Viewpoint: Craig Inglis
- See ’Intention to change jobs’ table in ’Related Files’ to the right
- Click here to read the cover feature: Marketers show resilience in the face of the squeeze
- Click here to view a case study on gender issues
- Click here to explore a focus on the health sector
How one marketer moved sectors for ultimate job satisfaction. Craig Inglis, who was promoted in February 2010 to the newly-created post of director of marketing at John Lewis.
I’m a marketer who has loved working in retail over the past three years, but before that I had no previous experience in the sector. I’ve always believed that if you’ve got the right skills, commitment and outlook, you can work in any sector as a marketer.
Last year has been a pretty remarkable one for John Lewis. Our sales performance has been ahead of the market all year and, from a marketing point of view, we have overhauled our strategy and our activity has delivered from both a commercial and a brand perspective.
The highlight of the year, though, was without doubt the incredible public reaction to our Never Knowingly Undersold campaign back in May.
I guess, as a result, our biggest challenge for 2011 will be matching 2010. More specifically, I expect the economy to continue to be challenging this year and so our customers will continue to demand outstanding value.
For us that means we need to keep developing our Never Knowingly Undersold proposition so that we remain differentiated on price, quality and service, and ensure that we deliver a marketing strategy that brings this to life in the most engaging way possible.
Our unique structure means that I can have absolute assurance that our partners will deliver outstanding service to our customers again and again. This is an incredibly powerful tool for a marketer and I feel very privileged to be part of it. We have a highly collaborative, partner-focused culture, but it is also increasingly fast-paced and dynamic.
