Operating in a highly competitive environment, British Gas recognised that marketing had an important role to play in helping the organisation with what it has described as a journey 'back to great'.
Aimed at returning consumers to the heart of its business, the One British Gas segmentation model has been a genuine platform for change, through the introduction of eight customer segments in a user-friendly and understandable format.
This has helped British Gas teams identify valuable insights about their customers, and enabled them to develop more targeted communications.
To help embed the model throughout the organisation, British Gas developed an e-learning module, and ran workshops and a marketing conference. At these, actors brought the eight segments to life and engaged employees in the building of new propositions for these consumer types.
In an independent follow-up survey, more than 67% of respondents agreed that British Gas' capabilities had improved in the past year, and early results are positive. The Energy First team improved the cash/cheque to direct debit conversion rate from 22% to 56%, and Pay As You Go energy achieved a 70% rise in direct mail campaigns, generating a saving of £5.93 per contact.
Judges described this as a 'rigorous sustained programme, where commitment and leadership made it a winner'.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Fujitsu
To better align its marketing resources and activities with its business objectives, Fujitsu UK and Ireland created a Centre of Excellence model.
It also adopted a policy deployment matrix, aligning all marketing activities to at least one key business objective.
This has resulted in the establishment of Centres of Excellence, upon which divisional marketing teams can draw.
This approach has already made a significant difference to business performance. The total value of private-sector business won by Fujitsu has increased year on year by more than 200%, while brand recognition among its target public-sector audience has risen by 25%.
'There is huge rigour to this,' said the judges. 'Marketers were clearly aligned with the business strategy.'
Also shortlisted for Marketing organisation: Aviva, Making a difference with marketing; Innocent Drinks, Fresh start; SABMiller, Marketing spend effectiveness