Rob Nash may not be a celebrity, but he could soon be the most recognised plumbing and heating engineer in Britain after being chosen as a poster boy for a new advertising campaign.
The 42-year-old from Hereford will be splashed across adverts around the country making it almost impossible to avoid him.
The director of his own plumbing and heating business – specialising in servicing, break down and replacement of gas, oil and LPG boilers for both domestic and commercial clients – Rob was picked from thousands of customers to be one of just four “faces” of a new ad campaign for the Volkswagen Transporter.
An image of him with his silver Volkswagen Transporter van bearing the name of his firm, Hereford Heating, will start to appear across the country straightaway.
The campaign is to highlight how South Hereford van centre is working in partnership with its customers.
Rob and three other small businesses will star in the Volkswagen campaign with the slogan “We never forget the most important name on our vans. Yours” and will get the equivalent of £2.5 MILLION worth of free advertising as a result.
Father-of-two Rob, set up Hereford Heating in 2006 and now employs 8 people full time. Most of his work focusses on boiler repair, servicing and installation, but he also has a particular interest in environment-friendly energy sources including solar-powered hot water and ground source heat pumps.
The other businesses involved are a locksmith, a flooring contractor and a telecommunications specialist.
All the businesses taking part in the campaign were recommended by their local Volkswagen Van Centres from across the UK and South van centre were keen to put Rob and his business forward for the campaign.
Rob said: “When I first heard from the ad agency I took it with a pinch of salt. Then they told me I would be famous for the whole of the summer.
“It only hit home when at the photo shoot. It took so long to do it, I realised it was serious.
“We work in a really competitive marketplace so I’m really hoping that people will see the adverts and remember us when they need some help.”
Charlie Richards, brand manager at the South Hereford Van Centre, said: “We worked closely with Rob to help him to find the right vans for his business needs and he has never looked back since, always opting for the Volkswagen Transporter over the years due to its stylish exterior and proven dependability.”
“We know it’s tough out there for many businesses and we are committed to working with our customers to support them through a range of services we offer.
“We thought there was no better way to show our support for Hereford Heating than to let them benefit from a £2.5m ad campaign.”
Volkswagen Transporter is currently looking for more ambitious small businesses it can help support with free publicity.
Interested businesses should click here to find out more.