Bonhams, one of the world’s leading and largest auction houses, wanted to improve its digital presence. It understood that digital marketing (online advertising, search strategy, social media activity, mobile apps and online partnerships, as well as its websites) could say as much about the brand as traditional marketing. Yet much of its digital marketing was reactive, without reference to an overarching brand strategy or company goals, and was not integrated with other marketing activity.

Sociagility was asked to help create a digital marketing strategy which would overcome these challenges and enhance Bonhams’ competitive position. We adopted a brand-led approach, seeking to understand how customers engaged with the Bonhams brand online, what their expectations were and how best digital could be integrated with ‘offline’ activities like mailings and with physical assets like auction premises and human experts.

We conducted an intense programme of activity that included a comparative analysis of focal competitors, a detailed website analytics audit, online research with over 4,000 customers and consultation with Bonhams senior leaders and sector experts. We produced two reports and conducted several workshops, with recommendations in four strategic priority areas:

Specific tactics for each area were identified and prioritized based on the basis of business benefit/ease of implementation. Further support has been provided by way of on-site implementation and ongoing counsel.