
Starting her career in 1992 in the newly-formed Central and Eastern European division as marketing and new business development manager, early campaigns included commissioning a Russian theatre company to write an operatic musical about Oki products, and enlisting the use of army trucks and ex-military ships for a marketing push in the Ukraine. Quirky, perhaps but ultimately successful. On the strength of helping to set up indirect channels in 41 countries, she was appointed corporate communications manager at Oki Europe. Again, success ensued with Johnson’s pan-European campaign called ‘The business of colour’, which launched the brand’s range of colour A4/3 printers. Market share rocketed from zero per cent to 20 per cent in a year.
Working at Oki has been great for me, says Johnson enthusiastically. It truly supports entrepreneurialism, which is unusual for a Japanese company. Every Oki operating company is encouraged to work in conjunction with the local cultural business attitudes as opposed to the strategy being imposed from a central location, so it can provide a local service and flavour. This is important because it’s an attitude that has helped me to have an immense amount of freedom in the way we go to market.
The company seems to suit Johnson well. After a stint away from the world of printers working for companies including Thomson and The Prince’s Trust, she was drawn back to Oki’s UK headquarters to take on the role of marketing director in 2004. Again, she brought innovation and fresh ideas with her, launching initiatives that include TV ads produced by Ridley Scott Associates and an interactive website, with the idea centred around colourful characters.
We wanted to create an ad that wasn’t only about printers, but about communication, explains Johnson. We wanted to be bold and do something other printer companies hadn’t dared to do before. Advertising without using a product image as king was risky but I saw it as a way to inspire people as to how they could improve their businesses without spending massive resources on an external basis.
Johnson is by her own admission a risk-taker. She says she sees no reason why business marketing has to be solid and traditional, using traditional methodology. Her philosophy is that just because someone works in business, it doesn’t mean they don’t want to see fun campaigns. We’ve blurred the difference between B2B and B2C in our work, she adds. Where I’m driving to is to be compared to Apple in terms of creativity just because our biggest competitor is HP, doesn’t mean we need to align with it it’s not a case of whatever is right for HP is right for us.
This philosophy was taken one step further with Oki’s successful sponsorship of Portsmouth Football Club, which came under the spotlight with the club’s FA Cup win in May, where it beat Cardiff City 1-0. This means Portsmouth will compete in next season’s UEFA Champions League. We wanted to raise our head above the parapet and do something that seemed unusual, explains Johnson. Sport seemed a good place to go, because at the time (the deal was signed in 2005) there was an explosion of digital TV channels, which had immense reach. Doing more TV ads didn’t seem right as one of the annoying things about that is that many people switch off during the ads or go and make a cup of tea. But when it comes to watching a football match, avid fans won’t take their eyes off the screen. That’s why, when the opportunity arose, we decided it would be an excellent idea to sponsor a football team.
This strategy again, seemed to blur the lines between B2B and B2C marketing. Johnson points out it was pretty unusual for a club too. Out of the top ten premier football league sponsors, there is only one that isn’t a typical consumer brand, she says, but the similarities between the organisations, such as strong community values and an extremely loyal fan base meant the partnership has more cohesion than appears on the surface, with both organisations reaping the benefits. Brand visibility is one benefit; the other is the advantage of corporate hospitality. Johnson says that this was particularly successful at the FA Cup final, from which a potential deal worth £50 million over the next five years arose. I have no doubt we wouldn’t be able to reach those kinds of customers if it wasn’t for our sponsorship, says Johnson.
Over the last three years, Johnson has developed a passion for the game. I am much more of a fan now you have to know your subject. However, she doesn’t profess to be an expert: I don’t understand the off-side rule, so I’m quite annoying to watch a match with. But I am a passionate supporter of the team and get very protective about them.
Johnson has certainly proved to be a loyal Oki fan, refusing to tow the line with conventional campaigns, instead taking the riskier route. One thing we’ve heard as feedback from customers is that they like Oki because we are different with a fresh, colourful and young image. That was what I wanted to convey and I’m glad we’ve had the guts to do things differently and stand out from the crowd.
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