View from an SME

1. www.sma rth ig hways.net
By Je nnie Walton, Marketing Manaqer at ITS [UK] Member Nicander
Wednesday [nforcement [orum l{eeting -
27th tebruary Jenoptik - Cambert€y
ThurSay IIS lUXl Councit Meeting -
?8th tebtuary lis IUI(J 0tlice-l00d0n
Wednesday YoungPr0lessionatsforum
20th l,larch [vening Meeting - leeds
Wodnesday l'lobitity as a Seryice Forum -
2TthMafch Jacobs-Eirmingham
lls {Ul(l at lraff€r -
l-44Pru ilic Birmingham
Ihursday Inkoduction l0 IIS Standards
llthAplit -london [1
Wednesday IIS IUXI AGM - H0RIBA M|RA -
8th May Warwickshire
Smart Envirofl ment Forum
Wednesday meetingalongsideSUl'lS
l5th t'tay {Smart Urban Mobitity
Sotutions) - StC 0tasgow
3.6rune l[i{liil,T::ffiffil,
I'londay Women in ITS Forum meeting'
2{th June Bitmingham
ITS lUKl Sumnit and Awrrds
0inner 2019 - CoYentry
r6-17rh
0dober
Ed ucationa I association
aving worked in
marketing for
over 25 years , 4
years ofwhich
have been in
the ITS sector, I have experience
of working for both large multi
nationals and, as currently, for an
SME with around 3o employees.
It would be easy to think
that the 'small fish in a big
pond scenario would present
only negatives when competing
alongside companies with
massive resources and budgets to
match but actually, whilst being
part of a smdl(er) organisation
does come with flustrations, it
also presents benefits which can
positively impact on marketing
for a firm. So why, when it comes
to marketing, is bigger is not
always best.
Rexibility. Small and medium
sized companies have the ability
to react quickly to changes in
the marketplace. Decision-
making will normally fdl
on an individual or a small
group making us much more
agile. Where I've spotted an
opportunity or needed to respond
to a crisis I've been able to do
it without obtaining approval
&om a board ofdirectors or
via a complex decision making
process - great for the business
and my sanity!
Targeting. Defining your market
audience is perhaps the most
important step in marketing -
who do you want to engage with,
what do you want to say to them
and how are you going to reach
them? Being small certainly
keeps the mind focussed (l)
resulting in niche targets,
often with more successfirl,
measurable outcomes than one-
size-fi ts-all blanket marketing
efforts.
Team Spirit. When I met my
husband at a'works do'back
in 1996 I didn't even know he
worked at the same company;
we'd worked for the same big
corporation for years and never
met! SMEs however encourage
team camaraderie; new ideas
are welcomed and adopted
easilf and effective problem
solving is ac-hievable; all key to
the successfirl integration of
marketing strategy and critical
to delivering marketing tasks
successfirlly and on time.
Customer Interaction. One of
the most obvious advantages
is that SMEs, ourselves
induded, are very dose to their
customers. Links with SMEs,
and the individuals within it,
are often simpler than those
with large companies. This is
geat for customer loyalty which
marketers (like me) naturally
love.
Parbrerships. As we are small,
we have built up a network
of parbrers allowing us the
flexibility to offer the best
solutions to meet our clients
changing requirements every
time, something our larger
competitors would struggle to do
and something we can proudly
shout about whenever we are in
touch with t}le marketplace.
And so, if my time within
SMEs has taught me anphing
it's that its passion, time and
thought, not big budgets and
resources, which bring the best
marketing results. After all
the best things come in small
packages don t they ?
t
the 6km testing route with ro
iunctions and a consequent
reduction of 5-7"/" in joumeY
times for the test vehicles.
Grid Smarter Cities' Kerb aPP
won Innovative App of the Year,
a new category being awarded
for the first time. The solution
has the ability to &amaticallY
benefit urban transport,
reducing congestion and
improving operating efEciencY
by allowingvehide opetators to
book park/load-unload sPaces
on the kerbside on previouslY
unavailable space in high-density,
urban areas. It can be used bY
the freight industry but also
by coaches, electric vehides in
charging bays and maintenance
and servicin g vehicles.
voL7N01
; The evening saluted the
industry's Young Professional
of the Year, Samuei Brierley
from Dynniqwho has become
i a pivotal part of the company's
new consulting departrnent
, in the five years since he
joined from university, where
' he had completed a Master's
I in Chemistry. He is now
International Product Manager
, for Air Quality Management,
, managing the develoPments of
i the Virtual Emssions Monitor
r z.o to its clients in Finland
and the Netherlands. He's also
, looking at how AI and Machine
I Learning can help in predicting
: and automating the oPtimisation
of traffic lights.
, Finally, the coveted Rees Hills
Award for Outstanding
Personal Contribution goes to
Richard Gibson of IDT Limited
for his role in an SME for the
last z5 years.
He was recognised for always
"delivering new ideas and value
far bigger than his company
IDT really ought to be capable
of." He has been involved in
innovations for equiPment but
also leading the development of
UTMC and the recent CROCS
project which will help ensure
UK trafEc control operations
can meet the needs ofconnected
vehicles without wholesale
change. He was also recognised
for his support of ITS (UK) and
his mentoring and advice.
ITS (UK) President Steven
Norris, who presented the
awards, commented, "Once
again the best of UK ITS has
' been on show at our awards.
These winners demonstrate the
r real difference ITS is making
on our transport nehvork,
, improving air quality, road
safety and reducing congestion.
I Congratulations also to ourtwo
individual winners, both well
deserving."
The picture shows four of the
, winners present on the night.
They are, L-R- Dr Paraskevi
Michalaki of Highways England,
Steven Norris, |ulian WrigleY
of Grid Smarter Cities, Andrew
, Radford from Birmingham City
Council and Samuel Brieriey of
Dynniq.
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