An Post's core business is paper and parcels but the company is serious about digital too, especially when it comes to targeting teenagers writes Siobhan O'Connell.
The growth in digital marketing over the past decade has created career opportunities for specialists in this area. Conor Barron has been active in this digital arena since graduating from Dublin City University, firstly with Bord Bia, then Bord Gais Energy, and currently at An Post, where growth in new areas is key to An Post's digital strategy.
In this role as Digital Marketing & CRM Manager, Barron is responsible for development and implementation of digital marketing strategy for An Post Retail. The company's verticals include financial services, telco, retail and government services. When a new brand such as An Post Money is launched, or new credit card and loan products, Barron and his team have to push out the message on digital.
This spans social media, digital display advertising, SEO, and email marketing. In the background there's a customer relationship management database to be managed too, and the digital team also has input into the company's loyalty programme.
Barron's academic route into a digital career started with a degree in Marketing Innovation and Technology, followed up with an M.Sc in E-Commerce, also in DCU. The primary degree was the first year of the course, and it blended traditional marketing subjects with physics and web design. "It really focused on providing the ability to talk to the tech and marketing experts and the link between them," Barron recalls
"In my role, I have to be across everything. Digital audio is a growing channel, and there's digital outdoor too. Media that wouldn't have traditionally been digital are merging into the digital sphere."
In Association with
In-house digital teams in corporations don't do everything on their own. They also work with advertising agencies and specialist digital agencies. "We look for them to push us and we try and push them," says Barron. "Understanding what they're talking about and being able to bring new thoughts and ideas to the table is very important."
A novel An Post brand initiative was linking up as a sponsor last year with Legion Esports, one of the largest esports tournament platform providers in Ireland. The sponsorship, brokered by media agency Core, is to promote An Post Money Mate, a new financial product for children and young teens.
The Money Mate app comes with a Mastercard debit card and gives kids and teenagers a digital view of their spending and saving while allowing their parents to stay in control.
According to Barron: "Our entry into financial service has been a massive digital transformation for An Post, which is a very traditional brand. The target market for Money Mate is 7 to 15-year-olds, who are a difficult cohort to reach and don't have a brand association with An Post.
"Kids spend a huge amount of time on gaming, and Legion Esports made sense for us as they are a fantastic Irish collective with the community at their core, like An Post. We are very particular about who we work with, and we are very comfortable with this association."
For 2022, one area receiving more focus from Barron and his digital team is consumer attention, and how to measure it. "You can have the best campaign in the world, but if nobody's paying any attention to it you're not going to land your message. That issue is receiving more attention from us."
