FROMTHEEDITOR
Welcome to the July edition of Clearview – although it may not feel like summer given the endless, drizzling rain in some parts of the country. However, there are plenty of bright, inspiring and unusual stories in this month’ s magazine to keep you both occupied and informed.
»»
TAKE THE EXTRAORDINARY TALE ON PAGE 12 about Mighton Products making its catwalk debut at a London fashion show – with its stainless-steel sash chain. Not many companies in our sector can say they’ ve paraded their products in front of eminent fashion critics. You couldn’ t make it up.
Then on page 14 we find out seven things you didn’ t know about the Synseal Group – one of them being that the group extrudes enough PVCu profile to stretch from Nottingham to Tasmania.
Of course, the biggest part of Clearview this month- pages 66-93- is dedicated to comprehensive coverage of what was a truly magnificent FIT Show, making its debut at its new, bigger Birmingham venue at the NEC. There were some stunning top end products to be found as well as a lot of catching up to do with old and new friends – and lots of ambitious plans and initiatives. Epwin attracted a lot of interest as it launched its Excellence as Standard programme, page 71, while Victorian Sliders gave a different perspective with its report on its first ever FIT Show – page 75.
The FIT Show is just as much about people as it is about products. Think of all the colourful characters you look forward to bumping into – and maybe a couple that you might avoid. We’ ve kept the focus on people on page 108 – or rather one particular person – in our heart-warming human interest story. The person in question is a former builder who worked hard to create a new life in his 40s – he re-trained as a locksmith, learning the trade via MPL’ s Specialist Locksmith courses.
Another contributor we spoke to this month is Michelle Wright, page 10, marketing manager for the Glazerite Group, who tells us exactly how the group is working hard to really help installers.
Finally, catch up with the trends and shifts in the industry on pages 14 and 104. On page 14 we look at how second replacements and changes in home ownership are having a big impact and re-defining the way the industry does things. Get a warm glow on page 104 by reading about‘ glow heated glass’, a pioneering product from TuffX shown at this year’ s Grand Designs live show.
Helen Williams, Editor
‘ Misleading’ Google online ads- a threat to installers and fabricators
»»
INSTALLERS AND fabricators could be losing thousands of pounds of new business to copycat advertisers who exploit their brand and local reputation, online.
The warning comes from Hants-based home improvement specialist KJM Group, which was targeted by a competitor business, Cheapest Double Glazing.
The company, registered to an address in London, ran a series of Google Ads in April. These used the header‘ KJM Windows – Top Quality Windows and Doors – cheapest-double-glazing. com’.
Mark Pearce, Managing Director, KJM Group, said:“ Google ads are the paid-for adverts that appear at the top or the side of your search in Google.
“ The ads placed by Cheapest Double Glazing, in our opinion could be very easily confused by homeowners as having been placed by us.
“ The use of‘ KJM Group’ in the strapline of the ad means that it’ s not unreasonable to suggest that someone could click on it believing that they were being directed to our own website, when in fact they were being completely re-directed to a thirdparty site.
“ We hadn’ t registered our company name as a Trademark – something that we have now done – which meant that it wasn’ t protected.
“ In law and within Google’ s own guidelines, Cheapest Double Glazing hadn’ t committed an offence leaving us with very little redress, despite what is the very clear and cynical exploitation of our brand.”
The KJM boss is urging any fabricators or installers, which haven’ t yet done so to register their brands as Trademarks to avoid what he described as the pitfalls of what he described as the‘ Wild West of online advertising’.
Registration of a Trademark gives you the exclusive right to use the mark or authorise someone else to use it, for the goods or services for which it is registered. This includes the legal basis for action against someone who uses it to promote the same or similar goods for which its registered.
This also empowers businesses to seek specific redress from Google.“ We’ d encourage other business owners in and around Hampshire to learn from our experience. Without Trademark registration, Google won’ t remove the ads despite our requests, because in law, no offence has been committed.”
4 » JUL 2017 » CLEARVIEW-UK. COM