JG Speedfit

The challenge

JG Speedfit is a lead brand of John Guest, itself one of a wider family of brands in the global RWC group. It is best known as a professional plumbing brand, manufacturing pipe and fittings from locations in West London, Berkshire and Cornwall. Founded in 1961, John Guest employs over 1,200 people in the UK, making and selling billions of components worldwide.

This was JG Speedfit’s first major sales promotion since the pandemic.

Their customers – plumbers, plumbing merchants and retailers – had faced many lockdown challenges. 2023 felt like the right time for a positive, promotional campaign to bring customers together.

The aim was to launch an interactive promotion, featuring a wide range of prizes culminating in a £20k prize draw. As well as creating an uplift in sales, the brief was to strengthen relationships with distribution partners and create a buzz within the brand’s community of plumbers.

Our approach

Rather than just focus on the big cash prize, we wanted to create a campaign built around the fun ways that customers could spend their winnings.

We made use of the behavioural economics techniques of framing and social proof to show lifestyle choices that would generate discussion and interaction.

The multichannel campaign (with several channels being tested for the first time), featured a range of point of sale materials.

• Trade publication advertising
• Trade email marketing
• Organic and paid social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Youtube)
• Radio advertising (Fix Radio)
• Instore promotions including posters, hex bins, countertop loaders, bunting, wobblers, floor vinyls, outdoor banners, speech bubbles
• Web banners

The results

Audiences really connected with the strong creative, resulting in a wealth of user-generated content. Our multi-channel approach increased the brand’s reach and visibility, with a consistent look and feel across digital and traditional channels.

Engagement metrics show the campaign delivered way beyond short-term tactical goals. It also strengthened long-term trade relationships and created positive brand leader perceptions.

During the campaign we learned about the hopes and ambitions of the audience, and that they really enjoyed interacting with the brand and distribution partners across the UK. Over 3,500 customers told us how they would spend the prize money, creating a sense of fun and excitement. We also identified the best channels and tactics to generate true engagement.

‘20 Grand in Your Hand’ won the Gold award at the 2023 B2B Marketing Awards in the category of Best Multichannel Campaign.