The brief
The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) is a Professional Engineering Institution, licensed by the Engineering Council to award professionally registered status. It is also a charity, with a clear purpose: to protect public health and safety by supporting a strong, qualified membership underpinned by technical competence and expertise.
However, like many long-established membership bodies, CIPHE was facing a demographic challenge. Its membership base was ageing, and in order to safeguard future prosperity and continue its vital work, it needed to attract a new generation of heating engineers.
The objective was clear: increase UK membership, build meaningful engagement with younger installers, and position MCIPHE status as a mark of credibility that engineers would actively promote to consumers.
30%
new members year-on-year
50%
memberships within target demographic
1.5m
media reach
The campaign
We developed an integrated PR and communications campaign built around three focused workstreams, designed to grow membership while strengthening CIPHE’s voice and visibility.
- Community building
We identified and activated respected ambassadors and industry influencers to help drive awareness and credibility amongst younger engineers. Alongside this, we delivered an exclusive in-person event designed to foster a sense of belonging, spark peer-to-peer advocacy and generate community-led content.
This approach helped reposition CIPHE as not just a professional body, but a supportive, forward-thinking network for ambitious engineers.
- Revitalising CIPHE’s channels
To reach installers where they already spend their time, we launched and developed a dedicated Instagram presence from scratch. This gave CIPHE a modern, visually engaging platform to showcase members, promote professional status and share relevant industry insight.
At the same time, we refreshed existing channels to ensure a consistent, confident tone of voice that resonated with a younger demographic while maintaining the organisation’s authority.
- Maintaining CIPHE’s authoritative voice
Through proactive media relations and thought leadership, we ensured CIPHE remained front and centre of industry conversations. Strategic commentary, reactive press engagement and targeted outreach reinforced its position as the professional standard bearer for plumbing and heating engineers.
Every piece of coverage was aligned to core messaging, with a clear route back to membership.
The results
The campaign delivered measurable impact across membership growth, audience profile and brand visibility.
- A 30% year-on-year of new members
- 50% of new members fall within the target under-40 demographic, with the average age now 36 (down from 41 in 2023)
- 30,000+ organic reach on Instagram, with 1,000+ new followers in its first 12 months
- Media reach of 1.5 million+, with 100% key message inclusion and 60% of coverage featuring backlinks to the ‘Become a member’ page
- 26 attendees at an exclusive event, 50% of whom were prospective members and have since agreed to sign up
Beyond the numbers, CIPHE has strengthened its connection with the next generation of engineers and built momentum around professional recognition.
Services delivered:
- Integrated PR and communications strategy
- Ambassador and influencer engagement
- Event concept, management and content creation
- Social media strategy and channel launch (Instagram)
- Ongoing content development and community management
- Media relations and press office
- Thought leadership development
- Messaging and brand positioning consultancy
Through a joined-up, insight-led approach, we helped CIPHE futureproof its membership base while reinforcing its role as the authoritative voice of the industry.