Page 18 - BOSS Today Issue 16

Archiving and filing

Filing

on earth

and in

cyberspace

Dealers looking to sell filing products
need to be aware of customers’

changing but still fluid demands

n 2011, Hamelin Brands, one the market, there wasn’t one
iof the best known names in big brand name in filing and
the UK stationery sector, joined archiving that would dominate
forces with its sister company over everything else. “There is
Elba to drive awareness of Elba not really any other filing brand
filing and archiving products. that is known,” says Prince. “In the
Elba wasn’t a particularly new notebooks market it is different,
range – it can trace its origins because people know about
back to First World War Germany, Black ‘n’ Red. So this is a great
and during its development the opportunity.”
company also invented the first
ever suspension files system. In No enthusiasm
fact, in 2011 the range wasn’t Anecdotal evidence at the time
even new to the UK market. suggested that in any case
But according to Emily Prince, people were not really enthused
marketing manager for Elba at about filing. “It was a product
Hamelin Brands, Elba then had a sector that had become very
low market share, and Hamelin commoditised, and initially
Brands was determined to build people thought it was very
the brand up to the point where boring, almost like cleaning a
it might be on a part with some house,” says Prince.
of the company’s bigger names, Yet research the company
such as its Oxford range of had undertaken in 2011 also
books and pads. “We wanted to suggested that, given the right
drive engagement and energy environment, filing was an
into the filing category and be activity that could hold some
the brand that understands emotional value. “People feel
consumers’ needs,” she says. that when they have done it
The company had noticed they are really on top of things,”
that, unlike other segments of says Prince.

18 BOSS TODAY | March/April 2013

Archiving.indd 2 13/03/2013 13:50