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Rely on Red

The Challenge: A Commodity in a Sea of Sameness

In the construction sector, roof battens were seen as a generic commodity. Our client had a superior product verified by a high-tech ‘Golden Eye’ machine that checked for structural cracks and quality but on a building site, their premium battens looked identical to lower-quality competitors. They were losing market share to cheaper, less reliable alternatives.

The Insight: Seeing the ‘Golden Eye’

During a factory floor deep-dive, the Born team spotted the Golden Eye machine. We realised that while the quality was there, the visibility wasn’t. To solve the “commodity trap,” we needed to make the quality undeniable at a glance.

Service

Campaign

Rely on Red Case Study - 35% Sales Increase in Roof Battens

The Strategy: Redefining the Product

We proposed a radical move: Changing the colour of the dye to Red. By turning the battens red, we created instant differentiation on-site. If it wasn’t red, it wasn’t a John Brash-standard batten.

The Impact: Lobbying for a Legal Standard

We didn’t stop at design. Born helped the client lobby the UK Government and the Business Minister to raise the safety standards for the entire industry. This led to the creation of BS 5534—a new legal standard for roof battens.

Because of our strategic “Rely on Red” positioning, our client’s battens were the only product on the market that met the new legal requirements during the initial rollout. We designed multilingual technical guides to ensure the “Rely on Red” message was clear across international supply chains and diverse workforces.

The ROI: Measurable Results

35% Increase in Sales: A direct result of product differentiation and the new legal mandate.
Market Monopoly: For a critical period, the brand became the only legal choice for UK roofing.
Industry Standard: Transformed a commodity into a category-leading brand that set the benchmark for UK construction safety.

How We Deliver This Level of ROI