APS UK
In need of a fresh approach to their brand, web presence and marketing activity, APS UK turned to Fantastic for some iNSIGHT driven results.
With a legacy spanning over five decades, APS UK have established themselves as trusted providers of Dust & Fume Control Systems, Pneumatic Conveying Systems, and LEV Testing & Servicing.
Building on a foundation of expertise, understanding, and unparalleled experience in their field, APS recognised a need for a refreshed approach in how the business presented itself to the wider world.
After speaking to the team at Fantastic, APS realised that our unique iNSIGHT process offered the chance to delve deeper into not only how to promote their service offering, but how to communicate the right things, in the right way, to the right people at the right time.
The Brief.
As a business, APS had grown organically through a traditional sales model, whereby pre-emptive and supporting activities and their associated collateral were sporadic and not a good representation of the quality of work they delivered.
The APS brand and website had become somewhat tired and a refreshed visual and web presence was the foundation of their initial brief. However, as is often the case once the iNSIGHT process was underway, we established that a complete brand overhaul was needed before a comprehensive marketing plan was put in to play.
The Fantastic iNSIGHT team took the decision to re-write the brief and to expand the scope of what was required to drive the business forward. The team at APS was consulted throughout, and putting their trust in the process, were happy to be led by our recommendations and were open to see what we believed would make a real difference.
The Research.
After a thoroughly enjoyable iNSIGHT day with the business owners and senior leadership team, we set about gaining an in-depth knowledge of the Dust & Fume Extraction and Pneumatic Conveying & Storage sectors.
This meant understanding why these systems were so important and how they varied depending on the client and the client’s industrial sector. The organisations APS work with range from huge multinational operations right through to smaller, family run businesses.
Truly understanding the needs, desires, concerns and unique requirements of such a diverse customer base helped Fantastic to form a set of shared ideals that could then be adapted, dependent on the target audiences and their particular pain points.
What become more and more evident was the depths to which APS go to, to ensure their customers and their employees stay safe at all times. Dust & fume extraction is hugely important in terms of health and safety in the workplace and the consultative approach taken by APS went far beyond simply creating and installing systems.
We Consult.
We Design.
We Install.
The Big Idea.
Having realised that APS were far more than a simple supplier and that their key selling points came from their expertise in planning, designing and installing their systems, our team established the concept that APS deliver three fundamental services:
1. They consult with their clients, delivering sector leading advice.
2. They design systems that are more than fit for purpose.
3. They install systems with excellence and expertise.
Recognising that this was not a sector for overly conceptual or abstract messaging, we introduced the simple business strapline of “We Consult. We Design. We Install”. This direct phrase summed up the three areas of expertise delivered by the team at APS and allowed us to quickly and easily identify what they provide for a diverse client base.
The Activity
With our brand essence in place, we developed a dynamic, fresh, vibrant and modern visual identity; something that avoided being overly traditional or stale whilst also giving a sense of scale and expertise.
At the heart of the identity was the idea that we wanted to use visuals to always convey a sense of experience and trust whilst also presenting an approachable, friendly demeanour. It was hugely important to get across the personality of the business and a tone of voice was established that gives a sense of being knowledgeable, accommodating, understanding, experienced and personable. A true representation of APS and the team behind the brand.
With a new brand identity in place, we then set about designing a new website (with a view to correcting some historical technical SEO challenges) as well as creating a comprehensive marketing plan that would ensure APS were talking to customers of the past, present and future on a regular basis with the correct messaging.
APS work in a world where we are genuinely helping to protect the health and wellbeing of our customers and their employees and it’s something we take very seriously. However, like many business owners we found ourselves caught up in the day-to-day running of the business and inevitably neglected how the outside world heard about us and how they saw us. Fantastic helped us to take a step back and re-establish what makes our team so unique as well as outlining a vision for the future. We’d worked with agencies previously, but their input tended to be pretty tactical, and they just gave us what we wanted. Fantastic challenged us in the right way and really took time to understand us as a business and as people before delivering a comprehensive piece of work and we are excited for what the future holds.
Matthew Brown – Sales Director
