CorpComms Magazine

As head of external affairs at consumer champions Which?, Alex Ellis has a corporate communications job with perhaps too much variety. One day, she could be dealing with a bank's communications department angry about criticism levied by Which? on its charges. The next she could be telling a small company that it has been awarded a Which? seal of approval, the medal that companies most desire as recognition of their product's suitability.

Which? is a household name, a sometimes outspoken champion of middle England's needs and desires. And whether that means fighting the high street banks over charges or producing research which encouraged a child car seat manufacturer to correct potentially dangerous faults, it is Ellis who is the conduit between the researchers and lobbyists at Which? and the companies to which it awards its bouquets and brickbats.

Even though the spiritual home of Which? is surely in the suburbs - Ellis admits that the membership demographic is solidly middle class and middle aged - its headquarters is a swanky stucco mansion bordering on London's Regent's Park. She points out that the offices are on a long lease from the Crown Estate and that Which? also has a building in the less glamorous location of Hertfordshire. But it is important for the organisation, which forces industry and government to put the consumer first, to have a presence in central London.

And, says Ellis, organisations seem to like visiting Which?. 'Maybe they think they'll see lots of mad scientists doing experiments on washing machines,' she smiles, adding that sadly the men (and women) in white coats are not laundering their smalls in London: they are confined to the laboratories out in Hertfordshire.

Personal service

Ellis, 29, heads up a team of five covering all aspects of corporate communications including events. She's been at Which? for three years, moving to her current role last year. A law graduate from Durham, she decided against a legal career and on graduating joined Aviva, ending up in its press office in Norwich. She knew little about Which? before applying for the job although she says that her parents were, along with more than 700,000 other Britons, members of the organisations.

Today, as well as the 1.3 million subscribers to the Which? magazines - from Travel Which? to Garden Which? and as its only newsstand publication Motoring Which? - there are also more than 240,000 subscribers to its online service, which charges for access to information and help: the largest such online service in the UK.

Even though Ellis' job is not to deal with the public, she never forgets they are the raison d'etre of Which?. 'The consumer is always first. We are their voice and we ask What would the consumer want? before we approach every issue. We are proud to be their champion: they dictate what we do and our successes are down to them,' she says.

As Ellis is, obviously, one of the great British consumers herself, this presumably is quite easy to do when berating a company for poor service or rewarding one for good products. Is she a super-consumer? Ellis laughs. 'I must admit I'd never buy anything without checking out what our experts have said about it. And my friends and family are always asking me for advice. I do point out that I'm not the expert - I'm simply the conduit for their expertise.'

But the access to experts makes her job easy, says Ellis. 'If I need to find out why, for example, we've recommended a particular savings account I can walk round the office and find the researcher responsible.'

Her day-to-day job involves liaising with the companies and organisations mentioned by Which? and that can make for some interesting conversations - particularly if Which? has made negative comments.

Recently Gardening Which? published a story about mushroom kits and someone in the industry - Ellis is discreet and will not name names - took offence. 'He called up and threatened to come to the office dressed as a mushroom and carrying a placard saying Which? treats its members like mushrooms - kept in the dark and fed a load of s**t.

'By the end of the conversation I managed to placate him and needless to day, he never did show up,' she laughs.

Challenging research

Surely that must be a common occurrence, given that the first companies usually find out that their product has been given a poor rating by Which? is when they read it in the magazine? Ellis says that when she and her team explain the in-depth research undertaken then usually companies are satisfied. 'Companies take our comments in the spirit they're

intended,' says Ellis.

But if Which? makes a particularly strong warning about a product, then Ellis and her team will contact the company involved in advance and give them a right of reply if they so wish. 'We really have to make sure we understand how the conclusions have been made. Then we can explain the issues fully with the companies involved.'

Part of Ellis' job is organising awards ceremonies to celebrate those companies which have won the coveted Which? seal of approval. The free-to-enter awards ceremonies - each magazine has its own - hand out gongs to those deemed consumer champions. Ellis says: 'There is so much beyond your control when organising events. We had a really close call at a recent awards ceremony.

'We had arranged for a celebrity [discretion again prevents her from naming names] to present the award for one of the categories but he was caught in traffic and running late. Just as I was standing up and walking towards the stage to give his apologies, he came flying out from the wings.

'It turned out he had pulled up at the entrance, thrown his car keys at the Which? staff member greeting him, ran through the foyer and straight onto the stage, all the while changing and leaving a trail of clothes behind him. It was an impressive performance,' she adds.

For Ellis, while she's more than happy at Which? she doesn't rule out a move into the private sector in the future. But at the moment her thoughts are on a definite change in the near future: her forthcoming wedding to a PR man. The wedding is being held in an idyllic-sounding farm and the honeymoon is in Bali.

So did she check out the flights, hotel and everything with Travel Which? And surely the wedding list is packed full of Which? approved appliances? 'No,' she says. 'I've gone totally off-piste with that.' Is that a nervous laugh, I wonder?

share me: del.icio.us | digg | reddit | Tweet