Carlota Pico recently had the chance to talk to Kristina Foster, senior manager of content marketing for Industrial and Flow Technologies at Pentair, a global water treatment company. Kristina explained how she wound up working in marketing for the lesser-known industry of water, and how Pentair is seeking to educate audiences around the world on the vital role that water plays in every aspect of our lives.

Kristina also explained the smart, sustainable solutions that Pentair delivers to help empower customers to make the most of this essential resource, and how the brand has been connecting with new and existing audiences in the realm of digital marketing.

Watch the full conversation in our YouTube video above, and read our recap below.

Key takeaways

  • When coming up with content strategies, you need to work very closely with the subject matter to understand what you’re trying to accomplish and how your content can resonate with local audiences. Ask yourself: Why, how and where are you trying to reach a specific audience?
  • For a global water treatment company like Pentair, content is created with the goal of educating the audience. Through everything it creates and shares, the company seeks to generate global awareness about how to move, improve and enjoy water.
  • Although water is a universal necessity, people use it and think about it in different ways. The water market in Europe is highly fragmented, so it’s important to keep in mind the nuances, needs and wants of different countries when developing content.
  • Marketing in a segmented industry requires you to find the most effective ways to address a variety of audiences. Pentair targets customers with industry trade publications, advertising and articles, plus its website, blog and social media. To reach government entities, the focus is more on events and gatherings.
  • In the COVID-19 era, marketing is all about leveraging digital channels to reach customers and relying on new resources, like virtual trade shows and webinars. In some cases, this kind of marketing is much more effective than traditional versions.


Every piece of content has a purpose. You should never create content just for the sake of it—there has to be a strategy behind it and an art to it.

Rapid-fire recs

An influencer or role model who you admire?

I’m constantly inspired by great marketing campaigns. When I’m traveling throughout Europe, for example, I’m always paying attention to the TV and taking note of the interesting ads that are circulating. I’m especially drawn to the ones that are sincere and get you feeling emotionally connected. In this day and age you can’t fake sincerity—the consumer will know.

As for a person, I’d say Arianna Huffington, CEO of Thrive Global and founder of The Huffington Post. I admire the way she engages with her audience, and how transparent she is about her life and what it’s like to be such a powerful person.

A publication or book you’d recommend?

I always recommend anyone who’s joining a new company to read “The First 90 Days” by Michael D. Watkins. It helps you think about your strengths, weaknesses and blind spots. The biggest takeaway I got after reading it for the first time was not to rely solely on your manager to tell you what your goals and accomplishments should be in your first three months. Instead, be proactive and decide that for yourself. It’ll also help you establish your personal brand.

Your favorite app at the moment?

I’m not using it right now, but in pre-COVID-19 times I would’ve said the Delta app. It’s one of the best airline apps I’ve ever used. It’s very user friendly, which reflects the effort they’ve put in to understand how people travel, what type of information they look for, and the best way to present it in a simple, easy-to-follow way.

For more on marketing in the water industry:

Check out our interview with Jérôme Logie, EMEA marketing manager at Pall Water


Connect with Kristina and Carlota on LinkedIn.

This post was edited by Mary Kresge, a freelance content creator based in Madrid.

To read the full transcript, click on page number 2 below.