Episode Details

How do you build trust with an end user when you have no control over the one thing they care about most: the price? In this episode of PR in the Real World, Katharine Topham, Marketing Manager at Vital Energi, shares her journey from zoology to construction sites to becoming a guru of the end-user experience.

Katharine Topham’s career path is wonderfully unconventional. From studying the environment at Durham University to driving around construction sites in steel-toed boots as an "End User Specialist," Katharine has mastered the art of "seeing the whites of the eyes" of the customer. We explore her transition into the renewable energy sector, specifically looking at the growing world of Heat Networks and the unique comms challenges of a B2B2C business model.

The conversation dives into the practical realities of connecting with diverse residents, many of whom are non-native English speakers, and how to use empathy to bridge the gap in essential services. Katharine explains why businesses often fail by focusing solely on the direct client while ignoring the end customer. From developing dedicated consumer brands with "softer" aesthetics to using WhatsApp for more convenient customer service, this episode is a blueprint for making technical PR accessible, authentic and human.

From a PR and communications perspective, this episode covers:

• The B2B2C Challenge: Balancing the needs of the direct customer (Housing Associations/Local Authorities) with the actual end user (Residents).
• Face-to-Face Market Research: Why physically visiting construction sites or resident liaison meetings provides deeper insight than any digital tool.
• The "Innocent Drinks" Influence: Applying chatty, informal, and accessible branding to "unsexy" industries like energy and logistics.
• Translating Technical Jargon: Using animations and dynamic search websites to explain complex concepts like Heat Networks to a lay audience.
• Reputation Management & Trustpilot: Investigating negative reviews as a tool for service improvement and long-term brand differentiation.
• Inclusive Comms: Implementing translation functions and multi-channel support (WhatsApp/Web/App) to reach disenfranchised demographics.

Katharine shares the "sliding doors" moment of her final year at university that sparked her marketing passion and offers advice to her 21-year-old self. We also discuss the role of Social Value in public sector tendering, moving beyond "communal gardens" to real community support like climate education and school engagement.

This episode is relevant for professionals working in:

• Energy & Utilities PR: Navigating the move toward Net Zero and increased industry regulation.
• Construction & Infrastructure: Interested in end-user engagement and stakeholder management.
• Marketing Managers: Tasked with humanising technical B2B brands for a consumer audience.
• Market Researchers: Seeking to blend hard data with human-centric "boots on the ground" insights.

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