Bringing technical performance and environmental purpose together
Client
Nikwax
Country
United Kingdom
Disciplines
Campaigns
Editorial Design
Exhibition Design
Sector
Manufacturing & Industrial
Retail
Founded in 1977, Nikwax is a British manufacturer of specialist cleaning and waterproofing products created to prolong the life and improve the performance of outdoor clothing, footwear and equipment. The company has pioneered water-based treatments, avoided aerosols and built its reputation around high-performance products developed with a deep commitment to environmental responsibility.
The brief
Nikwax asked BakerWilcox to support its marketing activity across a wide range of campaigns and communications. The work included advertising, product literature, educational materials, direct mail, digital assets, exhibition graphics and communications marking significant moments in the company’s history.
Baker Wilcox are a pleasure to work with, they deliver excellent quality work and good value for money too. They are like an extension of our marketing team.
Zoe HewittNikwax
The execution
We developed a broad and adaptable body of work that made Nikwax’s technical product benefits clear while communicating the environmental values at the heart of the business. Across advertising, brochures and digital communications, layouts were structured to help audiences quickly understand what each product did, why it was needed and how it could extend the useful life of outdoor equipment.
Educational content formed an important part of the work. Product guides, workbooks and supporting materials translated specialist information into clear visual journeys, using typography, diagrams and iconography to explain waterproofing, cleaning and aftercare without overwhelming the reader.
Campaigns were developed across print and digital formats, combining product-led messaging with wider stories around repair, reuse and responsible outdoor behaviour. Each execution was carefully adapted to its setting, from advertising and email communications to direct mail and large-format exhibition graphics.
We also created commemorative literature celebrating Nikwax’s 40th anniversary, drawing together archive material, milestones and stories from the company’s unconventional beginnings. Founded by Nick Brown, the first commercial Nikwax product was mixed in his North London flat using a discarded tea urn and a Primus stove before being sold to outdoor retailers from a second-hand Morris van.
The result was a cohesive suite of communications that helped Nikwax explain complex product technology, support its retailers and reinforce the pioneering environmental principles that have shaped the company from the outset.
Nikwax has always combined serious technical knowledge with an independent and deeply principled way of doing business. The pleasure of working with the brand was finding clear, engaging ways to communicate both sides of that story, showing not only how the products perform, but why extending the life of outdoor equipment matters.
KELLY WILCOX
