Direct to consumer search supremacy for a heritage brand

The client.

ACME Whistles is a true icon of British manufacturing, with a legacy spanning over 150 years. Renowned for their unparalleled craftsmanship, innovation, and reliability, ACME has set the global standard for whistles across multiple industries—from professional sports and dog training to safety and heritage collectibles. Their products are trusted by referees officiating the world's biggest matches, by search-and-rescue teams in life-or-death situations, and by generations of dog trainers who demand the very best. Working with such an esteemed and beloved brand on their DTC journey—with active involvement across SEO, PR, film production, and TV advertising—is a privilege and a point of pride for our team.

What we did.

When we first partnered with ACME Whistles, they were making a significant transition—shifting from a brand primarily marketed through its extensive global distribution network to scaling its direct-to-consumer (DTC) ecommerce offering. This presented both an opportunity and a challenge: how to establish their website as a key destination for direct purchases while maintaining their relationships with distributors and their brand authority.

As the patent owner of many iconic whistle designs, ACME Whistles was also facing a growing issue of online competition from cheap imitations. They needed greater visibility in search to reinforce the value of buying genuine, authentic, high-quality ACME Whistles.

Although ACME is a globally recognised and much-loved brand, our initial campaign was focused on improving their UK organic visibility. Over time, we have expanded this scope to build their international presence, ensuring they are well-positioned to serve customers worldwide. Our work began with a website migration from a legacy CMS to Magento. This was a foundational step in modernising their ecommerce presence. From there, we have optimised on-site content, and ensured that the website’s structure and performance has continued to meet best practices as it has continually evolved with the dynamic needs of the brand.

The largest component of our strategy has been link building, executed through a variety of approaches. We have worked with our trusted external partners on high-profile digital PR campaigns, including celebrating ACME’s 150th anniversary and uncovering the "lost clickers of D-Day," both of which generated significant media interest and authoritative backlinks. Alongside this, we implemented a targeted manual link-building strategy, securing placements on high-authority websites, including blogger outreach to strengthen visibility across ACME’s key product niches.

Beyond traditional SEO, we have played a pivotal role in broader marketing initiatives that amplified ACME’s brand presence. We spearheaded production and media buys for a national TV advertisement, "The Pursuit of Excellence", which aired for six weeks, reached 9 million viewers, and sparked further PR and social media engagement.

Other noteworthy contributions include supporting the highly successful launch of the ACME ALPHA, a revolutionary dog training whistle, and playing a key part on the development of the ACME Kennels content hub—home to expert-led video content from internationally renowned dog trainers.

Everything we have done has been driven by a clear objective: positioning ACME Whistles as the definitive authority in their industry. More than just an online store, their website has become a hub for education, research, and community engagement—capturing top-of-funnel search interest and solidifying ACME’s reputation as the go-to brand for dog trainers, sports officials, safety professionals, and heritage enthusiasts alike.

Project results.

Our partnership with ACME Whistles has been transformative. Over the course of our six-year campaign (and counting), we have met and exceeded our objectives, propelling ACME Whistles into a new era of digital dominance without compromising their much-loved traditional heritage. Their website has experienced meteoric growth, with staggering increases in organic traffic both in the UK and globally. Their visibility in search has skyrocketed, with a dramatic expansion in top-ranking keywords and a commanding presence at the top of search results for the vast majority of their key terms.

More than just an ecommerce success story, this campaign has redefined ACME Whistles’ online presence, cementing their authority across all their market segments. The website now serves as the ultimate destination for customers, enthusiasts, and professionals alike—not just a place to buy whistles, but a rich, authoritative hub for information, education, and brand storytelling. What began as a challenge to secure digital visibility has become a long-term success story, ensuring ACME’s legacy continues to thrive in the modern digital landscape.

• 1482% increase in global organic traffic over 6 year campaign
• 1454% increase in UK organic traffic over 6 year campaign
• 1514% increase in top 10 ranking keywords
• 84% of 354 KPI keywords ranking #1-3

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"Reliable results from data-driven SEO strategies. RankBrain have always kept us one step ahead of the competition over the years.”
- Ben McFarlane, Sales Director

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