an agency, it pays close attention to the needs of the client and their business goals.
‘All About You’ is Inside the Box Marketing’s strapline and one which it endeavours to ensure remains at the forefront throughout its relationship with a client. Take for example Sheffield based, GQA Qualifications, the main awarding organisation for the Fenestration industry. Since appointing Inside the Box Marketing, it has seen the profile of its organisation and the number of partnerships it has formed with key industry employers rise significantly.
Clients such as Supalite Tiled Roofs and Truedor from IG Doors with the stellar products they offer the industry have been working with ITBM since the outset of their launch.
4. WHAT’S IN A NAME..?
‘Inside the Box Marketing’ is not naturally a figure of speech used amongst Marketing purists. However, when setting up the business Chris identified a trend in the people he was working with who rejected ‘thinking outside the box’.
Determined to get back to basics, he focussed on using the attributes clients already had in their business to help promote their products and services in a simplistic way.
“It was purely a mind-set thing when we set the business up,” says Chris: “you don’t need to go off and re-invent the wheel every day to achieve success; most businesses have already got everything they need, and it is just a case of drawing those things out to help them promote themselves.”
5. GETTING DOWN WITH THE KIDS
‘Skills gap’ is a phase which has been bouncing around the industry for many years, and as each year goes by the gap widens. Inside the Box Marketing will be instrumental in launching a new industry campaign in 2018 alongside GQA Qualifications to encourage youngsters, school-leavers and those wanting to make a career change in their lives to make Fenestration their career of choice.
‘Building Our Skills in Fenestration’ will take the form of a prospectus for the Fenestration Industry, and will draw the attention of youngsters to the great careers they could gain by joining it. Marketing material from 50 companies will play a part in creating the giant industry prospectus, profiling it to schools, teachers, parents and their children, offering a non-biased look at the advantages of choosing a career in Fenestration.
Individual companies trying to attract youngsters into their organisations will also be able to use the prospectus and carry the campaign badge on their marketing collateral. Employers can join the campaign at no cost, or can choose to sponsor a category in the ‘New Entrants’ Awards, a programme which will help recognise year-on-year those who successfully build a future in the glass and glazing industry.
6. UP, UP AND BLOG AWAY
Inside the Box Marketing is a passionate believer there are lessons to be learnt from every industry and in all areas of society. Taking heed of this, is something the Fenestration industry should adopt to avoid the pitfalls of other industries.
Every month, Inside the Box Marketing publishes a different blog on what is happening in industry, and society in general. Blogs have included the dilemma in which the airline industry finds itself, in terms of its overall structure and pricing, and questions what might happen in our industry if companies continue to undervalue and undersell their products in the same way.
Other blogs have looked at the importance of brand and outlined some of the potential dangers for businesses who do not do what they say they are going to do, or don’t deliver what the customer expects based on their promotional campaigns. Whilst there is a serious message, the blogs are also about trying to take a light-hearted view of things wherever possible.
7. IF THERE WERE NO BEES, THERE WOULD BE NO FOOD
A single bee has been the symbol of Manchester since the days of the Industrial Revolution, and Chris and his wife Vivien were amongst the first to join a campaign launched by the Co-operative Group based in the city to raise awareness of the plight of bees in the modern world in 2015.
The Co-op was the first to recognise the danger that changes to farming, the use of pesticides and especially the proliferation of telephone masts as doing to the bee population. What people didn’t initially realise, is that bees are responsible for pollinating 80% of the foodstuffs we grow and eat each day, and their rapid and still not reversing decline is having a major impact on the production of crops not only here in the UK, but in many of the countries from where we import our foodstuffs.
As a part of its activities to raise awareness of the issue, Inside the Box Marketing works with the Local Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Manchester, schools, and key gardening organisations such as the Royal Horticultural Society to promote the importance of growing plants to support the bee population, and this has also resulted in them marketing a GIANT black and yellow raised planter to encourage children to grow supporting plants.