Heritage, pride and tradition: words most brands would kill to be associated with. But then mention stuffy stately homes and the perfect pensioners' day out, and you start to see the challenge facing Clare Mullin, the marketing director of the National Trust.
'Generally, young urban audiences think: "National Trust, crusty old houses",' declares Mullin, who was group marketing director of Dyson until 2009.
The core aspects of her role are all about brand transformation. She wants to change the perception of the National Trust from 'the organisation that looks after old buildings and appeals only to the over-60s', while boosting the profitability of its commercial arm - cafes, restaurants, holiday homes and sponsorship deals.
Mullin, 39, has an assertive, almost stern, way about her, but this does slip from time to time when she recalls past career highlights and expresses her joy at working in the surroundings offered by the Trust.
Engaging ambitions
Mullin has a direct manner, tapping her fingers to illustrate a point while outlining her aims, methods and execution through rhetorical questions and simple answers. Her ambition is to bring the Trust closer to people, and for people to engage with the Trust's properties as part of their community.
Marketing meets Mullin in the peaceful flower garden of Osterley Park, an impressive property on the outskirts of West London. Nearby, out of sight, a film crew is on a shoot, but Mullen will not divulge the film's title. Given its property portfolio, such productions no doubt offer a lucrative revenue stream for the Trust.
Mullin has been in the job only since February, yet she has already formed her plans to revive the brand and engage it with communities. Part of the organisation's role is lobbying government to save greenbelt land and open areas, as well as encouraging the public to seek its help to protect buildings and spaces in their own communities.
Consumers can expect to see an overhaul of the National Trust's retail offer, with products that are relevant to each property, such as posters of artwork and souvenir reproductions of vintage tea sets - no longer will it be dominated by Cath Kidston mugs and lavender water.
She is determined to turn the generic 'stuff' the Trust sells into a range of unique goods that will remind visitors of their trip. An ecommerce site is in the pipeline, too, as are plans to partner properties with local businesses, maybe creating microbreweries or bakeries, Mullin explains, providing a platform for the National Trust to create a 'network of like-minded organisations' all giving back to the community.
Although the National Trust is a charity, Mullin views her role as classic marketing: 'I'm not here to make profit for the charity,' she says. 'My job is to waken the "sleeping giant" of the National Trust brand.'
Those familiar with Mullin's career will not be surprised by her ambition. She started out 'as an entrepreneur' while still at university, helping to set up a student handbook called Student Pages, which she rolled out across the country. She says this early experience 'threw her in at the deep end', but taught her how to sell and market a brand 'totally from scratch'.
Mullin has an impressive showreel from her 10 years at Dyson, having been responsible for launching the cleaner internationally. She led the strategies for innovation, insight, marketing and product development across the globe.
She also 'cracked Japan' - her toughest test, a nation notoriously loyal to domestic brands. Dyson overcame this by developing a product for the country. Within three years it was the third best-selling vacuum cleaner in the market, she claims.
The US was Mullin's last launch market for Dyson, and her favourite. She had to turn her previous marketing strategy on its head. 'It was the reverse of the UK. I went with a brand strategy rather than a product strategy, building up belief in the product by telling the story of the brand and the entrepreneurialism behind it,' she explains.
In less than two years, Dyson became the bestselling vacuum cleaner in the US - a 'gratifying' experience, she says proudly.
The move from product-led Dyson to a somewhat sleepy destination brand like the National Trust might seem odd to some, but Mullin is adamant that the Trust is getting 'tougher' with its marketing plans. 'I'm not somebody who manages incremental growth, I'm a step-change person,' she adds.
The National Trust's two-year 'Time well spent' campaign - devised by marketing communications director Luke Whitcomb, who now reports to Mullin - offers a glimpse into how the brand is modernising. Central to the activity has been a digital drive, including social media, which has helped boost visitor numbers by 16% and add 600,000 new members.
'Time Well Spent' has succeeded, according to Whitcomb, in transforming the National Trust from a 'hands-off' brand to a more tactile and engaging experience. As part of this new approach, Dare created an online campaign in May, designed to drive people to the Trust's MyFarm website. It got 10,000 people involved and interested in farming.
'Outdoors is a critical part of perception-shifting and brand-changing,' she explains, noting that by far the best way to engage consumers 'off-property' is digitally. The Trust's app recently hit 600,000 downloads.
A younger, 'more urban audience' is in Mullin's sights and she promises that we will hear the Trust communicating more with that demographic, not just 'about outdoor places, but about the importance of outdoor places'.
One example of this effort to 'cool up' the charity was seen earlier this month, when it released a punk album in partnership with Decca Records. Money raised through sales of the Never Mind the Dovecotes album will be used to help preserve historic houses.
Although certainly a hard-nosed businesswoman, Mullin has a strong and likeable character and shares the values of the National Trust, believing that people should be able to connect with the outdoors and share a sense of place.
The affinity she feels with the brand informs her passion for its success, and, although she may miss the challenge of 'thinking Japan in the morning, France at lunchtime and the US in the afternoon', Mullin relishes readdressing the 'diversity' of the National Trust brand within the UK.
'I wanted a very different challenge, which I have now,' she says - and it is clear that she will not stop until we feel the force of her new commitment.
INSIDE WORK
1993-1997: Publications manager, Student Pages
1996-1998: Conference manager, Euromoney
1998-2009: Head of communications, rising to group marketing director,
Dyson
2011-present: Marketing director, National Trust
OUTSIDE WORK
Lives: Cirencester
Last Holiday: Cornwall
Likes: Camping, walking, cycling, sailing