GCS Heads of Discipline: 5 minutes with Ed Bearryman
There are 7 GCS communication disciplines: Data and Insight, Media, Strategic Communications, Internal Communications, External Affairs, Marketing and Digital. A selection of the GCS community is appointed to represent each discipline. Our Heads of Discipline are:
- Media – Andrew Darby, Department for Education (DfE)
- External Affairs – Kate Whitty-Johnson, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)
- Marketing – Chloe Saklow, Department for Education (DfE)
- Strategic Communications – Clara Eaglen, Department for International Trade (DIT)
- Internal Communications – Russell Grossman, Office of Rail and Road (ORR)
- Digital – Ed Bearryman, No10
- Data and Insight – Pamela Bremner, Home Office
This month we spoke to Ed Bearryman, who leads the Digital discipline across government, for an interview.
Ed, tell us a little about yourself…
I’m a former (some might say failed) journalist and TV presenter who spent 10 years in the media – at the BBC, The Sun and ITV – before switching sides to join the world of government communications. I’ve always been very into connecting with audiences – and I will bore on at length about how we need to be more audience-led in our comms – and fundamentally I get a big kick out of reaching people at scale and making them feel good about the work we do.
I live in Ealing with my wife and two sons and we can be found most weekends playing cricket, football or hide and seek in Lammas Park.
What made you want to take on the HoD role?
There is so much talent in digital teams across government so it’s always a real buzz when you get to pool that together to deliver really important work – whether that’s helping vulnerable audiences with the cost of living or raising awareness of the changes we’re making to tackle Violence Against Women & Girls. The digital community has such a central role to play in redefining how we communicate with the public, as consumption habits shift and new and emerging digital platforms become ever more important. We also have a huge job to do to set a central approach to objectives and standards in digital to really increase the impact of the work we do.
To have the chance to work together with my fellow Heads of Digital on that challenge is really exciting.
Tell us something no one would know about you? What is you claim to fame ?
I’ve interviewed Lionel Messi not once but twice, the first time was on his first ever hangover the day after winning the Champions League for Barcelona for the first time.
For those new to the communication profession, how would you describe the purpose, and role, of digital communicators in government ?
Digital communications can and should deliver a step-change in the way the government communicates with the public. While trust and engagement in government remain stubbornly low, digital lets us connect with the public directly where they are and in a style and tone that is easier for them to engage with.
If we’re brave and get it right we can communicate more open and authentic way to help increase accountability and transparency to make more of the work we do have real, tangible relevance to the public.
How have you utilised various digital platforms to engage audiences?
We try to think more like a publisher than a government department. Our digital channels are called channels for a reason, and they need to give our audiences a clear and obvious value exchange, otherwise they’ll tune out.
So we have regular formats like the Downing Street Download or the Week in Pics to create habit and deliver some entertainment with our messaging. We also try to be as creative to stop the scroll.
And, just as importantly, we understand the limits of our owned channels and when we need to reach out to third parties in digital (be that media outlets, influencer’s or podcaster’s) to get our message to the audiences who need to hear it.
A key mission is to increase public engagement with the work of government – how are you harnessing digital to deliver effective comms?
Audience, audience, audience. We have prioritised an audience segmentation so that we are laser-focused on who we are trying to reach, how and where they consume their media and what they think and feel about the policies we are communicating to them.
This has led to us adopting a more strategic approach to decision-making in our comms mix which, on cost of living and anti-social behaviour activity in particular, has led to significant increases in engagement.
What is the most successful digital piece of work you’ve been involved in?
We’re lucky at No10 that we get to cover some of the biggest moments in government. President Zelenskyy’s visit to Chequers earlier this year was a superb example of digital comms done well – right through from the integrated planning with broader comms colleagues to the technical brilliance of our photographers and videographers on the ground.
Elsewhere the work we’ve been a part of with our Cabinet Office colleagues and various economic departments on Help for Households has been a great example of the way a more audience-led approach can change and enhance the way we provide services and support to those who need it most.
Lastly, what podcast do you recommend for our communicators to listen to?
I’m really enjoying These Times from Unherd, with Tom McTague & Helen Thompson (from Talking Politics). It takes a long view on the big political stories of our times – useful reminder for caught in the hamster wheel of government comms that it pays to take a step back some time.