Katie Hungerford, marketing manager, UK, for ATPI Group took part in the judging for this year’s B2B Marketing Awards. Below she reveals what a B2B marketer must do to succeed
What was your first B2B-related job?
Marketing executive for a technology company specialising in smart transaction systems.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
The fact every day is unique, working in a fast paced environment means no two days are the same. The most enjoyable element for me is that I have the chance to express my creative side.
Which B2B brand do you most admire?
Google. While most people think of Google as a consumer brand, the fact is it is a huge store of data and analytics that facilitate the life of a marketer. Its most admirable quality is the strength of its marketing is based on the merit of its product.
Whose job would you like most?
It would be fun to work for an iconic British brand, such as Mulberry, which has grown from humble Somerset beginnings in the 1970s. Plus I’d be easily swayed with the offer of its handbags.
What is your favourite B2B ad campaign?
The ‘Modern marketer: Eloqua mission of marketing discovery’ campaign hit the nail on the head in regards to so many challenges that us B2B marketers face on a daily basis.
What is the best piece of marketing advice you’ve ever been given?
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is to research your customers so you know them inside out, and translate this knowledge into customer-facing propositions that solve their needs in ways they never thought possible. That’s powerful.
What is your proudest achievement?
My proudest achievement is successfully developing and introducing a brand identity for a new branch of an established global B2B brand. There’s something about seeing your work in the wider business environment that’s immensely satisfying.
To succeed, a B2B marketer must…
A wise man once told me ‘put the customer at the heart of everything you do’, and he wasn’t wrong. It’s the key to all successful communications. On a personal level, to succeed make sure you market yourself – communicate your success with the wider business, and illustrate how this success has translated into value for your company.
What is the next big thing in B2B marketing?
Generation Y will revolutionise marketing teams and how we communicate. Gen Y is the first generation to be fully immersed in the internet, spending their daily lives online. They are the trendsetters and early adopters of emerging technologies, it’s exciting to think what marketing teams will look like in a couple of years’ time.
What are the traits you most and least admire in yourself?
My passion and enthusiasm for marketing – which sometimes translates into having very high expectations, particularly of myself.
What marketing challenge are you currently wrestling with?
How to communicate the value marketing can bring to the business in a historically sales orientated organisation.
What was your last marketing epiphany?
How digital body language has revolutionised the way marketers interact with their audience, and how this has fundamentally changed the relationship between marketing and sales.
Which marketing or business books would you recommend?
Digital Body Language by Steven Woods – it contributed to the epiphany above.
Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
The biggest influence on my career would have to be my brother. He gave up a successful career in banking to start Nutmeg, which is an online investment company. He’s got backing from the founding investors in Facebook, Skype and Hotmail, plus thousands of customers as well.
