Q&A with Jennie Collingwood, Marketing Manager at Northumbia Water Group

In this Q&A, Jennie Collingwood, Marketing Manager shares her thoughts on Northumbria Water Group's 'Annual Performance Review 2014/15' project, nominated in the Telecoms, Energy and Utilities category at The Masters 2015. See the full list of nominees here.

What do you think really made this project stand out?

Water companies can be seen as being quite traditional in their methods of communication. At Northumbrian Water Group we are pushing boundaries in our aim to become the national leader in the provision of sustainable water and waste water services.

Our Annual Performance Review has historically taken the format of a PDF that is displayed on our websites for our customers and stakeholders to view. For the 2014/15 report we decided to change that and create a review that would be really customer focused and would tell our customers about the brilliant results that we have achieved over the past year.

How do you build the perfect team?

The perfect team needs to have a group of people who can share a wealth of knowledge and skills. It also needs an inspirational and motivational leader to help nurture and drive creativity. Each team member needs to be really clear on the business aims and objectives so they are all working towards a common goal. Communication is also key. A team where members support their peers excels. No team is perfect but being adaptable and supporting each other while reacting to change means you will come pretty close...and being able to have fun along the way always helps!

Which campaigns have you seen recently that are defining the marketing landscape?

The launch of Dollar Shave Club was immense – the ad went viral immediately because it was unexpected and hilarious. DSC’s CEO said at the time: "People tend to remember things when they're musically presented, and comedy is a form of music. When you're launching a new business and sharing a new idea, if you can get people to remember it, there's obviously a better chance at success." The campaign showed exactly how to create content that people want to share and in today’s marketing landscape, content is king.

What types of company do you see excelling at marketing at the moment?

I think banking is really excelling at marketing at the moment – there is a real sense of banks now being there for their customers, being able to help them with every aspect of their banking needs. I think the new look and feel for Lloyds has really led the way in this movement, with other banks quickly following. Focussing on building trust and brand loyalty through heritage messages appears to be a really effective approach for this sector, helping to rebuild some of the damage caused by the banking crisis.

Marketing is becoming more and more data and technology-driven, how can marketers ensure the right balance between creative thinking and scientific marketing?

Marketing professionals have always needed to strike the balance between creativity and the science behind marketing – they just need to continually adapt to do this as more and more new digital platforms emerge. In fact real time marketing gives you the opportunity to be even more creative. When a photographer tweeted about using the Adobe colour product to get to the bottom of #TheDress, Adobe picked up on it and had hundreds of thousands of engagements within 24 hours. Technology can help drive your research and customer insights to help you to support and inform your creative marketing – for example, AB testing (split testing) in email marketing.

What do you see as being the biggest trends of 2015, and do you see examples of companies capitalising on these as part of their marketing campaigns and programmes?

Big data. Data is pouring in from every conceivable direction and companies need to use it wisely to inform marketing campaigns. Instead of analysing likes and shares we will need real insight into comments, opinions and posts. Leaders will embrace this change and use it as an opportunity to develop communication strategies that truly resonate with their customers.

How should companies be defining and measuring marketing excellence?

Companies should be defining marketing excellence by ensuring that they have carry out every process with a high level of excellence, from conceptualising in meetings, through to copy, through to placement and in each and every stage that accompanies these processes. We should measure marketing excellence by reviewing the value of the service provided and the research results that come from this.

What are the core elements of inspiration to be found within marketing?

True inspiration should always be focussed on the customer. By using insight to understand their needs and desires we can develop marketing strategies and communication which resonates profoundly with customers, increasing brand recognition and loyalty, driving income and engagement and  delivering inspiration!

What inspired you to enter The Masters this year? What would winning an award mean to you?

We were inspired to enter The Masters this year so that we could benchmark ourselves against the other utility and telecoms brands. As a monopoly business we are often benchmarked against other water companies but we are passionate about delivering unrivalled customer service which means we must lead rather than follow, comparing ourselves to companies who are the best in the business rather than just the best in the water industry.

Winning a Masters of Marketing would mark the end to a fantastic year for the NWG Marketing team, underpinning our vision to be the national leader in the provision of sustainable water and waste water services. It would send a clear message to the water industry that times are changing and we collectively need to work smarter and harder to communicate more effectively with our customers. It would mean so much to our small team and would really define the strength of our website and further push us in our ambition to produce more award winning work