Bobbies give firm a lift!

Acorn Stairlifts is using the life-size cardboard cut-out coppers as part of a marketing strategy to establish itself on the other side of the Atlantic.

Carrying the message 'Don't Accept Lifts From Strangers', the move is proving a massive hit with US customers and giving Acorn a firm foothold in the country.

Chris Roper, Acorn's director, said: "The cut-out coppers were the idea of our Bradford-based design agency, Pure, and we used them for the first time at a trade exhibition in New Orleans.

"It resulted in more than $1 million in orders almost immediately and has led to the establishment of a dedicated US office and sales team offering British-built peace of mind.

"The bobbies offer a degree of reassurance to a customer base that demands sensitivity, safety and comfort."

The cardboard copper is called DC Power after the power source which propels the stairlifts.

But the firm has encountered a problem with the marketing strategy.

Mr Roper added: "There is one problem though - the US police are getting a bit miffed by our PC presence!"

Mr Roper, who has worked for the Norwood Avenue firm for a decade, added: "We were looking for some point of sale marketing and wanted to keep the British angle.

"We came up with a variety of ideas, but everyone seemed to like the British bobby one the best.

"We put the cut-outs on display at a show in America, which was a month after September 11, and thought that trade would be slow because of the terrorist attacks. We were amazed at the response it generated and the money we made.

"DC Power is great as it gives across our message of safety and security to the US market. Americans are very envious of our police force and the message works well."

Acorn employs more than 300 staff and has a turnover of £25 million.

It recently signed a deal worth around three quarters of a million pounds when it sold several hundred units to Japan. Mr Roper and sales manager Clare Brophy are pictured with the cut-out coppers.