Incoming UK MD, Nick Buckingham, was brought in to refocus the company and deliver long-term profitable growth. Nick brought us in to help in two ways. Initially, to help the business understand exactly what their brand currently was and what it needed to become to most effectively aid profitable business growth. Then, we carried out an extensive strategic analysis into the key business growth opportunities.
We depth interviewed Colt’s senior management team, along with all the sales reps and over 30 specifiers across their various target audiences. We also analysed 10 years of sales data, published data on the market, as well as on key existing and potential purchasers. This led to the identification and quantification of significant market opportunities and recommendations for Colt to most effectively exploit these.
The brand development research led to a new brand proposition: “Colt. Expertise built on proven experience”. Not just a ‘nice to have’ slogan, but a summation of the key competitive benefits that Colt provides over its varied competitors across the whole of its business. The website was redesigned to focus on each of the four business segments, so that each had a specific web offering to stand toe to toe with more specialised competitors. Two segments – Service and Climate Control – were given advertising support: print ads, digital ads, email campaigns and paid search.
