Virgin Media O2 was formed in June 2021 bringing together two iconic telecommunications brands. Mark Larwood joined O2 in 2019 as Head of Strategic Marketing before moving to become Marketing Director for CloudClevr in May 2023.
While with Virgin Media O2, Mark built a programme that works at the intersection of key account management, account-based marketing and executive engagement, to deliver value for everyone involved. Here are some of his views on how to set up a successful programme.
Build strategic, not transactional, relationships
Executive sponsorship opens up communication, can remove roadblocks and demonstrates customer commitment. Bringing different elements of your marketing together and applying executive sponsorship into your top accounts builds long-term strategic, rather than transactional, relationships.
Make the right match
You need multiple senior executives in the business to build relationships with those at the same level in your customer organisations. However, be sure to identify where the best links lie; in some cases common industry experience might be better than a functional match, or there might already be a relationship in place from a previous organisation. It’s important to understand the dynamic and fit.
Be bespoke and value-led
To get through to senior executives, you need to deliver value and give customers the critical information and insights needed to help them run their business — at every touchpoint. The right mix of engagement depends on the existing relationship. While there should be a programmatic element such as quarterly account reviews, you also need to allow space for bespoke, timely, value-led interactions.
Set clear goals
Be very clear about what you are trying to achieve and have a central guiding principle. There is a right way and a wrong way to use these relationships because you can’t go to your senior executive every time there is a problem. At Virgin Media O2 it was all about reciprocity — building long-term value for our most important customers beyond the services we deliver. And, of course, building value for Virgin Media O2.
Read Mark Larwood’s full Viewpoint in Account-Based Growth by Bev Burgess and Tim Shercliff, published by Kogan Page.
