Catherine Shuttleworth

CEO, Savvy Marketing

Published on 07/09/2017

How did Savvy Marketing come about?

I founded Savvy in 2006 with the belief that agencies should create great ideas that deliver effective and sustainable commercial results. Several years on we’ve grown from 3 people and a laptop around the kitchen table to an 80-strong agency based in the creative hub of Leeds.

What makes your job exciting?

My experience spans across numerous (too many to actually list) retailer and brands so what gets me excited? Working with clients on challenging briefs – plus the Savvy team. I’m a passionate marketer and believe in developing our staff and encouraging everyone to get involved and bring different perspectives to the table.

What work do you do within the brand experience industry?

We work with some of the world’s biggest brands and retailers, helping them to build meaningful connections with consumers and shoppers to improve their sales. By creating ideas that work in the real world, we can deliver activity that really makes a commercial difference.

What has been the highlight over the last 12 months?

Experientially it has to be our work with Poundland at Epsom. Since the 1800s families have flocked to the iconic Hill to experience the carnival atmosphere of the Epsom Derby and this year, Savvy worked with Poundland to turn the infamous hill into the Poundland paddock – and all within 8 weeks. We worked with them to create an experiential campaign that enabled visitors to learn about the rich history of the Derby and take part in race-themed games. Families also had the chance to win prizes at the Poundland Stable and claim a free souvenir photo at the Photo Finish. They were also be able to buy race day essentials, cold drinks and snacks at Poundland’s pop up shop, the ‘Till on the Hill’.

Key to the campaign was ensuring the activation gained a wider reach than the festival itself so live social feeds including Facebook Live were shared throughout the day, capturing the fun and excitement from the races from the brand’s perspective. Key moments to encourage user generated content were also considered, as racegoers were encouraged to interact using #onthehill – to share their best bits and enter into prize draws during the event, seamlessly building on Poundland’s current social plan.

With its scale and size, it was one of our most ambitious experiential activities to date.

What can we expect to see from Savvy over the next 12 months?

We’ll be focusing on bringing more brands to life through integrated and experiential campaigns that all work hand in hand with digital execution.

More immediately, we’ve been nominated for a number of industry awards for our work so we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for some celebratory moments. It’s also coming up to our busiest quarter and it will be interesting to see the key Christmas themes emerge as well as what festive activations retailers and brands will be pulling out of the bag to attract visitors in-store and online.

Are there any brands/agencies you would love to work with?

We’re really lucky to work with several of the world’s largest brands already. On a personal level however, I think it would be interesting to work with Amazon as they redefine retail in the 21st century.

What do you love most about working in this industry?

The fast-paced changing nature of the retail sector more than keeps me on my toes and engaged – luckily, I thrive on new challenges!