PwC’s Maria Jennings on marketing superpowers and forward-facing brands

The marketing and brand director for PwC UK has a clear sense of purpose for both the brand and the team she leads – and it involves always looking ahead.

Most marketers don’t talk about modelling their team on the likes of Captain America, Iron Man and Black Widow. Maria Jennings is different. The marketing and brand director for PwC UK feels strongly that everyone brings a unique ‘superpower’ to the table which leads quite naturally to her describing marketing as an assembly of Avengers.

“I don’t want to make decisions as a leader without input from the talented leaders and teams around me.” she says. “I can learn something from any one of them, at any time and I know when I call upon each unique set of skills, from great creativity to powerful data insights and tech skills, we take what we do and how we drive growth to whole new levels.”

Many superheroes also complement their own powers with cutting edge technology, and it’s a combination Maria believes is critical to marketing success. It’s an approach PwC refers to as being ‘human-led, tech-powered’ as part of its global strategy and brand position, The New Equation.

“We talk about this golden ratio of human expertise powered by technology being able to unlock potential and create opportunity and we apply it to everything we do, including our marketing,” says Maria. “We’ve invested in tools that give us access to real-time data so that we can report back to stakeholders on what’s working and what needs to change.”

That data is increasingly focused on the task of building the PwC brand – a shift that’s taken place in recent years. Back in 2019, Maria led the delivery of one of PwC UK’s first large-scale ad campaigns, which marked an important turning point for the organization.

From a famous name to a famous brand

“Advertising wasn’t something we’d focused a lot on historically – we were definitely more traditional in terms of our marketing,” she recalls. “But we’re not in that world anymore. Our leadership teams understand that our brand needs to be in the places our clients are. No longer can organisations of any size hope people will find them organically. We need to be front of mind when they’re ready to buy.”

Meeting audiences in the right context is a key part of Maria’s vision for the PwC brand. Yes, it could happen through a TV ad, in the pages of the Sunday Times, through digital display ads or content partnerships, but the role of people is as important in brand advocacy as any campaign. Every interaction with the brand is important – and being able to credibly talk to the issues that matter most, to clients and audiences more broadly, is at the heart of any integrated marketing activity.

“It’s important to be visible” says Maria. “Buyers are moving so much further through the buying journey on their own, making decisions about who they think can solve their problems. To be considered, you need to be visible in that journey. Being very clear on whether you need to drive awareness, consideration or first choice is key to knowing how you go to market. Where you know you have a significant brand challenge, it’s important to know when to invest and how.”

The evolution imperative

Connecting the PwC brand to the issues that matter has been a clear focus in terms of marketing but that also means that the type of marketing needs to constantly evolve. For Maria, such evolution is a continuous process; and one that marketers need to feel comfortable with.

“As a marketing professional, you always have to have an eye on the future. On what’s next,” she says. “To compete in a crowded market, you need to be thinking about how you can be innovative and have impact. That means always assessing what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. However, as a leader it’s important that our teams don’t feel like it’s something that’s being done to them. They need to feel that they are part of the journey and contributors to the story. They need to understand that their superpowers are known and valued.”

A sense of shared purpose can play a key role in equipping a team to deal with change. Maria describes it as a key component of the PwC brand. She's convinced that every PwC employee can recite the company's purpose to build trust in society and solve important problems - and she discusses this level of engagement in terms of a crucial marketing KPI.

Making purpose count through consistency

"I truly believe we're a purpose-led organization - but the more important measure of that is whether people feel that when they work with us, and encounter our brand in the market," she says. "It can't just be a strapline or something you add to your website. It's how you show up that's important. If your clients aren't feeling it when they're with you, then it's not working."

As any PwC consultant could tell you, making things work comes down to choosing the right investments. Maria is part of a leadership team that’s empowered – superpowered even – to make those investments by an organisation increasingly engaged in tracking brand performance.

“We use a lot of data and insight to assess our brand and understand its value,” she explains. “And that insight plays a key role in the conversations we have. Our board members recognize our brand is an asset that needs investment. We regularly discuss the role that brand plays in driving commercial growth. But that means you need to keep investing in it. Both from a skills perspective – to protect and manage it – but also in promoting it. You can’t expect a brand to just retain its value without investment. Treating your brand as the invaluable asset it is and holding onto your people and their superpowers, allows you to evolve and grow as an organization. That has to be the focus of any good strategy.”