What Now Press Play means to Paul Tredwell

We caught up with Paul Tredwell, director at Bigfoot Consulting, to hear how his Marketing for Good experience with Now Press Play went and why other members should get involved.

What inspired you to participate in Marketing for Good?
Marketing for Good is a great initiative which perfectly captures the mood among enlightened marketers. For example, Keith Weed, CMO of Unilever, has spoken eloquently about the importance now for brands and businesses both to do well and to do good. Marketing for Good enables Marketing Society members, particularly independent consultants like me, to participate in this trend while also positioning the society as an agent for change. And, of course, it is a privilege to be asked to help fellow travellers in business.

Why did you choose to work with Now Press Play?
Now Press Play is committed to helping create an education system that allows every child to fulfil his/her potential. This chimes with my work as vice-chair/trustee of YMCA North London. Both organisations want to enable young people to be the best they can be regardless of their background or means. I am utterly convinced that helping give children the confidence and capability which can lead to purposeful independent living is one of the most important functions which adults have ever and will ever perform.

What challenges were they facing?
Now Press Play was founded in 2012 and is run by a small innovative team with high standards. As a result of their energy and instincts, the business has gained real traction. Customers are raving about the products and are coming back for more. But three people, trying to fulfil existing contracts while pursuing new ones, with a demanding cash-strapped primary target often needing personal contact, can’t be everywhere, think of everything or stand back and take an objective look at what they are doing and in which order.
 
How were you able to help them address those challenges?
When I asked the Now Press Play team this question, they answered that my support came in two forms. Firstly, I provided a sounding board on our calls and in our meetings for ideas and actions, helping edit and streamline what needed to be done and by whom. Secondly, I was able to advise on specific areas like stakeholder management and key messaging where the skills in-house were less well developed. A robust handover plan also needed to be created in readiness for one of the founder’s maternity leave.
 
How have you benefited from the experience?
At a personal level, I have very much enjoyed working with the Now Press Play team. They have been open, welcoming, entertaining, collaborative and respectful of my time. I am pleased that we have been able to have most of our discussions face-to-face as this definitely allowed us to cover more ground more quickly. At a professional level, this was a new sector and therefore sufficiently challenging to make me think about where I could add value. Overall, there are always benefits to be gained from working with bright, talented people.

What would you say to other marketers considering getting involved?
If you want to help other businesses and are prepared to make the time to become meaningfully involved, then this is a flexible, thoughtful scheme to enable those desires to become a reality. I had a pretty loose plan to recycle some of my experience and expertise but didn’t want to spend time on the necessary ground work. As if by magic, the Marketing Society and pimpmycause took my momentum, plus a short brief, and in no time were introducing me to interesting candidates for my consideration. In a nutshell, it’s great, just do it!

If you would like to find out more and see how you get involved, please get in touch. And you can browse more marketing for good content in our Clubhouse.