Helping Purdy celebrate mentors in the trade

Just one of the campaigns we worked on for Purdy in 2021, the Purdy Mentor of the Year competition aimed to highlight those passing on vital skills in the trade, and proved to be a big success.

In 2021 we developed the inaugural Purdy Mentor of the Year competition. This recognises those in the industry that are inspiring the next generation – with apprentices and trainees encouraged to nominate their mentor. Purdy joined with the CITB and the Professional Decorating Association (PDA) to reach younger decorators and encourage entries.

The competition launched in July 2021 and ran until the end of September. Anyone passing on their skills and passion to the person or people they are training could be nominated - whether they run their own business, manage or train decorators in a larger firm or teach at a college. The entries were judged by Phil Warwick from the CITB, Neil Ogilvie at the PDA and Andy Cummins, Senior Product Manager at Purdy. The winner was awarded £2000 while two runners up received £500 each. The apprentice or trainee who nominated the winners also received a bundle of Purdy products to add to their kit.

We developed a multi-platform approach for the promotion of the competition, including:

• Organic and promoted social media posts
• PR through the trade press – both to publicise the launch and announce the winners.
• Blog posts on the Purdy UK website
• Video content – interviews with the winners pushed out through social and on the website.

The competition was a huge success with the number of nominations surpassing all expectations. As hoped, the mentors that were nominated represented people from across the sector including self-employed professionals who have inspired their apprentice; experienced decorators at big companies who are passing on best practice, and lecturers helping their students find their passion for the trade.

John Stevenson from the Leeds College of Building was crowned as the first winner of Purdy Mentor of the Year. Nominated by Reece Dudley for being “such a great tutor”, the judges saw just how inspirational John has been to those he teaches. He has gone out of his way to ensure that his students can gain a full understanding of what it takes to be a professional painter and decorator. John’s positive, “go out and get it” attitude has been instilled in his students and he has worked hard to ensure that they understand the importance of maintaining a high standard of work across every job.