±±¾©Èü³µpk10

So it is not surprising that Procter & Gamble, which invented the concept of brand management, heads this particular list. After all, any company that can boast that the vast majority of its employees started their career in the marketing department should rank highly here.

For P&G, it is not just a case of marketing being one of many departments helping to run the business. Roisin Donnelly, corporate marketing director for P&G UK & Ireland, says: 'We are marketing-driven. In the UK, our chief executive is from a marketing background, half the board are marketers and all three presidents are from marketing. Our business units are led by marketing directors.'

Not content with being well-represented on the main board, P&G also runs a marketing board comprising the nine leaders of its various businesses.

Its remit includes examining marketing practices and how the organisation is operating, as well as devising future marketing plans.

Research and development

P&G's marketing pedigree does not mean it rests on its laurels. It applies the same methods it uses on consumers to its own marketing department, continually researching how its marketers feel about their job.

'It's called the Passion Poll and consists of six statements such as "I'm part of a fun marketing company" and "I work for the best marketing company in the world". Each is awarded a score out of five, which enables us to look at where the opportunities are and what can be improved,' says Donnelly.

One reason that P&G has entered this year's table in the top spot may be that over the past 18 months it has focused on 'being a fun company'.

It has also been helped by a successful few years, posting record-breaking results in the UK.

Another way that P&G makes marketers feel valued comes from its philosophy of recruiting and retaining the best, with training playing a major part.

It runs a 'marketing university' for internal training and has introduced 'vitamins' - one-hour learning sessions, which run over a lunchtime. The internal marketing strategy, overseen by Donnelly, is dubbed 'We are family' and involves mentoring and buddying for recruits.

While P&G has marketing at its core, VisitBritain is, by its very nature, a marketing company, representing Britain both domestically and internationally.

Its current structure came into existence in April last year, when it absorbed the English Tourism Board. There are now more than 60 marketers working across its two divisions.

The fact that VisitBritain's chief executive, Tom Wright, and two of its marketing directors have a marketing background in the commercial sector is the key to the importance placed on the discipline within the organisation. 'It is a reflection of our move away from tourism diplomacy to marketing of tourism and providing the best possible marketing,' says international marketing director Kenny Boyle.

The body has invested heavily in marketing, shifting the emphasis from the back office to the marketing frontline. 'Our marketing needs to be on a par with, or better than, our partners, otherwise they won't invest in our campaigns and initiatives,' adds Boyle.

Stability within change

O2's appearance in the top 10 clients that value marketing is testament to its focus on brand values. O2 was established as an 'open, clear, trusted and bold' brand. Those values are applied throughout the company, particularly so in the past year as the operator has gone through significant changes, closing its central marketing division, making redundancies and moving staff to its Slough headquarters, as well as implementing changes among senior management.

'O2 has to keep ahead in the marketplace,' says Cath Keers, marketing director, and soon to be customer director. 'When we change, we try to live those brand values, to be honest about why we are doing something. It can be difficult, but we make sure we treat people fairly and, if anything, we overcommunicate. So over the years we have built up trust.'

For a marketing team to feel its discipline is being valued, the individuals within that team must also feel valued. This involves having their opinions listened to and suggestions acted upon. But that also means a high level of accountability. 'We are customer-led and the marketing team is the guardian of the customer insight,' says Keers. 'They listen and we set the direction of the company. With that comes accountability with profits, revenues, customer satisfaction and brand.'

When a company puts the discipline at the heart of its business strategy and gives marketers the responsibility to execute that strategy, the marketing team, no matter what its size, knows that its work is a cornerstone of the business. As Visit-Britain's Boyle says: 'All roads in this organisation come back to marketing.'

TOP 10 CLIENTS THAT VALUE MARKETING

Company Score (%)

1 Procter & Gamble 96.7

2 VisitBritain 94.2

3 NatWest Primeline 93.8

4 Home Service 93.1

5= Interflora 91.7

5= O2 (UK) 91.7

7 Stocksigns 90.8

8 Mazda 90.7

9 Lever Faberge 90.1

10 Cancer Research UK 89.2

Source: Stopgap