Flextech boss to go in restructure
Flextech has restructured its marketing department resulting in four redundancies, including marketing director Mary Beer.
The department has handed overall responsibility for the marketing of its channels – Living, Bravo, Trouble and Challenge? – to the channel controllers. The controllers will oversee creative solutions put together by a central in-house team of six marketers who will work with existing agencies, including Banc.
Executive vice-president Lisa Opie says the move reflects a change in the company’s strategy from re-packaging content to commissioning original programmes, and ensures that a cohesive brand message is delivered for each of the channels.
She adds: “When you are running a portfolio business, it is important to have brand champions that carry the channels through.”
Opie denies that the restructure is designed to cut costs and says that the marketing and advertising budget will not be slashed.
The restructure coincides with a decision to place an increased emphasis on public relations to market the channels and their content. As a result, the PR team will increase from three to seven staff.
The new marketing strategy will be put to the test next year, when Flextech launches TV channel ftn in January on the Freeview platform. It will feature key shows from Flextech’s channels.
Beer was promoted to marketing director in November last year from her role as marketing manager for teen channel Trouble and lads’ channel Bravo. She joined Flextech four years ago from Mellors Reay & Partners where she had been an account director.
