Blankstone Opticians

Blankstone Opticians is based in Liverpool city centre, nestled between the business district and the main shopping area. Following the announcement of the Paradise retail development, Mark Blankstone felt it was time to re-position his business, strengthen its reputation and maximise commercial opportunities. Following a re-brand and complete refurbishment of the store, Mark asked Ampersand to develop a two-year PR and marketing plan to help take his business on to the next level.

1 - What we advised.
Ampersand had already been providing PR services for Blankstone Opticians on a regular basis but recommended an intense campaign to ensure continuous presence in the media. It was important to develop a cost effective way to advertise new products, promotions and services, to stay in touch with regular clients and encourage new ones. It was important to position Blankstone not just as a dispensing optician, but also as a leading supplier of the most sought after designer eyewear.

2- What was implemented.
We helped to organise a number of small events including a successful launch party for the new store. All these events generated great PR coverage as well as increasing their network of clients. Additional to the regular PR, we organised high profile competitions and promotions to gain high impact media space, working closely with suppliers like Ray Ban, Missoni and Swarovski to secure luxury prizes.
We update the website on a continual basis so it was always fresh and brimming with new content when people visited and launched regular e-flyers to distribute news and promotions. We also negotiated a number of partnerships and cross branding opportunities that has opened up a host of new markets to Blankstone''s including the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament and Greens gym

3 - What were the results.
Blankstone has seen an impressive 35% increase in profits, has more than tripled his client contact database and increased the number of regular new clients. He has attracted a number of exclusive showpiece collections for his store such as the prestigious "Gold and Wood" collection. Mark was short-listed for the Downtown Livercool Retailer of the year awards 2006 and is website has recently been short-listed for the independent website of the year 2007 with Optician magazine