Danielle Atkins – Head of Inward Investment, Cornwall Pure Business

Arguably the best spur to ambition is comparison with others. It’s part of human nature to look at other people’s lifestyles and jobs and consider that – to use a well-worn but utterly appropriate cliché – “the grass is greener over there.” All too often such comparisons lack objectivity, are conducted without perfect knowledge and therefore draw inaccurate conclusions. Yet without a doubt there are individuals which we encounter who seem to have got it right; either personally, professionally or both. And in the business-to-business marketing arena, one such is Danielle Atkins, head of inward investment at Cornwall Pure Business, the inward investment campaign run ultimately by Cornwall County Council.

Born and raised in Cornwall, Atkins moved to London to study history of art at University College London, and following eight years in marketing (for agency Wheel and then client-side for PWC) returned to Cornwall with her husband and young son in 2003, in search of a life away from the rat-race. When the leadership role for the new Cornwall inward investment campaign was advertised, offering her the chance to make a difference to her much loved county and continue living her chosen lifestyle, naturally she jumped at it.

Atkins admits that she is – to a large extent – living out her dream, and her enthusiasm for the job and Cornwall in general is infectious. “I believe I am incredibly fortunate – I absolutely love this job. I’m passionate about Cornwall and believe it has a real future as a business location, particularly for industries such as the creative sector. I’m just extraordinarily happy to be doing this.”

 

If her employment and personal credentials were not sufficient to make her an ideal candidate for her role, the fact that her husbands’ youth communications agency Chilli Media also relocated to Cornwall at the same time as her family, means she has first-hand experience of business migration to the county, which is exactly what she is trying to encourage and facilitate. It is little wonder that her employers felt she was the best person to lead Cornwall Pure Business.

Despite relocating to the country (making her one of the so-called “nouveau rustique”, as termed recently by one national newspaper) and switching to the relative marketing backwater of the public sector, Atkins remains every inch the confident and charismatic marketing professional. In no sense has effectively becoming a civil servant undermined her sense of herself as a marketer first and foremost. Not only is she at the vanguard of marketers making waves in the inward investment sector, in many ways she also represents the new face of Cornwall that her campaign is intended to promote: confident, young, enthusiastic, sophisticated and progressive.

 

Cornwall Pure Business was established in 2004 to promote the county as a business location, in a bid to counter the economic upheavals that had been taking place in the region for decades – arguably centuries – due to the decline of traditional industries and consequent population migration. Atkins explains that a key objective of the campaign has been to reposition Cornwall as more than just a holiday destination, which is how all too many people experience it, but as an effective centre for commerce.

Cornwall Pure Business is run by Cornwall Enterprises, the county’s regional development agency, which in turn is answerable to Cornwall County Council, who co-funds the campaign along with the EU. Initial investment of £1.4 million has been secured for the campaign through its ‘Option One’ status which classifies it for economic relief. This is intended to last for an initial four years.

Atkins explains that her role as inward investment manager consists of two main elements: the marketing of the county as a business hub, and account management for companies who are locating there. “This job allows me to draw on experience from both my former roles,” she explains: the development and communication of the Cornwall brand from PWC and the account management side from her time at Wheel (at the time called Presco).

 

But Atkins says she was not brought on board simply to deliver a pre-planed and determined initiative: she has played a pivotal role in developing the structure and shape of the campaign. “When I was appointed, [the campaign] had just been awarded funding. I recruited the team, devised the strategy, developed the service offering and established the processes – none of this existed previously.” She clearly feels a strong sense of ownership over the campaign, which further fuels her passion and commitment to meeting its objectives.

And objectives are a very real concern. Contrary to many preconceptions about government-funded programmes (on whatever level), Cornwall Pure Business has a very tangible and important set of objectives, which tie in directly to the economic health of the county. “Our target is to attract 80 businesses over the first four years, along with 80 individual jobs with salaries of £30,000 or more,” she explains. “Our success is based on helping transform the local economy.”

This new influx of affluent workers and residents will have both direct and indirect benefits to the economy, as the wealth trickles down through the community. So far, the campaign appears to be working well. “We have already attracted 12 companies, and created 40 jobs since launching in June 2004.” But Atkins adds that there is no room for complacency, and says that her role and the status of the campaign will be in jeopardy if its objectives are not met. Like any private sector client, Cornwall Enterprises expects targets to be met and a tangible ROI. The campaign has to be very accountable.

 

Although Cornwall Pure Business launched last summer, with the first ads appearing in the national press in that timeframe, Atkins says that in many ways its real beginning has been the turn of the year, citing its first foray into TV advertising (see news page 8). “The campaign proper starts this year,” she comments. “We are moving into a very exciting phase – we have built the brand and done lots of preparation, and now we are taking it to market.”

The other new development for 2005 is a sector-specific lead generation campaign, focusing on six specially selected industries: IT and media/creative; marine; advanced energy and defence; medical health; environmental technology; and food and drink. Creative has been developed for a DM lead generation campaign, which kicked off in January. “We are looking at spending our money where we can have most impact. All of these industries have emerging clusters in Cornwall.”

The focus on marine – including a high profile presence at the Boat Show exhibition in January – is partly because of what Atkins describes as the “synergy between boats and business”, wherein many successful entrepreneurs are boat owners and enthusiasts in their spare time. As a result, marketing the county on its nautical facilities and heritage is an obvious opportunity.

Over time, Cornwall Pure Business will inevitably evolve further, as the brand becomes better established, a database is built up and the flow of companies into the region increases. And consequently, so will Atkins’ role.

“It’s already becoming less about branding and more about lead generation. In future, the campaign will be more about helping companies who have already located in Cornwall to grow.” This account management role will utilise the extensive database of local facilities that Atkins and her team have developed over the last six months providing companies with what they need to succeed.

 

One striking aspect of the campaign is that the limitations of the available budget, and the focus on the creative community as one of its primary targets have encouraged a sense of creativity, and the use of unconventional mediums and messages. One such initiative offered potential relocating businesses the chance to win a weekend in Cornwall, making a virtue out of the county’s reputation as a holiday destination.

“It is all about being innovative,” says Atkins. “There is such a plethora of advertising out there that it is vital to achieve standout. We have to think of new ways to do this.” In order to achieve this, the campaign has forged close links with both local agencies (including relocators such as Gender) and other potential stakeholders and beneficiaries, in the spirit of pooling resources and working towards a common good.

For example, marketing initiatives have been planned in co-operation with Peninsula Medical School and Falmouth College of Art, both standing to contribute and benefit from success of the activity. “We’ve had a lot of support from stakeholders such as these,” explains Atkins, who says this is symbolic of the enthusiasm that the whole community, business, academic or otherwise, has shown towards the campaign and its objectives. “This is what makes Cornwall unique – everyone who lives there loves it. We all believe it is a great place to be.”

 

The picture Atkins paints is of a passionate and vibrant community, all willing for and working towards an economic renaissance for the county. For her part, she clearly revels in her role co-ordinating this activity, and is utterly convinced that her decision to relocate from the capital was the right one.

“There isn’t much that I miss,” she says. “I live in Penzance and work in Truro and drive past St Michael’s Mount every day, which always gives me a buzz. It’s a 30 mile journey, but takes the same amount of time as my journey from Putney to London Bridge used to be, and it’s certainly better than the tube! Plus I have an amazing playground on my doorstep which I make time to enjoy.”

But whilst the lifestyle benefits of her role are considerable, Atkins suggests that her personal interest in the campaign is the critical factor in her current level of job satisfaction. As a consequence, she says that she would not hesitate to recommend similar positions in inward investment to other business marketers seeking to make a difference to their place of birth or residency, even if the city or region in question does not have the romantic appeal or sense of community of Cornwall.

“It could be equally appealing for a business marketer to work in any other city or region. Sometimes the results of B2B marketing campaigns can be very intangible. With inward investment, you get a huge sense of achievement when the businesses arrive and begin employing people. The feedback you get is fantastic.”

And she adds that a further influx of professional marketers into the sector would actually be welcome, with too many campaigns being managed by individuals from a local government, rather than marketing, background. “Competition is a good thing because it keeps you sharp,” she states.

If passion, commitment and enthusiasm have any bearing on success, Cornwall Pure Business ought to achieve great things under Danielle Atkins.

 

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