How did you get into this career?
After I graduated from university I worked in PR, television and branding for a major design agency, so marketing was a natural progression.
What attracted you to marketing?
I was attracted to marketing because enjoy the creative process of coming up with ideas and then bringing them to life.
What does a typical day look like?
There is no typical day! PromoVeritas ensure that the prize draws and competitions for some of the world’s biggest brands are run right and my job is to spread the message about how important it is to run promotions compliantly. So one minute I may be updating our website, the next planning a direct email campaign, and then I will be organising one of our monthly breakfast briefings or writing blog posts. This week I spent a lot of time working out the logistics of getting a box of fresh strawberries sent to over 100 of our prime prospects in the hot weather. It was part of our ‘Don’t Pick Your Own’ campaign designed to tell brand managers that under industry rules an independent entity ( e.g. PromoVeritas) should be the ones picking winners of prize draws or judging competitions. What fun.
What skills/qualities does a person need?
What advice would you give to someone looking to move towards a role like this?
Be open to any opportunity that comes your way – any marketing role, however junior, is a chance to network, to gain new talents and to help make a difference to a business.
What would you say your are most passionate about in your job?
I’m probably most passionate about getting the message out about running promotions right. So many brands are breaking the rules or letting down consumers and I want to make sure we are making the world of promotions fair and safe for the public.
Is early retirement being replaced by part-time work?
The idea of early retirement will appeal to many marketing professionals heading into their mid or late 50s. But how easy is it these days? You need to be financially secure and confident that departing the marketing job market for ever won’t leave you regretting the move two or three years down the line.
Will hobbies on your marketing CV help or hinder?
Opinions are divided on whether there is any purpose to the ‘interests’ section of a CV. The traditional view is that your hobbies and pastimes show something of you as a person and demonstrate how rounded you are which could help in your marketing job application.
Are luxury brand marketers missing the social media boat?
Some marketing experts are critical of the progress brand owners and marketing professionals are making when it comes to using social channels to connect with customers.
I can’t get a marketing job interview even though I’ve tailored my CV
We all know how important it is for job applicants to tailor their CV or online application to the specific job, rather than send generic details about themselves. But increasingly – as more and more people apply for each advertised marketing vacancy – those who apply for jobs they are fully qualified for, are finding that even this isn’t working in their favour.
Apple still ranks highest in brand value list
This year’s BrandZ ranking of the top 100 most valuable global brands has confirmed that US giant Apple has held on to its reign at number one. The total value of the top brands grew by 7% to $2.6 trillion, according to the research.
Group interviews for marketing jobs: What to expect
Group interviews are used by large employers who are aiming to fill multiple vacancies. They are frequently used by advertising agencies and marketing and communication firms when selecting a graduate trainees or junior marketers, for example.
