Octopus CMO on value of in-housing

The Future of Brands

Octopus Energy believes “marketing drives businesses” and is clear on the value of in-housing, according to its marketing chief.

Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, chief marketing and production officer at Octopus, told The Media Leader: “Marketing is the commercial function. You can’t build a business without marketing at the core.”

Creative activity and media buying are both handled in-house at Octopus. As a former agency suit, and working with a creative director, this enables the team to “craft that experience internally”.

Crucially, Dibb-Simkin explained, this allows the company to move quickly — she could, for example, launch a radio ad the next day if that was required. Responsiveness and speed are most important to her.

That said, Dibb-Simkin had seen other businesses going in-house and not working, so it’s not for everyone. “Agencies are hot houses of exceptional talent,” she stressed.

For her, the key theme in her work is storytelling. “As a species, we tell each other stories — that’s how we connect,” she explained.

The role of marketing, then, is “understanding that mission, telling that story everywhere you go, through every touchpoint that you have with consumers”.

Dibb-Simkin was speaking at The Future of Brands in April.

Watch the full interview