Tom Holmes talks to Ian Ewart, Head of Products, Services & Marketing at Coutts and a member of the Wealth Division’s Executive Committee.
Ian is also a member of the RBS Group Communications & Marketing Board and a Director of Adam & Company.
His career spans more than 25 years, during which time he has gained extensive experience in business development, strategy and marketing in international private banking and asset management.
Having been educated in the UK, USA and France, Ian is bi-lingual in French and of Swiss and British nationalities. He is particularly focused on client experience in financial services and the impact of regulation and its comparative application across jurisdictions.
Ian is a Fellow of the Marketing Academy.
TH: Your career has spanned a number of senior marketing positions, what have been the high points?
IE: I believe the ability to make a difference has always been my central driver and the focus of my attention. I have enjoyed a number of M&A events in my career and there is no doubt that this process provides opportunities for marketing to make a difference.
The high point of my career is being here at Coutts; the experiential opportunities of the brand, driven as they are by word of mouth, are fabulous and the direct engagement with clients, who explicitly see themselves as having a very real stake in our brand, is a rare opportunity and a privilege for the extension of our affinity engagement.
TH: What key attributes must a CMO have to run a world leading brand successfully in this day and age?
IE: Firstly, a helpful and ‘can do’ attitude – the CMO must be business champion, accelerating and amplifying the CEO agenda.
You need to be able to get stuff done and deliver projects, meet deadlines, and show how your marketing adds value to the whole company.
Whether you sell products, services or services to other companies, you must understand the impact you can have to improve the return on investment (ROI) from marketing and marketing communications efforts.
Both strategic and tactical thinking are required; setting realistic goals to determining the right marketing strategies and marcom tactics for meeting those goals.
The CMO must have an intimate knowledge of:
- Advertising
- Direct marketing & direct mail
- Events and trade shows
- Inquiry handling
- Lead generation
- Online marketing
- Outsourcing marketing
- Public relations
- Relationship marketing
- Sales lead management
Marketing operations implies you master:
- Marketing objectives
- Define marketing plans
- Track marketing budgets
- Streamline and automate marketing workflows
- Control marketing assets and improve reuse
- Manage brands
Key to success is stakeholder management and the ability to manage suppliers – take and give a detailed brief:
- Recommend a short list of companies to suit your needs
- Write the RFP
- Negotiate favourable agreements
- Manage the setup and implementation
- Get better results from your existing partner
- Manage fulfilment and delivery
- Events, conferences and experiential delivery
Coutts is the Wealth division of Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Coutts serves clients from over 40 offices across the world offering tailored wealth management, banking, trust and tax services. Coutts is headquartered at 440 Strand, London with offices in other key international financial centres in Zurich, Geneva, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai. The division includes Adam & Company providing private banking services from its base in Edinburgh and RBS International based in the Channel Islands which provides offshore banking.
TH: Along the way, have there been individual marketers who particularly impressed and inspired you?
IE: I think the most inspirational person has been Graeme Robertson at Ogilvy; his professional dedication and his tireless pursuit of client service really brings to life the idea of marketing in action.
I think Martin Gilbert during his time at Lloyds Banking Group set a new standard for Retail financial services and he continues to make an impact at Virgin Media.
Simon Gulliford has been an important trail blazer in the intellectual positioning of marketing’s contribution and has continued to challenge and evolve the function’s contribution in a variety of firms.
TH: What are the main challenges for your sector/category over the next 12 months?
IE: We believe the change to the regulatory environment in the UK and the introduction of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) rules will have considerable implications into 2014 and beyond. Internationally, while Hong Kong and Singapore have not adopted RDR language, there is a case to be made that similar disciplines and regulations are being introduced in everything but name. We have also seen a move towards consolidation. Given the industry is still in the process of trying to repair much of the trust in banks, the industry is vulnerable to newcomers or those who decide they have the tools to reinvent themselves as a wealth manager.
TH: Can you give me some examples of recent campaigns you are particularly proud of?
IE: In December 2013, we launched Crowning Glory by Coutts – an initiative joining forces with leading designers, Stella McCartney and RAKE, to produce a range of exclusive headscarves to be donated to chemotherapy patients at King’s College Hospital, London over the course of the next 12 months.
I believe as a firm we are always celebrating the achievements of others in our campaigns rather than talking about ourselves – we know this is what appeals to our clients – they are all exceptional individuals and our role is to flex our approach according to their needs and for me this needs to show in our advertising.
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