Spending time at Seawork this year reinforced just how innovative and fast-moving the commercial marine sector has become. The industry’s evolving well beyond traditional areas like shipbuilding and support, into decarbonisation, offshore renewables, digital technologies, autonomy and specialist engineering – often all at once, and often inside the same business.
What struck me most was the gap between that technical speed of development and how well it gets communicated. The expertise on display was world-class. Yet my conversations confirmed something we already know well: organisations find it hard to articulate their value clearly to the customers, investors and regulators they depend on. Innovation is everywhere, but in an evolving sector effective communication is thin on the ground.
That matters in a relationship-driven sector. Here, visibility, reputation and trust do real work in forging partnerships and getting investments and contracts over the line. Increasingly, buyers expect to see suppliers’ expertise before a conversation even begins. On top of the word-of-mouth and personal experience the marine world has always valued, an active digital presence and clear thought leadership are increasingly important.
A clear theme at the event was that sustainability has shifted from a differentiator to an expectation among potential investors and supply chain partners. And just as we see in other industry sectors, companies increasingly need to evidence their claims and demonstrate practical impact amid a tightening regulatory landscape.
Our account manager Rhiannon saw in the Propulsion in Practice session, alternative-fuel and electric solutions already exist, yet their mainstream adoption will depend on evidence of their effectiveness, and clear explanation of their advantages. That’s a clear comms challenge, yet all too often the people taking it on are engineers and mariners.
Seawork also underscored how much the lines are blurring between offshore renewables, marine technology, ports, utilities and infrastructure. Supply chain collaboration is accelerating, which puts a premium on consistent messaging and a shared value proposition among multiple partners. And with recruitment still a sector-wide challenge, employer branding and internal comms are becoming harder to treat as afterthoughts.
The most impressive businesses I spoke to tended to be SMEs and start-ups with exceptional products, but limited resources to tell their story – exactly where Resonates can demonstrate its value. Our heritage in renewable energy, utilities, marine and cleantech means we are comfortable translating technical and complex subjects into engaging content, in industries where trust, evidence and credibility matter. We know how to communicate innovation without overselling it – something you can see in our work, a couple of examples here with Latent Drive and Cleafy.
Joining the Saline group has strengthened this further. Our clients now sit within a wider, multidisciplinary group with deep sector knowledge and experience, so communications can work in step with broader commercial and business development support – a real advantage for any organisation trying to scale.
If we met at Seawork, thank you for the conversation and sharing insights from the industry and your business with me. I’d love to continue discussing how specialist communications can help your organisation raise its profile, support growth and tell the stories behind the innovation shaping the future of the commercial marine sector. Please get in touch: www.linkedin.com/in/hannahthame
