Yorkshire and Lincolnshire broadband provider Quickline Communications has recorded one of the strongest periods in its history, with record-breaking sales days, its highest-ever monthly installation figures and growing brand awareness across the region as the business continues its ambitious expansion plans.
The momentum comes as Quickline approaches four years working with East Yorkshire strategic creative agency Sowden & Sowden, with the long-standing partnership playing a key role in the evolution of the Quickline brand and its growing visibility across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
Over the past 12 months, the two businesses have worked closely on a more integrated marketing and creative strategy designed to strengthen Quickline’s position as one of the UK’s fastest-growing challenger broadband providers.
That activity has included larger above-the-line campaigns across TV, radio and outdoor advertising, alongside targeted direct marketing, regional activations and more joined-up customer communications designed around the issues that matter most to broadband customers, including reliability, speed, service and value.
The business has also continued to evolve its wider “Proper Helpful” positioning as part of a longer-term vision to become the region’s best-loved broadband provider.
Central to that evolution has been the growing prominence of Quickline’s
long-standing brand champion, QT.
Known fondly internally as QT, the character has evolved from a smaller supporting role across campaigns and creative assets into a much more visible part of the brand’s wider “Big Switch” campaign strategy, helping bring greater personality, recognition and consistency across TV, radio, outdoor and digital activity.
The wider strategy has also focused heavily on creating a more consistent and recognisable brand presence across every customer touchpoint, helping ensure campaigns feel more connected as Quickline continues to expand into communities across the region.
Shirin Kemp, Director of Marketing at Quickline, said: “The last few months have been hugely important for Quickline. Exceeding our targets for the first time and achieving the highest monthly sales volumes in our history is a massive milestone for the business.
“It’s important to recognise that this has been a huge cross-functional effort across the wider commercial team. There’s been an enormous amount of work happening across the business to support that growth and momentum.
“What’s been particularly important is how much more aligned the marketing now feels. Campaigns like The Big Switch, alongside our wider Proper Helpful positioning, have helped create a stronger sense of momentum around the brand and a clearer reason for customers across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire to make the switch to Quickline.
“We’ve moved into a much stronger position as a challenger brand because the communications now feel more connected, more recognisable and much more reflective of who Quickline is becoming.
“Sowden & Sowden have been a huge part of that journey. They understand the ambition behind the business and have helped us build campaigns that genuinely connect with customers across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.”
Quickline says the increased focus on integrated brand activity has been supported by continued investment in customer experience, with engineers and frontline teams playing a major role in delivering the company’s “Proper Helpful” ethos in communities across the region.
The broadband provider currently holds an “Excellent” rating on Trustpilot with more than 5,000 reviews, with customers frequently highlighting reliability, customer service and engineer experience as key reasons for switching.
Polly Sowden, Managing Director and Creative Lead at Sowden & Sowden, said: “Quickline is one of the most ambitious brands we work with and the momentum behind the business right now is brilliant.
“Broadband is one of the toughest categories to cut through because so many brands look and sound the same. If challenger brands want to succeed in the space, they have to build something people recognise, remember and connect with emotionally.
“Over the last few years, the relationship has evolved into a genuinely strategic partnership focused on helping Quickline become one of the region’s most recognisable and best-loved brands.
“There’s been a real shift towards more consistent, joined-up campaigns that work across every touchpoint, from direct marketing and digital through to TV, radio and outdoor activity.
“Bringing QT further into the spotlight has been a huge part of that too. Challenger brands need personality, consistency and recall, and there are some exciting moments still to come this year.”
Shirin continued: “Everything we do is centred around becoming Yorkshire and Lincolnshire’s best-loved broadband provider, and that goes far beyond advertising campaigns.
“It’s about making sure customers have a consistently positive experience at every stage of their journey with Quickline, whether that’s seeing a campaign on TV, speaking to one of our teams or having an engineer arrive at their home.
“The work Sowden & Sowden have delivered has helped create much stronger awareness and recognition for the brand across the region, but importantly it also genuinely reflects who we are as a business and the experience we want customers to have.
“They understand the ambition of the business, they understand our audiences and they’ve become a genuine extension of the team over the last few years.”
The partnership is continuing into a fourth year later this year, with further major campaign activity planned for the rest of the year as Quickline continues to grow its presence across communities throughout Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.