P&G's UK brands have won 14 Product of the Year awards this year. How do you come up with fresh ideas?
We start with a deep understanding of our consumers. Everything we do is aimed at pleasing them.
What is the main marketing challenge you face?
Ensuring our brands continue to represent good value for our customers.
What are the perks?
The people. We recruit and develop some of the smartest people around, and seek to build a strong community.
Describe the marketing team in three words?
Innovative, collaborative and successful.
Is there a dress code?
Not a formal one, but we wear business-appropriate casual.
Does the marketing team socialise outside office hours? What is the local bar?
The Hand & Spear in Weybridge is a team favourite.
What is P&G like for training and career progression?
Training and development is really important at P&G. More than 80% of training is in-house and includes classroom courses, online modules and on-the-job learning. All employees receive daily coaching and mentoring and can apply for jobs anywhere within P&G around the world.
What about the salary and benefits?
Compensation is bench-marked against peer companies, but there are more unusual perks. For every share an employee buys, they receive a free matched company share. There is also a childcare advisory service and hybrid technology company cars were recently introduced.
What are the hours like?
We are passionate about maintaining a good work-life balance, but we do work hard.
Is there anything interesting about your office?
We work in a big, open, flexible space and people are encouraged to move to a different desk every day to increase collaboration and creativity.
What else might readers find interesting about working at the company?
P&G is in the top 10 of the Great Place to Work Institute's Best Workplaces UK list, and listed in The Times' 'Graduate Employer of Choice' for sales and marketing careers.
Company Facts
- P&G's UK headquarters are in Weybridge, Surrey, KT13 0XP.
- The company employs 6,230 people in the UK, of whom about 120 are marketers.
- It owns 300 brands, including Ariel, Pampers, Gillette, Pantene, Pringles, Iams, Oral_B, Duracell and Olay.
- Globally, consumers use P&G brands about 3bn times a day.
- P&G invested $8.6bn in global advertising and marketing in the year to June 2008.
- The company's net sales for the year to 30 June 2008 were $83.5bn.
- Irwin Lee is vice-president and managing director, P&G UK and Ireland; Roisìn Donnelly is director of corporate marketing, P&G UK & Ireland.