- 10 years, 9 months ago
Q&A with David Metherall, Senior Marketing Manager, Gatwick Express
What do you think really made this project stand out?
Firstly, Express Tracks was a digital project that ticked all the boxes on our business and brand objectives. There was a very strong reason to undertake it, and everyone backed it.
What made it stand out was fusing such a strong creative idea into so many exciting digital channels.
I think the use of the Parrallax website design was the cherry on the top for us – this perfectly illustrated the project and acted as a central hub for all of our paid and earned media.
Which campaigns have you seen recently that are defining the digital marketing landscape?
I think easyJet have been doing some fantastic work in the travel sector. Their increased personalisation and work on mobile is obviously driving results which are what you want your digital marketing to be doing.
How do you build digital excellence within your company?
You do need some digital champions within the marketing teams to help drive the excellence. The best way to do this is to get your key people qualified, both through courses and attending events, and also by working closely with your agencies.
It’s then a matter of planning and seeing where the opportunities for digital lies within the business or your marketing plan. Measurement and reporting are then essential to illustrate the results.
What types of company and business sectors do you see excelling at digital marketing and ecommerce at the moment?
The companies that are excelling at joining everything up in a true multi-channel approach are the companies that are excelling in general. Banking organisations such as Barclays and Natwest which provide a consumer with multiple, fast and reliable ways to interact with them – through whichever medium the user chooses - are beginning to drive solid relationships with their consumers.
Companies that are starting to invest in attribution modelling rather than a ‘last-click’ measurement are becoming much more effective at driving leads and sales. Whilst the investment in data collection and analysis can at first seem like a punt, the results quickly pay back. Within the Go Ahead group we’ve tested attribution modelling on Southern Rail with our media agency (OMD) and the resulting improvements in media performance more than justified the cost.
In digital advertising, brands such as McDonalds have proved that you can use digital media to drive footfall and that it shouldn’t just be about clicks and online sales.
How should companies be defining and measuring digital excellence?
I’m looking for ROI and conversion, but I’d balance that with the customers need and the brand. I believe companies do need to be customer centric, and digital excellence should really be making the customer’s life easier and more seamless.
What do you see as being the biggest digital trends of 2013, and do you see examples of companies capitalising on these as part of their digital marketing campaigns and programmes?
I think content marketing is definitely taking a life of it’s own in 2013. Content marketing is something that all organisations can do it some shape or form, and it’s just about finding what unique content will help drive leads or sales into your central hub.
For Gatwick Express, the content that worked for us was Express Tracks which was brilliant at helping improve our SEO, PPC and social media traffic. We had amazing engagement with the project, not only from customers but also from our own staff and partners. In the end it was the extensive earned media such as blogs, news articles and social media interest that drove most of our visitors.
What are the core elements of inspiration to be found within marketing?
Marketing brings insight from the core customer, competition and wider culture into the business and with that, can inspire change. That change takes a number of forms; it can be in the experience we give to our customers, the way we view ourselves as a business, the pride we have in what we do and the way we interact with customers both directly or indirectly.
Marketing is a business’s connection to the outside world, the antennae that make it responsive and if we get it right, we can inspire incredible change
Marketing is becoming more data and technology-driven, how can marketers ensure the right balance between creative thinking and scientific marketing?
Maybe in the past we’ve been seen by our colleagues as more artists than scientists, so I think it is great that the use of data and technology gives our creative side more credibility. Any good creative idea needs to be born out of great insight and I think data and technology allows marketers to get that insight both quicker and more accurately.
What inspired you to enter The Digitals this year? What would winning an award mean to you?
We wanted to bust out of the quite traditional and sometimes boring transport sector marketing and be recognised by as leaders within the digital field. The Digitals is a great celebration of digital excellence and helps position our brand both internally and externally. Winning an award would be a great way top cap of a fantastic campaign we are all very proud of.
marketing team: an internal structure where the IT and Analytics departments are closely aligned with the Marketing team can create an environment where it’s easier for people to take advantage of all the insights that digital marketing generates. However it’s important to do this in a way that doesn’t take focus away from the core goals of marketing, to find the right audience, with the right message, at the right time and in a relevant environment.
Lastly finding the right partners who already have this approach internally and can align themselves to this new structure is key. This will help ensure that this mind-set starts from strategic planning and flows through execution across all digital channels.