Armitage Shanks, the iconic and leading British bathroom manufacturer, has launched a celebratory campaign to mark the historic 200-year anniversary since it was founded in 1817.
The brand has also launched a number of celebrations with its long-standing trade merchant partners, including Wolseley, Graham and Grafton – with birthday activities and giveaways taking place at branches across the UK.
Originally founded by Thomas Bond in the Staffordshire village of Armitage, it has produced millions of items over the last two centuries that have adorned UK bathrooms in homes and in public spaces, including offices, pubs, shops, restaurants, schools, hospitals, and sports stadia.
The kick-off piece of activity for the Celebrate 200 campaign sees Armitage Shanks collaborate with a professional music producer, to compose a piece of music generated from recordings of sample sounds in the bathroom and of plumbers going about their job. Watch the video, below:
The track is made using everyday noises and sounds, such as a flushing toilet, dripping tap, and even the sound of a pipe being cut, to create a contemporary piece of music.
It was created by DJ Molecules, an electronic music production collaborative based in Shoreditch, London. Operating across Europe, they compose and produce inventive music centred on using eclectic samples and artist collaboration.
In addition, Armitage Shanks has created a free-to-download smartphone app, Beats 200, enabling plumbers and Armitage Shanks fans alike the opportunity to create their own pieces of music for fun. Available on the App store and Google Play, the Armitage Shanks Beats 200 App enables users to:
- Create your own two-minute track
- Customise your track by selecting a melody, beat and beats per minute
- Personalise your track with bathroom sounds from 50 available options
- Share your track with your friends on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #Celebrate200
- Download your track and use as a ringtone
Aspiring DJs will also be able to submit their tracks via the app to be entered into the competition. The most popular user-generated tracks that are shared will be rewarded with the chance to win a £5,000 Birthday Experience of a Lifetime.
The ten most popular tracks will also be pressed and published onto a limited edition Beats 200 vinyl album.
A second piece of activity aimed at trade merchants and plumbers, is an H2O-Levels online quiz that inspires users to test their knowledge of all things plumbing.
This is all hosted on a new campaign website, which also features a run-through of the history of the brand, at: www.Celebrate200.co.uk.
Katie Cope, marketing director at Ideal Standard, said: “Armitage Shanks turns 200 in 2017, making it one of the UK’s longest-standing brands. We wanted to create a feel-good celebration atmosphere around the brand, which is looking towards the future, as well as celebrating the past.
“Over the last two centuries, Armitage Shanks has become synonymous with quality bathroom design for homes and businesses across the UK. The Celebrate 200 campaign celebrates this, promoting the brand to a multi-generational audience. Armitage Shanks’ headquarters is the only remaining major scale manufacturing plant to continue producing ceramic bathroom products in the UK. We’re delighted to celebrate this historic milestone, creating a platform for our brand to take water intelligence to the next level.”
For more information, visit www.Celebrate200.co.uk.