Data Centre Marketing Club aims to boost industry branding

Senior leaders from across the digital infrastructure sector have come together to form the Data Centre Marketing Club, a new initiative aimed at enabling public relations, marketing and social media professionals to share knowledge and champion best practices throughout the data centre industry. The club, described as the first of its kind, is focused on elevating the role of branding, marketing and storytelling within the digital infrastructure community.

The Data Centre Marketing Club was co-founded by a group of experienced industry professionals: Giuseppe Caltabiano, Senior Marketing Director at AVK; Andy Davis, Director of DataX Connect and host of the Inside Data Centre Podcast; Nicola Hayes, Chief Marketing Officer of Platform Markets Group; Adam Nethersole, Vice President of Marketing at Kao Data; and Rory Flashman-Wells, Managing Director of Spa Communications Ltd.

According to the founding team, the club's mission is to address what it describes as a "negative perception" of data centres by improving the way the industry communicates its role in technological innovation and sustainability, as well as its contribution to global economic growth.

Nicola Hayes, CMO of Platform Markets Group, explained: "Feedback from the initial discussions at Data Centre Marketing Club found that brand and content strategies are often overlooked when it comes to digital infrastructure marketing. As such, we developed the key themes for our first masterclass to meet these challenges head on – explaining the strategic role of brand, PR and storytelling in business growth and enabling marketers to justify budget allocation directly to these areas."

The club's first event, a free-to-attend masterclass titled 'Cutting Through the Noise', will be held at the offices of legal firm Norton Rose Fullbright on 22 May 2025. The masterclass is set to explore the role of brand in business growth and how marketers can boost their impact by aligning sales, marketing and communications strategies.

The agenda includes sessions on a variety of topics, such as 'The ROI of Brand Building in B2B', led by Professor Charles Graham of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute; 'Building a standout brand in the data centre sector', featuring James Dunn, Co-Founder and Creative Director of WeDoCo, alongside Giuseppe Caltabiano; and 'The ROI of Storytelling' by Tim Love, Founder of CFH London.

Andy Davis, Director of DataX Connect and host of the Inside Data Centre Podcast, will join Josie Hughes, Director of Marketing, Strategy and Culture at DataX Connect, to discuss 'The role of marketing in attracting talent'. Additionally, Adam Nethersole, VP Marketing at Kao Data, and Rory Flashman-Wells, MD of Spa Communications Ltd, will address 'Making Markets' and the role of PR in driving business growth.

A highlight of the day will be 'The Storytelling Panel', which includes Georgia Lewis Anderson, Co-Founder of Lantyn and previously Generative AI Content Strategist at Meta; Katryna Turner, Global Brand Strategist at PwC; and Duncan White, Senior Director of Communications & Marketing at AtlasEdge. The event will close with an 'Ask the Experts' session moderated by Kristy Harrower, Partner at Norton Rose Fullbright, featuring Sue Jones, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at Digital Realty, and Katryna Turner.

Giuseppe Caltabiano, Senior Marketing Director at AVK, commented on the need for a shift in how the industry approaches marketing: "Today there's this misconception that marketing in the digital infrastructure sector must be overly technical and driven by activation, but that's absolutely not true. The foundations of marketing – brand building, positioning, and storytelling – don't change just because your product is more complex. Our first event brings together a host of speakers to encourage cross-industry learning, and I'd like to extend our collective thanks to Norton Rose Fullbright for hosting us."

Andy Davis reflected on his own experience: "When I first started the Inside Data Centre Podcast I don't think I realised the potential that building a personal brand would have on our business, or how quickly it would transform our growth trajectory. This event will enable attendees to understand what it takes to cut through the noise and learn how different organisations approach PR, marketing and brand – the only question now is, are you in?"

The Data Centre Marketing Club intends to provide members with a forum to share best practice and build the confidence and skills needed to deliver impactful campaigns within digital infrastructure organisations. With a programme of expert-led sessions and the opportunity for cross-industry learning, the club aims to help marketing professionals demonstrate the value of their work and contribute to the sector's ongoing growth and evolution.