MARKETINGSUPPORT
SPONSORED BY ALDRIDGE SECURITY
A CHANGE OF LOCK
As the dust settles from this year’s
Locksmith Expo, Tina Hughan, Head
of Marketing for ASSA ABLOY UK
reflects on some of the marketing and
product changes ASSA ABLOY,
and indeed the industry, has
had over recent years.
“I remember when I first joined the
company, initially working for the
Adams Rite and subsequently UNION
and ASSA brands, being told that I
would need to do a lot of work to really
understand locksmiths and their
industry, as if it held some sort of black
magic. Whilst, I think it is certainly true
that the industry is unique, it perhaps
has an unfair reputation for being
reluctant to change.
From my experience, when I think back
to some of the first Locksmith Expo’s that
I attended, the industry has come along
way and in many instances pioneered
some quite innovative solutions, without
losing sight of its core personality and
features, which make it such an interesting
industry to work in.
I think it’s fair to say that ASSA ABLOY
UK has been on a similar journey over
recent years, developing forward-thinking
solutions, whilst retaining its core values,
as a UK manufacturer based in the heart
of the lock country.
The advent of social media in the B2B
market was probably one of the biggest
step changes we have seen in terms of
marketing. Whether you have a Facebook
page or Twitter channel this is a byproduct of a larger phenomenon of the
customer demand generation - being able
to demand information on their terms, at
a time and in a format suitable to them.
44
MAR/APR 2014
Gone
are the
days of
handing out
brochures and product guides and
customers referring to them when they
want some information, now the demand
is instant and to some extent out of our
control. Whether you are a locksmith,
consumer, or manufacturer the first thing
y