Former marketing boss reveals retailer’s game plan.

Former Officeworks marketing boss Karl Winther, who moved to Australia Post as chief marketing officer earlier this year but resigned after only four months, has revealed some insights into the strategic marketing thinking at the national retailer.

Winther, who joined Officeworks in 2012, told CMO magazine: “By the time I arrived in 2012, Officeworks had been bought by Wesfarmers, sound fundamentals were in place and it was time to pursue growth.”

He said he was proud of the role marketing played in the overarching strategy of the business.

"It is an example of an advertising idea, that became a brand strategy, that then became a business purpose. So it was in reverse to how you usually undertake marketing, but it doesn’t matter what way you get there, so long as you can make it work," he said. 

“The business evolved from something concentrating on selling core commodities, to understanding customer needs, what customers want, and developing a brand personality. I had the full gamut of marketing in my role, everything from internal communications, to PR, while making sure all customer touchpoints were singing from same hymn sheet."

Winther defined a “go-to-market plan” based on finding ways to make Officeworks relevant 365 days a year.

“This culminated in commercial success from six per cent return on capital (ROC) to 16 per cent, or from $60 million in EBIT to $160 million in EBIT,” he said.

"This was not just through new stores, but also existing store growth and online growth. It was also an acknowledgment of how marketing assisted the success of the business,” he said.