Frontline gets a makeover with help from Brainstorm

Firmly established as the plumbers’ bible, the Frontline catalogue is a “trade only” publication featuring literally thousands of products, across 210 pages, providing
a “definitive” guide to the plumbing industry.

Despite the catalogue’s impressive historical success, the 2008 release needed a face-lift, to creatively move it on to reflect both a changing consumer marketplace in terms of higher expectations and uncompromising requirements for quality products and in turn, the corresponding requirements of developers needing to “up spec” properties due to the ever more exacting demands of potential buyers.

With this in mind we developed a creative route that defined “product as king”. This involved simplifying the layout, toning down and softening the colour scheme, enlarging the photography and making the catalogue as simple and uncomplicated as possible to ensure product specifiers could locate and subsequently purchase items quickly and with ease.

Immediately following the release of the revamped catalogue, sales enjoyed a rapid upturn compared to the same period covered by the previous catalogue.

On the back of this success, we were subsequently commissioned to redesign all marketing communications i.e. tactical mailers, newsletters, trade advertising and exhibition material to reflect the new brand ethos, heighten Frontline’s brand awareness and encourage brand loyalty within an increasingly aggressive, price driven and promiscuous marketplace.

 See the work