The seeds of MPS (Merchandising and Promotional Services Ltd) were sown when Ian Adie, now Managing Director, toured with rock bands selling official merchandising. It began with a visit to Japan in 1994, with 1000 T-shirts in XXL size; none of which sold. However, the experience taught Ian the first lesson of business – do your research.

After successfully working with major Scottish acts, including Texas, Travis, Wet Wet Wet, Runrig, GUN and Capercaillie, the company, headed up by Ian and his brother Alan, decided to expand their operations into sports merchandising after hearing a radio programme declaring “football was the new rock ‘n’ roll.” The company, based in Dalmarnock, Glasgow, hasn’t looked back since.

The Strategy

Despite being a small firm, employing just eight full-time staff, MPS knows how to use its intellectual assets to land big business. Their experience in designing, branding and producing high-quality branded merchandising afforded them a reputation for providing a first-class service which helped them forge links in the competitive world of sports merchandising.

With a lifelong passion for football, the Adie brothers set their sights on making their name in the Scottish game. They achieved this with overwhelming success, securing the trade mark The Tartan Army. This has since been developed into a bespoke merchandising brand complete with its own registered tartan.

MPS helps companies use merchandising as a superb vehicle for brand reinforcement, and now have a client list in the sports market which would make anyone sit up and take notice: adidas, Footlocker, Celtic FC, Rangers FC, the Scottish Football Association, Scottish Rugby Union, Chelsea FC, Newcastle, and The National Stadium.

They also boast a list of prestigious clients outside the sporting world, including Nokia, Virgin, The Royal Mint and Edinburgh and Glasgow city councils. Their many image-enhancing clients are proudly displayed on the firm’s website for potential clients to notice. And it just so happened that someone did: UEFA. As a result of their outstanding intellectual assets in the field of sports merchandising – especially football – MPS were awarded the merchandising contract for the Champions League final in Glasgow in 2002 and Manchester 2003.

UEFA were so impressed with the job MPS did that they granted them a further contract for the Super Cup in Monaco, where Valencia beat FC Porto 2-1. The firm are also being considered for the Champions League Final 2005 in Istanbul, once again as official merchandiser.

To ensure their event sales are as successful as possible, MPS have invested in a fleet of high-quality mobile sales units which provide a standard of excellence rarely seen in mobile merchandising sales, and MPS have considerable know-how in using this complex equipment in what can be trying circumstances.

Corporate signage, stylish shopfitting, internal lighting and displays of the highest standards further enhance the company’s appeal to potential clients.

The reputation MPS has built for supplying quality service and products, as well as Ian and Alan’s unerring passion for what they do, are arguably two of MPS’s biggest intellectual assets. This reputation and their own brands, as well as their phenomenal client list, sets them apart as leaders in what is an already specialised field.  However, also of vital importance to the company are the specialist designers who create the unique look of MPS products. MPS have made sure they can exploit that creativity by protecting all of the designs which are generated by the company.

Ian says: “We’ve always been of the belief that if you’re going to do something, you need to do it well. When we’re selling merchandise for an event such as the Champions League final, for example, the buying public sees us as part of the overall event.  “If you get it wrong – poor-quality merchandise, ramshackle point of sale, amateur customer service – then it reflects badly on the whole event, and that’s when you don’t get asked back. “Making sure we get the most out of our intellectual assets has been a staple of our business strategy for a long time. It has served us well so far, and we’re confident it can help us grow in the future.”

The Success

MPS are only too aware of the value held in their intellectual assets, and have become adept at exploiting it. Licensing plays a large part in their success, so too does protecting the images and designs on their merchandise which ensures they maximise their commercial gain from their products.

Successful association with events such as the UEFA Champions League and the Super Cup will prove invaluable as MPS set their sights on the National Football League in the USA.

A product range for children developed for domestic football teams has also been adapted for the NFL, and Ian is confident it could be a huge hit in the States. He says: “Our history with events like the Champions League means that the people who make the decisions in the US will already have a good idea of the quality of merchandising we can deliver.  “Emulating the success we have had here over in America is the next big goal for us, and we’re confident that by continuing to exploit our intellectual assets it’s one we can achieve.”