In June 2022, we travelled to London to discuss producing a film with Kelly Parish and David Miles, Strategic Account Director and Head of Innovations and Improvements at MITIE’s Business Services team.
The brief was a simple one. Network Rail, one of MITIE’s most valuable clients, had put their IFM contract up for tender; a contract Mitie had held for the last 10 years and were keen to retain.
How where we going to convince Network Rail, using the persuasive power of film, that MITIE had the right blend of services and approach that would secure this important contract?
The feeling was, that despite everything MITIE did on behalf of Network Rail, the latter didn’t fully appreciate what the former did for it across its managed stations in the UK.
This quickly became the theme – do you actually know what we do for you and also, what we could also do as part of a new contract?
We set about writing a compelling narrative, in partnership with David and his team and scoping out a powerful storyboard. Filming took place over 3 days in London and the South East, starting at Kings Cross station, in September 2022.
The story was squarely focused on showcasing everything MITIE do on behalf of Network Rail and potentially, what additional services could be included as part of any new contract. From professional cleaning and maintenance of stations, and commercial premises…
The film was edited and completed in October and MITIE first aired it….and used it extensively across all its social media platforms and at events they hosted and attended. The belief within MITIE was that it definitely got the right message out there.
In January 2023, it formed part of the official response to the Network Rail tender.
In June 2023, MITIE were informed that they’d been successful in its efforts to retain this valuable contract.
A contract that would start on October 1st, 2023, for four years, with an option to extend for another year, worth £280m and covering the full suite of IFM services – from security, cleaning, engineering (M&E), waste management, to ground maintenance and front of house. Pretty extensive.
How much of an influence did the 5-min film we made together with Kelly and David have in the final outcome? Well, we asked them both:
“Without doubt, this film had a significant influence on the outcome of this very important tender. We needed a strong visual demonstration of our capabilities, our approach and above all, a showcase for our people delivering the exceptional every day, in order to convince Network Rail that we were the only ones who could deliver on their expectations.
From initial concept to final edit, and everything in between, Ant, Steve and all the team at Lilac were exceptional. It’s a real pleasure to work with them and we are already looking forward to the next exciting project.”
Kelly Parish, Strategic Account Director, Business Services, Mitie
“Network Rail didn’t really grasp what we did for them. So, the idea behind the film was to wow them with as much visual content as we could squeeze in. From showcasing cleaning station roofs hundreds of feet up, to state-of-the-art cleaning equipment, multi-skilled workplace management teams and the largest fleet on electric vehicles in the UK, we certainly left nothing out!
And at the heart of it all was the team at Lilac Howell. Superb filmmakers, but also good people, who always make sure that you get just the final film you need. I can’t speak highly enough of them.”
David Miles, Head of Innovations & Improvements (Network Rail), Business Services, Mitie
At Lilac Howell, we believe in the power of film to reach a wider audience quicker and with greater cut-through than more traditional methods of communication.
Film is memorable, engaging and above all, impactful. MITIE clearly think so.
So, if your business wants to be heard amidst all the noise, we can help you harness the persuasive power of film in your communications.
Lilac Howell. Beyond just film.
