By Paul Dunwell, writing for EasyFrame
© Copyright EasyFrame 2021
Easyframe’s workforce perpetually has its noses to the grindstone, not least because the COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged most houseproud folk to have businesses like theirs frame or reframe work to hang in the homes to which they’ve been largely confined for the last year.
But, because all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, owners Rob and Nick Zanna will always embrace opportunities to do something a little different. And that’s how come they got themselves involved in the ‘GetFramous’ competition a while back.
They’ve been submitting entries for a few months now and have repeatedly made it to the podium. But that was never going to be good enough for them. And now their perseverance has paid off. They won. Yay!
The ‘GetFramous’ competition is the brainchild of picture-framing suppliers and wholesalers Larson Juhl UK, a company which is part of Warren Buffet’s sprawling Berkshire Hathaway (it owns about 200 subsidiaries, and those 200 subsidiaries in turn own another 50 or so subsidiaries).
All of this means that businessman, investor and philanthropist Warren Edward Buffet, currently worth close to 100 billion US, is the man to thank. Though, in all fairness to Kempston-based Larson Juhl UK, part of what is in its own right a massive international business, Nick and Rob realise that they also owe it to acknowledge the involvement of directors at one of their key suppliers for coming up with the idea of ‘GetFramous’ and making it a fun, inspiring, educational and social event in which they’ve been pleased to participate. Ronnie Huxford is one person they have particularly singled out for thanks.
Actually the GetFramous campaign is part of a bigger initiative by Larson Juhl UK, one that started in June 2019, to prompt its business customers to experiment with marketing techniques that ultimately are in their shared interests.
There are 12 areas in which they’re offering not just help in the form of assets like toolkits but encouragement and prizes. Those areas include engagement across social channels and increasing website traffic. Of course Easyframe is an old hand at a lot of this, and the footfall on their website at www.easyframe.co.uk is a prime example of the investment which the business makes in not only great content but in ensuring that the public finds it. Yet there is always something to be learned. And a determination to learn it.
Rob and Nick have particularly enjoyed the opportunity to see what others in the industry are doing. The competition has attracted a lot of very capable entries from the likes of Horsham Framing Centre, John’s Framing, Bespoke Framing and Ann the Framer. No slouches, any of them!
Making public their decision on the results, Larson Juhl UK wrote ‘We are so pleased to announce that the winner of our latest #GetFramous competition is @easyframe_uk ! Congratulations to you, we thought your 'Those Damn Crows' piece rocked! We would also like to say a big thank you to everyone who entered the last round... stay tuned for future competitions’.
There was more. Privately the organisers wrote to Nick and Rob: ‘We thought your ‘Those Damn Crows’ piece was wonderful and combined strong social engagement rates with creativity and high standards of framing. The judging was done in consultation with Master of the Guild Jo Palmer GCF (APF), who was also very impressed with your framing expertise’.
Easyframe has standard designs that suit most orders. But, as you’ll have seen with their winning entry incorporating the Those Damn Crows drumsticks and more, it can obviously put together a custom solution for any special order. That includes the creation of flawless apertures and matting to suit. Such an approach is ideal for framing irregular iconic memorabilia.
Nick says: “We were really pleased to win the prize. £250 is always handy and appreciated. To be honest we could earn more given the time involved. And Easyframe is so good these days that it’s tempting to feel like for us to turn up and compete is like Seb Coe pitching up to run in an egg-and-spoon event at his grandchildren’s sports day. But, actually, our rivals put in some very polished entries and it wasn’t a foregone conclusion we’d win. This is a great reminder for us that we can and ought to keep improving. So much of that comes down to buying state-of-the-art machinery and investing in good people as well as their training. But there is an element here that’s pure imagination, something that’s only sparked if you love what you do and if you’re inspired by the challenge. In this case we love Those Damn Crows. So we’re always going to think outside the box and raise our game”.
Had he any regrets?
“Not really. It would have been nice if Warren Buffet had turned up. Maybe with Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Bernard Arnault, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg in tow. Perhaps next time.”
In short EasyFrame won this time. Deservedly. But the business, although it’s the equivalent of football’s Manchester United, is always going to face challenges from usurpers (think Everton, Chelsea, Leicester, Liverpool and City). Competition sharpens everyone up, though, and is good for the consumer.
To see more of what Easyframe does with memorabilia that requires multi-aperture framing visit www.easyframe.co.uk/multi-aperture-designs and www.easyframe.co.uk/NewsArticle/framing-records.
If you want to contact Rob or Nick about framing musical memorabilia or anything else, EasyFrame is on 01234 856 501 and emailable via nick@easyframe.co.uk.
Finally, though, if you are framing anything precious it’s always worth going straight to a professional framer like Easyframe for advice. They will enjoy chatting with you and charge nothing for advice.
Article Posted: 17/02/2021 12:06:32