Justin Beddows is our Consumer Public Relations Specialist and has been at Admiral for over 20 years!
Read about his career story below.
Justin Beddows is our Consumer Public Relations Specialist and has been at Admiral for over 20 years!
Read about his career story below.
What do you do in Admiral and how long have you been working here?
I’m a Consumer Public Relations (PR) Specialist and I’m responsible for the consumer public relations for Admiral, so that’s anything to do with our brand or our products. In simple terms, my job involves generating positive media coverage for Admiral and we do this through regular PR campaigns, liaising with the media and issuing press statements. However, I always say it’s also about building a personality for the brand in the media and managing our reputation. It includes dealing with inbound media queries and responding with a statement to get the best possible outcome, which can include when there's a risk of negative coverage.
I’ve been doing PR for Admiral for more than 20 years, but it’s changed over that time. In the early days it was all about print media and newspapers, now everything is online and news is 24/7. I monitor the media so we can provide commentary or statements where necessary, and we’re aware of what our competitors are doing or saying.
How did you get into your role? What is your background?
I studied English Language at Cardiff University and started working in the Claims department not long after I left university. I thought Claims was just a stop-gap job, but I enjoyed it and learned a lot about insurance. I also enjoyed working for Admiral and although the company was much smaller then, the culture and philosophy was pretty much the same as today.
I stayed in Claims for three years and progressed through the department, but always kept an eye out for jobs within the company as I wanted to stay here. A job came up for a Communications Officer and it seemed perfect for me, I would get to use the skills I learned in my degree and learn more about the business. The job involved both internal comms, such as organising events and surveying staff, and also external comms, which was mainly PR. In 2015 I moved to Marketing so we could support our marketing activity through our PR campaigns. I work closely with the people in my team responsible for content and social media so all our campaigns are integrated, meaning I’ve developed knowledge of those functions too and continue to learn more!
What does your department do for the company overall?
Marketing is large and covers a big variety of roles and responsibilities - I work in the Brand Team. We’re responsible for producing content for the website (to help with SEO), for social media campaigns and for PR. These three functions work together to ensure our messaging is consistent and aligned. So, for all PR campaigns we ensure we have relevant content on our website and we share it on social media to amplify the message and reach more people. We’re also the guardians of the Admiral brand, promoting the brand personality and are responsible for the key messages that come from the company.
Over the years, I’ve worked on many exciting projects, including a viral video involving the Wales rugby squad. I think the most rewarding campaign however was the Admiral Stay at Home Refund during the first lockdown last year. It did a great deal to demonstrate how Admiral was thinking about its customers during the pandemic and was determined to do the right thing. We had over 2,000 pieces of positive media coverage about the refund, which from a reputational point of view was excellent.
How would you describe the culture here?
I wouldn’t have stayed at Admiral for 25 years if it wasn’t a brilliant company to work for. You find that most people really do leave their egos at the door and work for the benefit of each other and the business as a whole. I think the company and management really demonstrate the culture here, they don’t just talk the talk. Admiral is inclusive - everyone is valued here for the work they do. It’s a friendly and fun place to work, and colleagues are often more like friends or family members.
Admiral is also innovative and supports new ideas. Not all new ideas work, but there’s no blame culture - people are encouraged to learn from their mistakes. I think the pandemic has truly shown what makes Admiral a great place to work. It’s been such a supportive workplace and at no point have I felt worried about losing my job, which I'm incredibly grateful for. The company has shown genuine care for our wellbeing and they’ve done a great job communicating with us all throughout the pandemic.
Do you have a career-defining moment?
Over the years I’ve had many memorable moments but working with Louisa Scadden was the most career-defining. Louisa had several roles at Admiral, and while she was Head of Communications, it was she who first recruited me as Communications Officer. We worked together for 15 years and she taught me so much, all of which I still put into practice today. Louisa had a big influence on the Admiral culture, she was always looking for new initiatives and ideas and never took no for an answer.
