Blue – the business, brand and communications consultancy for the marine and energy markets – announced the appointment of Mark Stokes as the new director of the company’s brand strategy practice.

Stokes was formerly with engineering and technology service provider, Lloyd’s Register, where he spent 11 years as communications director.  More recently he worked as a brand strategy consultant supporting clients including GasLog, Graig Shipping, Idwal Marine and Spinnaker-Global.

The move positions Blue as a full-service business, brand and communications consultancy dedicated to the marine and energy markets, providing clients with an integrated offering through its insight, inspire and engage service portfolio.

Based on insights generated from qualitative and quantitative research, as well as market knowledge, Stokes will lead Blue's inspire brand strategy service offering, working with organisations to deliver the strategic and creative building blocks that define their brands. From this, integrated communications strategies can be developed and delivered by Blue’s engage PR and communications services across all direct, indirect, online and offline channels. 

Stokes will also take responsibility for developing Blue’s employee engagement offering, working with clients to ensure that the values and purpose of a brand are effectively represented and delivered by employees as brand ambassadors, as well as across all internal corporate processes and channels of communication.

The appointment is a major development for Blue, adding significant weight to its brand building and consulting capabilities to deliver even greater value to clients during a phase of unprecedented change for the marine and energy sectors. 
 
Alisdair Pettigrew, MD of Blue, says, “Progressive organisations in marine and energy now understand the significance of brand, the importance of having a positive reputation and how this influences decision making. Our inspire service offering will help clients to develop powerful brands that have distinct values and real purpose. This is the foundation for delivering effective marketing and communications strategies that have a genuine impact in positively influencing key stakeholders and building enterprise value. 

Stokes adds, “Over the past 11 years, Blue has pioneered communications within the marine and energy sectors. I am particularly pleased to be joining them at what is a critical time for the industry, where I believe unlocking the potential of the brand will be the key difference between success and failure for many organisations. Investing in developing their brand in the right way and creating an integrated communications strategy that builds reputation in line with their values and aspirations, will enable organisations to thrive and seize the opportunities of a transforming market. Supporting clients with both market-leading brand and communications capability and deep industry knowledge is an exciting proposition that I am delighted to be part of.”

With increased competition, commoditisation, consolidation, the impact of the digital age and the demand for sustainability, differentiation through professionalising the way an organisation communicates and builds its brand and reputation has never been more important. According to a recent McKinsey study, B2B companies with a strong brand outperformed companies with a poor one by 20%. In a market with so many other competing pressures to navigate, this could mean the difference between success and failure.