Back to all client storiesFairline Yachts
Based out of the UK, Fairline Yachts has a passion for perfection, beauty, and performance. They have a rich history of building timeless, classic yachts. They're also dedicated to exceptional British craftsmanship, the exquisite materials chosen, and the investment in cutting edge innovation, design, and technology. With Fairline Yachts, attention is paid to ensure every perfect detail.
Company Stats
2500+ assets
1 global office and 54 global dealerships
280+ employees
After nine years with a custom built Digital Asset Management (DAM) tool, Fairline Yachts realized it was time for an upgrade. Their old tool had not been maintained or updated, and it was becoming expensive to host. Below, Fairline's Head of Marketing, Miles Moorhouse, discusses their road to Brandfolder and how the platform has given his team 10% of their time back, along with a better-equipped sales team.
Why Fairline ditched their custom DAM
Fairline Yachts already knew the value of DAM when they began their search. "We had an online asset management tool that had been previously written for us nine years ago, but we hadn't spent any money developing it," said Fairline's Miles Moorhouse. "Our old tool enabled us, our partners, and our agencies to download assets around the world. But because we hadn't spent any time developing it, it was out of date."
Moorhouse explained their old solution was time consuming when uploading assets (they could only update three assets at a time), and the library system didn't work efficiently because of the different naming conventions various custodians had used over the years. Their old solution also wasn't searchable. "We needed a more modern, user-friendly option," said Moorhouse. Ultimately, they chose Brandfolder.
How they decided on Brandfolder
"The process was really simple," Moorhouse remembers. "James Ryder is my go-to I.T. guy and I emailed him letting him know we needed to replace our online tool. I asked James to take a look at the marketplace. James came back and said he had a shortlist from three years prior."
Moorhouse looked at the list and did a little research to see what had happened on the DAM landscape in three years since Ryder had compiled the competitive list. "I saw that Brandfolder was really well regarded in a short time. We held it up against a few others and he [James] said, 'Miles, I don't think you need to waste your time looking for anything else.'"
When Miles and James reached out, they found the Brandfolder team "very responsive and very communicative. The Brandfolder team instantly gave us a good feeling about using Brandfolder on a longterm basis." Fairline Yachts is headquartered in the United Kingdom, so they weren't able to do a face-to-face meeting. A lengthy conference call was scheduled for their onboarding session. "James and I just started uploading assets! The great thing about Brandfolder is that you do not need an instruction manual — once you're in, you're genuinely up and away!"
I saw that Brandfolder was really well regarded in a short time. We held it up against a few others and he [James] said, 'Miles, I don't think you need to waste your time looking for anything else.' – Miles Moorhouse, Head of Marketing at Fairline Yachts
Who's using Brandfolder at Fairline Yachts (and do they like it)?
"My marketing, sales, and product design departments are totally bought in. They know where to find things, and from a marketing point of view, it has saved 10% of our weekly workload by not having to find assets for people — and that's a conservative estimate." Moorhouse continues, "I don't get emails anymore asking for images of products. I just don't have that anymore."
Fairline Yachts shares their Brandfolder with a network of 54 dealerships globally. Each dealership has Brandfolder access to view and download the assets they need. In many of these dealerships, English is not the first language, but Moorhouse says Brandfolder is simple enough to use that communication has not been a problem. "My dealer in the Middle East is one of my top five Brandfolder users. They speak Arabic, and yet they are on Brandfolder downloading the assets and images they need."
Within Brandfolder, Moorhouse utilizes three collections. The first is for the Fairline Yachts internal team, the second is for their dealers, and the third is a press collection. Members of media can sign up for access to the press collection and then download the images and assets they need.
"Two journalists have said they wish more people would use something like Brandfolder," Moorhouse recounts. He also likes that he can track what assets are being used. "I can see when they've been on Brandfolder and what they've accessed. Then I can follow up and see if they need further information."
My marketing, sales, and product design departments are totally bought in. They know where to find things, and from a marketing point of view, it has saved 10% of our weekly workload by not having to find assets for people — and that's a conservative estimate. – Miles Moorhouse, Head of Marketing at Fairline Yachts
The biggest benefits of using Brandfolder
The biggest benefit to Fairline Yachts' marketing team is the 10% of time they get back in their week. Instead of digging for the right assets to share with the right people, they can rely on Brandfolder to do that busy work for them. Moorhouse is also enjoying a few extra dollars in his marketing budget. "I'm spending less of my marketing budget using Brandfolder than I was previously," he remarks. Fairline's old custom tool was expensive to run and to maintain. With Brandfolder, they don't have to worry about those costs.
"The main benefits are having all of the most up-to-date assets in one place. Because I manage the Brandfolder so closely, if a product design changes, I can archive the old product design and make sure people are searching for the most up-to-date products." Moorhouse continues, "It ensures a dealer in Sydney can't possibly sell a product we don't make anymore — even if he missed the memo. With Brandfolder, he can't go wrong."
When asked what other benefits Fairline Yachts has seen since implementing Brandfolder, Moorhouse muses, "A lot of the sales process happens outside the office. You might be at a marina boat show making a sale. Brandfolder enables our salespeople to pull up assets on their tablet and give [prospects] the images and details they need about a particular product."
He continues, "As a sales tool, Brandfolder enables the sales process by making the product info readily available. Your client at a boat show may not want to take a heavy brochure with him, but now sales can email an electronic version of the brochure straight from Brandfolder. It's a real tangible benefit in the sales product."