Ben Spiller (Marketing and Advertising)

Not to be confused with Ben Stiller

Ben Spiller is a marketing professional and former public toilet owner from London. 

He recently - during lockdown - got his father's rejected manuscript into the Amazon Kindle UK History top 30 using digital media.  You can read about it here:  https://www.publishdad.co.uk

His favourite quote on advertising is 'Advertising is the study of everything economists are wrong about.'

His work experience is listed in reverse chronological order:

In this position, I led three major projects; the marketing for a huge, 16-day event called ‘Celebrating 10 Years’ Festival site (I had nothing to do with the name), the marketing for the ArcelorMittal Orbit and a special project based around ABBA Voyage. 

I managed one marketing assistant in this role.

 ‘Celebrating 10 Years’ Festival: 

-  Management of creative agency, media buying agencies and collaboration with LLDC PR department.

- Wrote the emails for the CRM system (using the ‘charming but genuine’ philosophy), wrote the social media posts (which aimed to convey the magic of London 2012), the website pages, selected the influencers. I even got a shoutout from a real life Robot and designed the slides for Europe’s biggest screen (the London Stadium)

- Set up multiple Meta campaigns for different audiences, including; parents in London, local people, and fans of karaoke. A/B tested the campaigns and funnel processes.

Arcelor Mittal Orbit (the world’s biggest tunnel slide and the UK’s biggest sculpture); 

- Targeting newly engaged couples for the wedding offering, targeting HR departments with the events package, targeting teachers with a school trip offering, and creating content that involved racing different shaped balls down the longest tunnel slide in the world. Made proposals for the new ‘lean’ attraction.

Abba voyage: 

- I wrote an article called ’10 things ABBA fans will love about Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’ and we pushed it out via many channels, including boosting it to ABBA fans who live in London. 

Sep 2019 – Feb 2020 (contract)

- Developed a program of native video content that engaged the community. Episodical, relevant videos such as behind the blue plaque, views from the road, NOW/THEN and ads for upcoming events.

- Wrote, edited (and starred in) large viral campaigns such as #actuallylove; working with national media

- Managed the Grenfell Tower communication strategy 

- Retargeted followers with CTAs to high importance events

- Worked with local organisations and council run facilities to promote schedule of events

- Lots of Twitter / Facebook Live, as well as competitions

- Health and well-being campaigns for residents, such as promoting vaccinations and local schemes.

Examples of organic content made for RBKC.  This content increased monthly engagement by over 100%.

Dec 2018 – Mar 2019 (contract)

- Programmatic email campaigns, including automated campaigns for Imperial Summer School, Imperial Summer Rowing, Imperial Hotels and Imperial Summer Accommodation. These campaigns were programmed to both inform and excite the students in anticipation of their arrival

- Content strategy featuring video, image and blog content creation for Imperial Summer School emails and website – including extensive use of Adobe Premier Pro and InDesign

- Management of all aspects of websites and social media – including creating native written content, curated content, influencer content, live action and meme creation.

- Wrote and designed www.sportimperial.co.uk

- PPC management for Summer School and Summer Accommodation

Sep – Nov 2018 (contract)

Put together top of the funnel content strategy, with the aim of turning the IWSC into a media company. A rising tide lifts all ships, so engagement in fun or interesting content is key. I proposed the following content ideas:

- Friday Evening cocktail club (video – Facebook Live) filmed in partner locations and featuring award winning IWSC drinks, this idea promoted IWSC as well as our applicants

- Quick-fire interviews of winners (video – Facebook + Insta) – appealing to the entrepreneur audience as well as the alcohol one

- ‘The most expensive cocktail in the world’ – entertaining build up in weekly episodes towards an apex: the creation of the most expensive drink ever made

- Wine Wednesday and Thirsty Thursday – jumping into existing hashtags on Twitter and Instagram, with IWSC suggestions for wine and cocktails that fit that week’s world events

Dec 2017 – April 2018 (contract)

- Created suite of useful video content from existing video footage

- Put together showreel content of conferences

- Creation of suite of ‘How To’ content

- Creation and distribution on monthly newsletter

- Creation of trailers to attract potential speakers

- Creation and distribution of trailers to promote events

- Event day social media and word press management

- Design of event branding, speaker cards, twitter cards and static ads

- Design of infographic content

When I joined DH.L in December 2017, we needed to attract over 100 applicants to our Dragon’s Den style early investor fund. I did it by pushing out content to create a buzz, using this campaign concept, and by targeted ads via Google AdWords and YouTube pre-rolls.

 Jan 2015 – Sept 2015 (contract position)

A high budget start-up company that has developed a unique solution to the ubiquitous issue of auto enrolment. The company is part of the award winning ‘Creative Benefits’group.

- Designed and programmed (via Dotmailer automation) B2B and B2C content marketing email campaigns. 25% average open rate over 6 months, sending to over 10,000 contacts as well as email customer retention campaigns shown below

- Organised and ran events – including ‘Payroll World’

- Organised PR and media planning, through The Times, Telegraph, Accountancy Age and others

- Developed and managed online presence – YouTube, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn and website

- Wrote and designed suite of Sales Presentations in Prezi – used by sales team

- Wrote and implemented range of explanatory whiteboard videos as well as promotional videos that were used as content for emails and YouTube pre-rolls / Facebook dark posts

- Designed (InDesign) magazine adverts, corporate brochures, banners, posters, a heat-mug and a banner pen. Also design and programme websites, such as www.creativepensiontrust.co.uk .

 June 2010 – January 2015 

-Project managed and wrote Sales training DVDs (and corresponding printed collateral) for both RH and KN – rolled out to over 1000 sales people around the world

- Conceptualised and project managed a number of high profile events – including the national ‘driver of the year’ competition at Silverstone

- Developed successful B2B lead generation email campaigns for RH and KN 

- Produced & edited internal & external promotional videos as well as this poem

- Implemented the online presence for RH, then KN, including Google Adwords, YouTube videos, banners and Social Media campaigns

- Implemented a sales support campaign via CMS that sent warming content to prospects on the day of a call, then enabled the sales person to overcome specific objections via email after the call end.

- Designed (InDesign) posters, email campaigns, magazine adverts and banners and this mug

- Worked closely with design agencies to coordinate high budget projects.

Marketing Executive, CCH Fee Protection 

April 2008 – June 2010 

- Developed, executed and managed the company marketing plan, which featured marketing initiatives designed to penetrate and grow targeted accountancy practices.

ADVERTS

Although Spiller accidentally found himself involved in a career in marketing not advertising, he did design a few adverts in the early years of his career.  

'The creative is always the variable of success.  A great ad should exploit the reality of the core person behind the pretense as much as possible. It should try to show that a product can achieve what the core person really wants and that the company behind the product has something in its DNA that its competitors don’t.' 

In mid March 2020, Spiller was in Vietnam, in a capsule hotel. that cost £7 a night. He flew back to his parents home in Loughborough in an attempt to escape the corona-virus.

Living with his elderly parents has had its ups and downs, but it has enabled the Spiller father and son team to work together on publishing and promoting Spiller senior's books.

The purchase of this table tennis table topper has potentially saved the family.

During lockdown, he listened to seemingly thousands of podcasts and worked on three projects:

Spiller has explored  55 countries, including a few unusual ones like Lesotho and San Salvador.  You could say that he has seen  things that no man should see.  Despite being terrified, he has done two of the biggest bungee jumps in the world. 

 If fearlessness is the source of creativity need we ask more of Spiller than this?   →

Spiller was 'educated' at The University of Central England - a former polytechnic institution that had previously functioned as a large launderette.  

He studied Marketing and was awarded a 2.1 for his efforts, but this was in the early 2000s, when marketing largely consisted of copy and pasting stock images into email templates..

2001-2004 – Birmingham City University. BA (HONS) MARKETING (2.1)

2005 - University of Wales, Swansea. 

Postgraduate CELTA Certificate 

3 A-levels & 2 AS levels. 10 GCSEs. 

Level 2 Certificate in Web Design.

What do industry peers say about Ben Spiller?

He's an old millennial and never got involved in all the snowflakery that's going around these days.

He loves this scene from Mad Men.

It is rumored that he brings a free gift to interviews.