Houlder, specialists in engineering design, clean technology and technical consultancy for the marine and offshore environments, helps clients meet the challenges of the low carbon energy transition, improving vessel efficiency through clean technology and automation and building the infrastructure for renewable energy.
When BLUE started working with Houlder in 2019, the company wanted to increase its brand visibility in its two core areas, vessel decarbonisation and the energy transition, including offshore wind, and to build a reputation for its sustainability consultancy alongside its marine engineering expertise. Houlder needed to evidence and bring to life its approach as a trusted partner providing dependable technical support and innovative solutions. It sought to increase its share of voice and differentiate from competitors, with a focus on substance, integrity, and superior knowledge and expertise. As a team of mostly engineers and naval architects, it also needed to shift the internal mindset. Naturally cautious and only ever communicating fully evidenced case studies of previous work, the team needed to become confident in sharing ideas and opinions grounded in experience and industry knowledge, and to present a service portfolio built around client needs.
BLUE provided an integrated communications programme spanning traditional, social and digital media, digital marketing to improve SEO and social engagement, plus speaker opportunities, event support, and Houlder-led webinars and whitepapers. A brand development project delivered a new brand position, ‘Your partner for a sustainable future’, and rebuilt Houlder’s services around client needs, informed by a perception audit of key stakeholders.
The ongoing programme took a twin-track approach: thought leadership campaigns targeting both the marine and renewable segments ran simultaneously alongside a steady drip feed of corporate developments, including project wins and results, case studies and key partnerships.
The brand repositioning, revamped visual identity and communications support carried Houlder from a little-known naval architect to a widely respected design and engineering consultancy with sustainability at its heart. Work on the new website and a strong SEO strategy delivered a 32% increase in traffic, a 30% increase in linking domains and 41 keywords ranking on the first page of Google. Organic and paid social content delivered a 48% increase in LinkedIn followers, the priority channel for Houlder’s audience. Regular speaker opportunities at marine and renewable energy industry events raised Houlder’s profile and enabled more effective networking.
Houlder’s maritime decarbonisation whitepaper, researched and written with BLUE, provided a hero campaign tactic that supported sales and informed multi-channel communication for many months. It generated 16 earned editorial pieces and an earned event speaking opportunity, a press release with an online readership of 3.82 million, and a significant number of whitepaper downloads.
