Alistair talks us through his Marketing summer placement experience
The Loyalty team here at British Gas focus on developing innovative ways of maintaining the loyalty of our customers, and also look to appeal to others that want to be rewarded for staying with their supplier. The nectar scheme plays a central role, and immediately resonates with customers; many know that nectar points can also be collected at Sainsbury’s, Homebase, eBay and BP, as well as other well-known brands and over 500 more online. The Nectar theme is prominent in both energy (gas and electricity) and services (Homecare, plumbing and drains… visit the British Gas website for more!). Other suppliers offer schemes such as this.
As well as creating the adverts that are used, the Loyalty team also measure their effectiveness. As a team we also made sure that any adverts that our customers receive were relevant specifically to them, rather than trying to promote the same products and services to everyone. This means that our customers were not bombarded with adverts that they do not want, and remain engaged with the scheme. There are many interesting methods involved – not everything is done with a leaflet through the door! (again, some research into 'above the line' (ATL) and 'below the line' (BTL) advertising would not go a-miss! P.S – sorry about the acronyms – I try and avoid them as much as possible.)
I immediately felt part of the team when I started at my summer placement in the Loyalty team at British Gas. This warm welcome was important to me, because, though work and life can often be viewed as a competition by many people, (and I admit that this is what I expected when entering my first corporate environment) I believe that there are much more productive ways to work. British Gas also believes that.
If you are thinking of applying to the Centrica Graduate Scheme, then I hope this description of the team has been useful. As you can probably tell, I would advise you to do your research, into ALL aspects of both British Gas and Centrica. I would also suggest that you must not be afraid to admit that you do not know something; some people think that it is acceptable to ‘blag’ your way through an interview, but if you are found out, then there is no way to regain the trust of those interviewing you! A solid knowledge base can only prove useful.