Dan Stewart
Head of marketing
Lloyds Banking Group
Much has been written about B2B marketers taking more cues from their B2C colleagues as they look to build brands and win attention in what is often a highly competitive space. Dan Stewart is one such B2B marketer – but he’s also been co-directing the consumer marketing teams for the last year as well. What better example of the modern B2B marketer, described by his nominator as “fearless, humble, dedicated and creative”.
Stewart has played a leading role in both elements of the Lloyds business. He was part of the team that implemented a brand refresh for Lloyds that positioned the business towards younger audiences. This also included a change of its logo, an enhanced partnership with Disney and the launch of a new app. If that wasn’t enough, he was a part of the Scottish Widows brand refresh and, in the B2B space, worked with Channel 4 on its Black in Business initiative and Lloyd’s ‘Stronger Mind, Stronger Business’ campaign that won plaudits for tackling mental health challenges in business.
“It’s the sum of all experiences across the full ecosystem, whether it’s the buying journey, the human or digital interactions or how you respond to key moments of truth.”
This level of versatility is something Stewart believes is becoming key for the modern marketer. “The need to constantly evolve and adapt is the new norm,” he says, adding that the proliferation of new channels and ways to reach an audience “in a more targeted way” has never been greater.
He points out that the “opportunity” to demonstrate to the business that marketing is much more than just an advertising campaign has never been stronger.
“It’s the sum of all experiences across the full ecosystem, whether it’s the buying journey, the human or digital interactions or how you respond to key moments of truth,” explains Stewart. “The opportunity here is marketers can play a greater role in the organisation beyond communications, which is something not to just embrace but grab by the horns.”
Due to the challenging economic circumstances in which most marketers are operating, Stewart points out that “scrutiny” on marketing budgets has never been greater and therefore demonstrating the value of marketing continues to be a “challenge” between “in-year return and long-term value”. He adds: “But get this ability right and it can be your greatest opportunity too.”
