INDUSTRYNEWS
£ 1 million investment for Purplex Marketing
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MOST COMPANIES HAVE USED A marketing agency at some point . Maybe one of those quirky creative design agencies , a self-professed PR guru who turns up at every networking event , or ‘ digital evangelists ’ who see themselves as some sort of web and online visionaries .
But there is one agency that has achieved extraordinary growth – and that is Purplex . MD Andrew Scott recently announced £ 1million investment across the Ascot Group , Purplex ’ s parent company , and Clearview caught up with Andrew to find out more .
Andrew has been in the window industry for 30 years , starting as a computer programmer for a glass company before taking over as production manager . He made the move into sales and marketing working with the legendary Ian Harrison ( Saturn Windows and Speedframe ) and was marketing director of major players such as The Omega Group and Cambrian Windows , which was later acquired by Masco .
Andrew studied Business and later Corporate Finance at Cranfield , and has acquired , built and sold several companies across the industry before moving into marketing .
He said : “ Through the years I worked with many marketing and PR agencies and was always frustrated . Either they lacked industry knowledge , didn ’ t have the relevant skills or resources , or charged a great deal of money without delivering the results I wanted .”
DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY
In 2004 he took the plunge and launched his own marketing agency , Purplex , with the aim of doing things very differently .
“ Most PR , digital or design agencies are small lifestyle businesses with five or 10 staff and almost no business strategy or investment plan . I wanted to make a difference , to help companies build strong brands and create sustainable growth , so I took the decision early-on to invest ,” said Andrew .
The name Purplex itself is an acronym for Andrew ’ s philosophy , it stands for Purpose , Planning and Execution . And it certainly seems to have paid off ; today the company employs 65 staff , making it by far the largest agency in the glazing and construction industry .
In 12 years , the company has moved four times , the most recent being the purchase of a major HQ just outside of Bristol . Andrew comments : “ We plan to scale from 65 to 200 staff during the next few years and we needed new facilities to support each stage . The new HQ doubles our existing office space to 10,000 sq ft and the building , fit-out and new facilities are part of a £ 1million investment .”
The new HQ spans three floors and includes a creative studio with design , video and photography , a high tech digital hub for web design and extensive device testing , digital marketing and social media . It also houses a media and PR office , customer services and a support team , along with three video-enabled meeting / training rooms and great staff facilities , from the ‘ Live Lounge ’ to gourmet coffee on tap and arcade machines .
Andrew commented : “ Creating the right environment for our team is essential ; a motivated , passionate and highly skilled team deliver much better results . That ’ s why our clients grow faster than their competitors and had 15,000 sales leads last month .”
This focus on results and client satisfaction has given Purplex one of the highest customer retention rates in the marketing industry , while
Google recently announced Purplex as one of its fastest growing Partner agencies both in revenue spend and performance against other agencies .
AWARD WINNERS It was no surprise then that the firm was nominated ‘ marketing agency of the year ’ the first time it entered the Construction Marketing Awards in 2015 , and again in 2016 . More recently , the company was recognised by the Institute of Directors , winning the ‘ Corporate Social Responsibility ’ Award while Andrew was nominated ‘ Director of the Year ’.
Andrew believes marketing is changing at its fastest rate in history and new technologies , media and shifting consumer behaviour means organisations and agencies need constantly to evolve their marketing strategy .
Purplex is well placed for the changes ahead and the company is firmly set on employing 200 + staff within a few years . The agency is part of the Ascot Group , which already includes several media and tech businesses , a property portfolio and a seed capital / investment arm . Future growth for Purplex will come both organically and through acquisition , as Andrew plans to add other marketing agencies and services to the group .
If you ’ d like to know more about how Purplex can help your business grow call 01934 808132 or visit www . purplexmarketing . com
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