Stephen Bates

A qualified marketer with 20 years industry experience on both the client and agency side, he is a dynamic orator combining wit, relevance and an incisive view of the marketing and advertising world in relation to recycling and environemental communications.

Comfortable in front of a microphone, camera or several hundred people, Stephen is also a regular contributor to the BBC Essex “Drivetime’s” advertising update slot and has chaired several public debates, seminars and college groups on marketing, advertising and other related subjects in the UK and abroad.

CV
Stephen’s reputation as one of the UK’s leading environmental, social marketers stems not just from the many successful campaigns he’s developed but also from his wide ranging and unique career that has enabled him to draw from some diverse but highly relevant experiences.

Having studied Graphic Design and Typography at St. Martins School of Art and Design in London, he embarked upon a career in the creative world, working for some leading London and provincial agencies on many high-profile accounts.

In 1988, he established his own studio which was developed with great success, attracting the attention of larger creative concerns, one of which he merged with in 1992.

Throughout this time, Stephen became increasingly fascinated with the Marketing side of business and commenced studies for the CIM Diploma in Marketing and when an opportunity arose to take the Marketing helm at Barnardo’s trading division, he saw it as one too good to miss.

During his three years at Barnardo’s he formed close working relationships with many other client charities, helping them to increase revenues through mail order and retail trading activities and it was here that he first became aware of (and exposed to) the need to engage communities through social marketing programmes.

The lure of creative life proved strong though and he returned to the agency scene to help establish renowned London agency Aspect with two former colleagues. Here, he maintained his charity connections and continued to provide agency support to many well known organisations as well as build a reputation in healthcare marketing – predominantly with NHS trusts where social marketing again became central to campaign planning.

Aspect was sold to a major, global branding agency in 2000. Stephen remained as senior Account Director for a year but became disillusioned with the hard-edged, high-cost, corporate brand development work being pushed by the new owners, which did not sit well with the charity and health trust clients he had worked hard to build up.

In 2001, he found his Mecca in the Page Media Group – a company he had worked closely with during his time at Barnardo’s. Page had a long and excellent reputation in social marketing campaigns and they were keen to build up their specialist marketing division; Page Advertising and Communications Ltd.

Stephen quickly established their niche in the waste and recycling sector as well as his own reputation as a leading oracle on communicating recycling to the public, which has lead to the creation of EnviroComms.

Stephen heads up this unique agency and as the strategic architect behind some of the most successful recycling communication campaigns in the UK in recent years, remains today, a much sought after speaker and adviser on all aspects of waste communications, as well as retaining a streak of creative flair that even sees him occasionally jump on a Mac – just to make those final, all important tweaks that turns a great campaign into a stunning campaign.

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