'When Arsenal moved from Highbury, some of the atmosphere was lost; in the same way, we want to evolve the Post Office, but don't want to lose sight of the fact it's a much-loved institution,' he says.
Hockey-Morley, who stamped on the 'ants' advertising campaign - handing the account to Mother from Publicis - has been quick to make a mark on the Post Office. With an economics degree from Bristol University, and a sharp analytical mind, Hockey-Morley is not interested in change for change's sake. 'When I joined the Post Office, although there was a strong recognition of the 'ants' campaign, when dug a little deeper it wasn't actually saying anything about the brand - in fact, it was detracting from the very values and culture we want to promote,' he explains.
Born in Derby, Hockey-Morley grew up in Peterborough, and now lives in North London's Belsize Park. Making his first move into marketing on the graduate scheme at Unilever, he came to the fore at Abbey, where he spent 13 years, rising to marketing director.
He says the biggest marketing challenge for financial services brands is ensuring they put themselves in their customers' shoes. 'Banks are full of signs, most of which are telling you what you are not allowed to do,' he says, adding that it is easy to forget that, for some people, visiting a bank can be a frightening and intimidating experience.
Down-to-earth and self-deprecating, Hockey-Morley could not be described as an 'ivory tower' marketer. While many marketers privately tell horror stories of their time on the tills, it is clear that spending time on the Post Office shop floor was more than just a PR exercise for Hockey-Morley. Staff were not only the first to see the new ad campaign, but were consulted on which celebrities should appear and what products should be featured.
Colleagues credit Hockey-Morley with being one of the 'good guys' of the business. Jonathan Allan, managing director of OMD, which Hockey-Morley appointed in May, says he has made brave decisions and is creatively driven.
In an industry stacked with shameless self-publicists, Hockey-Morley is happy to take a back seat to the brand, and is described as an 'extraordinarily positive, galvanising influence' by Stef Calcraft, founder of Mother. 'He allows the creative process to flow and liberates his teams to get the best out of Mother and the other agencies,' Calcraft adds.
Hockey-Morley joined the Post Office because he wanted a new challenge - and he has certainly found one. While the organisation is one of the most trusted brands in the UK, this comes at a cost. The continued negative media coverage of Post Office closures is a constant bugbear. If the government meets its target of closing 2500 branches by 2009, as it bids to cut its subsidy burden, this coverage is likely to intensify.
'The fact is that the current post office network is too large to be supported and we have some branches with under 16 visitors a day,' Hockey-Morley explains. He insists that though closures are painful for local communities, the brand should not cut back its marketing efforts. 'If we don't advertise and promote ourselves and talk with confidence, all consumers will see of us are closures and bad news. We need to strike a balance.'
In line with this strategy, consumers will be hearing more from the Post Office, not only through the high-profile brand campaign, but also the multi-million-pound launch this month of its broadband service.
Hockey-Morley is only one and a half years into his five-year marketing plan for the Post Office, and is clearly enjoying his role. 'It is nice to work for an organisation that really matters to people,' he says. 'As such a trusted brand, we have a huge opportunity.'
It is an opportunity he is grabbing with both hands.
CAREER HISTORY
1984-1989: Graduate recruitment scheme, Unilever
1989-1993: New business ventures manager, London Electricity
1993-2001: Corporate planning manager rising to director of retail banking then marketing director, Abbey National
2001-2005: Managing director, Abbey National Business
2005-2006: Director of mortgage services, Abbey
2006-present: Marketing director, Post Office.