The window blinds company has won its second award in the space of a couple of months – after being recognised by the window blinds industry’s trade body for its marketing campaign during the pandemic
Apollo Blinds scooped the Best Marketing Programme accolade at the British Blind and Shutter Association (BBSA) Awards. The judges commended Apollo Blinds for the way it planned, implemented, delivered and tactically adapted a multi-layered marketing plan during the pandemic.
Receiving the award, Apollo Blinds’ business development director, Matt Thomas, said that he was proud to collect the award on behalf of the management team and the network of franchisees and added that achieving this award was a collective effort.
“We faced stiff competition for the award, as we were up against some very strong brands in the window blinds industry. It was an honour to take to the stage to collect the award on behalf of everyone at Apollo Blinds,” said Matt. “Trading through the pandemic was a very challenging period and everything we put in place was to enable all our franchisees to increase sales and boost profitability.”
Just before the start of the pandemic, work was well underway on an Apollo Blinds brand refresh, as the window blinds market was becoming an increasingly condensed and competitive space, with competitors looking ever similar to the franchise brand.
Its change of brand position – encapsulated by the introduction of its brand statement “Superior window blinds and shutters since 1972” – meant that Apollo Blinds was able to clearly evidence that this subtle shift was the catalyst for delivering strong growth over the last couple of years.
The BBSA’s Best Marketing Programme accolade came just weeks after the company was named the winner of the Continuous Improvement category of the Best Franchise Awards – for the second year in a row.
Apollo Blinds won the award for setting a new record for the satisfaction levels of its franchisees after conducting its fourth annual Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark for 2022. It saw the overall satisfaction score from its 50-strong network of franchisees increase by 8 per cent from the previous year, taking its score to 84 per cent.
Matt identified two key factors that have underpinned the company’s success. The first is the company’s continued investment in bringing new products to market, enabling Apollo Blinds franchisees to have the widest collection of blinds, shutters, awnings and curtains in the UK. The second is the way its marketing is focused on supporting its franchisees to generate enquiries, which lead to sales, ultimately promoting the profitability and prosperity of the franchisees’ businesses.
“Apollo Blinds is a great place to be for anyone who wants to run their own business as part of our network. We are reaping the rewards of having a clear strategy for achieving strong growth, attracting more new franchisees and having a network of people who enjoy running profitable and prosperous businesses as part of our network,” he said.