‘Marketer of the year’ finalist in the B2B Marketing Awards 2012, Paul Stevenson, head of enterprise marketing programmes at Telefónica O2 UK, reveals his current challenges and highlights
What was your first B2B-related job?
I was a marketing executive at CIGNA, a financial services organisation specialising in private healthcare. I was there for two years and it was great fun. I learnt almost instantly the need for attention to detail.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
Probably the variety. O2 is a fast-moving environment – we’re going through an incredible transformation as an organisation.
Which B2B brand do you most admire?
IBM – an organisation that has transformed itself from a hardware vendor to a consultancy and services business. It capitalises on its heritage but pushes the boundaries on its new market position.
Whose job would you like most?
It would be hard to beat the job I have now, but I do miss working with a global remit, so maybe something along those lines.
What’s the best piece of marketing advice you’ve ever been given?
Read it twice and print it once.
What is your proudest achievement?
Apart from the birth of my kids, it’s got to be having the nomination for the B2B Marketer of the Year 2012.
To succeed, a B2B marketer must…
Always be willing to see things from a different perspective.
What is your favourite B2B ad campaign past or present?
Our ‘Joined up people’ campaign. Getting approval from the UK board to empty our head office of 2500 people for the day was an incredible experiment, which took months to organise. I was proud that we really engaged the imaginations of everyone in the business – it demonstrated what an effective marketing team can do.
What’s the next big thing in B2B marketing?
Grasping the opportunity presented by the social media environment and culture. It’s been a massive force for change in consumer marketing; B2B marketers must learn the lessons and find ways to use the new platforms effectively.
Our jobs would be easier if…
We had a crystal ball!
What are the traits you most and least admire in yourself?
I like to get things done and make quick decisions. It’s a culture I really enjoy and a trait not all people are comfortable with. The trait I least admire in myself is the one where I think I need to solve everyone’s challenges and take far too much on.
My biggest extravagance is…
Probably our family holidays in Florida. It’s a place that has the ability to transport you to a different world, where everyone can relax and have some fun.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
‘Let’s park that issue for the time being – we can’t boil the ocean here.’
What marketing challenge are you currently wrestling with?
We operate in a complex environment, where getting traction and building trust is key to successful engagement. Personalisation of content provides the best results, but how far can it go when there is always a limit on resources and budgets?
What was your last marketing epiphany?
Marketing automation – it’s another step closer to marketing nirvana. Automation gives us the platform to take everything we learn from our customers’ online, social and offline behaviour and turn it into relevant, timely interactions.
Which marketing or business books would you recommend?
It would have to be Good to Great by Jim Collins. It gives some great insight into how organisations who have realised
huge success have managed to do it. Highly recommended.
