Meet Mark Hudson, PayPal

What brand are you responsible for?
PayPal.

What are your main priorities over the next 12 months?
Increasing the comprehension of PayPal among our customer base. In a short time, we have amassed more than 25 million customer accounts in the UK.

However, not everyone knows our reach. We have just launched a £1m UK marketing campaign to show consumers how they can use PayPal on thousands of websites, including Nike, Diesel, New Look and eBay.

Agencies used?
Brand Links for media, Tullo Marshall Warren for direct, a host of smaller agencies for creative and Digital White.

What are the ambitions of your new marketing campaign?
The last three months of the year are the busiest period for most retailers, hence the campaign breaking now and running until Christmas. We¹re also including a consumer promotion of winning the value of your shopping.

What role will traditional media play in positioning the company in 2009/2010?
Some believe it's counter-intuitive for an online brand such as PayPal to use traditional media, but as with anything in marketing, it depends on the objectives. For PayPal, offline media is crucial to build brand preference.

Not everyone responds to an e-mail or banner and we have proven returns when we add offline media in the mix. The new campaign will include outdoor, radio, online and press advertising, combined with e-mails and banners.

What has been your most enjoyable campaign to date?
One of my favourites was an integrated campaign that included an oversized mat with the word "Unwelcome" painted on it, because if you don't have PayPal on your site, you are unwittingly sending that message to potential customers. It was a great success and always made me smile when I saw the "Unwelcome" mats around clients' offices.

This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk