The brief
Polypipe Building Products manufactures a range of energy-efficient heating solutions which are designed to run at lower temperatures and help to decrease the carbon emissions produced by our homes. For this reason, it wanted to establish itself as the go-to brand for information about regulation changes, with installers being a key target audience.
One of the key regulations that Polypipe Building Products want to own the narrative around is Part L of the Building Regulations, which covers the conservation of fuel and power. This is because updates to the legislation, which were published in June 2022, formed part of the biggest set of Building Regulation changes to impact the heating sector in over a decade.
Since then, the industry has been in a transitionary period. However, from June 2023 the grace period will draw to a close and all heating installers will need to comply with the updated regulations.
In January 2023, Polypipe Building Products appointed Refresh to support it in increasing its communications around Part L of the Building Regulations whilst also modernising the brand to make it more attractive to a new generation of installers and the growing online community.
The core objectives of the campaign were to:
- Build brand awareness for Polypipe, cementing it as the market leader and voice of authority around Part L
- Modernise its PR by utilising alternative methods & channels
120k
views on video content
3.8k
social media engagements
4.3m
reach across channels
The campaign
Part L of the Building Regulations is a document of 100+ pages. So, we needed to interpret the key regulations and present them in a way that would be engaging and easily digestible to installers. For this reason, we took a social media-first approach and developed a campaign narrative which centred around “building regulations made easy”.
It intended to educate installers on regulations by highlighting technical information in a digestible format whilst also humanising and modernising the brand. In addition, it would be created in partnership with installers, for installers, because we know that they trust each other and look to their peers for advice.
With video content rising in popularity, we knew this was the answer. However, a corporate explainer video wasn’t going to attract younger generations, generate a buzz around the brand, or help Polypipe to penetrate the heating community online. So, we worked with three trade influencers, Polypipe’s site support team, and our creative partners Eight Engines to create a game show entitled ‘A Question of Regs.’
We made the decision that ‘A Question of Regs’ would run in the format of:
- Polypipe briefly explaining the regulations
- installers taking part in a challenge that highlighted key regulations
- a forfeit for the installer who lost the challenge
To ensure that the game show had an exciting backdrop, we filmed in a boxing gym rather than a studio. This location created a playful environment, ensured that any stills shared online would capture attention, and allowed us to use some of the gym’s props to create funny content.
The campaign content was split into four shorter episodes and a number of highlight reels which were rolled out across social media, posted on the influencer’s channels and uploaded to YouTube. We also produced one longer hero video which was hosted on a dedicated landing page.
On top of this, we shared the video with key trade media for use across their own online channels.
The results
We are currently five months into the twelve-month campaign and so far it has achieved:
- 120,330 views of video content
- 3,869 organic social media engagements
- 74,341 reach across social media channels
- 9% increase in average website session duration
- 66 pieces of media coverage
- 4,271,264 coverage circulation
- 43 pieces of influencer content
- 3 ongoing relationships with influencers
- 100+ new followers on Instagram
- 2,491 reactions on TikTok and Instagram and 4,860 impressions on YouTube
Services delivered include:
- Strategy and planning
- Content development
- Influencer marketing
- Videography
- Social media support
- General copywriting
- Media relations
- Thought-leadership
- Digital PR and link building
- Measurement and evaluation
“Working with Refresh PR on this campaign has been a dream. The team’s knowledge and understanding of the industry is second to none, and that shows with the results of this campaign. From our first planning meeting, it was clear that Refresh not only understood our need to modernise our PR efforts but knew the ways in which we could achieve this from the get-go. Their attention to detail, passion for the work that they do, and commitment to providing the best campaign possible is one of the main reasons ‘A Question of Regs’ has been our most successful PR campaign to date. We’re thrilled with the results they have provided and cannot thank them enough for their incredible work.” PR & Digital Marketing Executive, Polypipe