Z/Yen Limited, the leading risk/reward management firm, has completed a name recognition questionnaire for a facilities management (FM) client you might or might not have heard of. One name, ____________________________________________ [insert fictitious name here], a non-existent firm whose name we made up, did reasonably well in the running.

Responses came from a survey of 765 corporate people, all of whom have an FM or support services background. Respondents were asked the extent to which they recognised the names on a list of 25 companies. One imposter was included in the list; a name which could be (indeed ought to be) the name of an FM company but is actually complete fiction.

The imposter did quite well (didn’t come last), but the overall recognition of the real names was surprisingly low. On average, 48% of respondents had "never heard the name" of the companies listed. The table overleaf shows a summary of the results.

Kevin Parker, Z/Yen senior consultant and ‘survey meister’, suggests "there is an implication of limited FM market knowledge amongst clients and prospective clients of the sector. The brands in the lower reaches have a lot of work to do on recognition. Most of the brands in the higher reaches have failed to take advantage of their fame."

Ian Harris, managing director of Z/Yen, to some extent disagrees. "The survey includes a mixture of FM companies, at different stages of their corporate lives and in various specialisms within the sector. I would not be too worried if I were one of the players in the lower reaches of name recognition which is new to the market and/or has recently changed its name, such as Aqumen, Comax or Primary Management.

"I’d be more concerned if I were one of the large and diverse players whose recognition languishes in the 30% to 70% zone, particularly if I had been in the business for many years. Many of these companies have invested millions on branding. I’d have some serious questions to ask my PR, marketing and advertising account managers in several of these cases.

"Clearly this is a sector in turmoil. As well as continued rebranding in order to find handles for customers, we expect to see corporate images changing tangibly through further mergers and acquisitions".

Z/Yen specialises in risk/reward management, an innovative approach to improving organisational performance. Z/Yen clients to date include blue chip companies in banking, insurance, distribution and charities, as well as facilities management providers.

For further information please contact:

Ian Harris
Z/Yen Limited
5-7 St Helens Place,
London EC3A 6AU

Tel: (0171) 562-9562

Fax: (0171) 628-5751

E-mail: ian_harris@zyen.com

Z/YEN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT NAME RECOGNITION SURVEY
PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS WHO HAD "NEVER HEARD THE NAME"