What is your job?
I’m a Marketing Manager for the BBC.
What does your job involve?
My job is essentially trying to get audiences to watch and love BBC programmes. There are loads of ways of doing this, from making digital adverts to creating TV trials - short films that promote the programmes in as creative way as possible.
A lot of my role involves working with ad agencies - I’ll go to them with a challenge, for instance launching a new science TV programme for BBC One. They then come back with a range of ideas for the ad campaign, and together we narrow them down to one idea and then produce that campaign in a way that we hope audiences will really react well to.
How did you get to this point in your career?
After uni I went travelling for a year in Australia, which is an invaluable experience if you’re able to do it. I worked in a range of companies over there, including a publishing firm and in the marketing department of Coca Cola. This experience was a brilliant start for when I got back to the UK and started to look for work.
After a seven month stint at an ad agency, I got a job at Capital Radio in their commercial marketing department - marketing the radio stations to the advertising industry and basically trying to get clients to spend money. I worked my way around the company, finally ending up as Marketing Manger for Xfm.
This led to a role at the BBC where I’ve been lucky enough to work on brands as varied as Regional News, BBC6 Music, Doctor Who and EastEnders.
What training did you do and where?
When I was at school I wanted to be a vet, so I ended up doing science A Levels. It wasn’t long after starting them that I realised that maybe science wasn’t the career for me. So, when applying to university, I decided on something that would balance my science background with the more creative direction that I wanted to take. Marketing seemed to achieve this, so the Business Studies course at Edinburgh University was the one I went for.
Which piece of work are you most proud of?
When I was at Xfm we produced a TV and cinema ad to promote the station across the country. The idea was that, as a new music station, Xfm was run by kids, as only kids know new music. It was a mock-documentary style ad, and the kids involved were hilarious.
As we had a really limited budget, it meant that I had to get involved hands-on in the project, sourcing locations, music and bands to feature in the ad. It was brilliant to be so integral to the whole process and to end up with an award-winning ad that got more people listening was great. You can see it here.
What do you need to succeed in your industry?
You need a range of skills to succeed in marketing and in the media industry. In marketing you have to be able to balance the numbers side of the job with research and media planning, with the creative side, evaluating ad creative or writing briefs. You also need to have a firm grasp on strategy - what is your brand? Who is your target audience? How do you make sure your target audience will want to watch, listen to or buy your brand?
You also need to hone your people skills so that you can, for instance, move from managing a junior team member one minute to presenting ideas and concepts to the Controller of BBC1.
Who’s your work hero/heroine?
I’ve been lucky enough to have had some brilliant managers, but the one who really inspired and encouraged me the most was Jane Bardsley, when I was at Capital Radio. She pushed me to grow and develop more than anyone else, and taught me so much about how to succeed in a positive way. I am hugely grateful to her.
What inspired you to do this type of work?
To be honest, I’m not sure. I’ve always been kind of fascinated by ads, how the best ones are 30 second films that can entertain and delight, yet also serve a purpose for the brand. So I knew I vaguely wanted to work around the ad industry, but then a mix of opportunity and hard work led to Capital Radio, where I jumped on the chance to work on the marketing of media brands.
What do your family and friends think of the work you do?
My family are really proud, I think my parents love to say ‘our son works for the BBC’. They know I enjoy what I do, and that’s always been the most important thing for them. The same goes for my friends I think, and they get the odd free gig ticket, which isn’t too bad for them…
What are your tips for anyone wanting to do your job?
Love the subject matter. For anyone wanting to work in marketing, you have to love the product that you’re going to be working on - whether it’s a radio station or toothpaste. You’d be surprised how many people I’ve interviewed who haven’t even watched much of the channel or listened to the radio station. Really research it and try to understand why people love it. It may be obvious, but websites are such a valuable resource for this - make sure you mine them for all the information you can before applying.
Creative inspirations
Mrs Linney
My GCSE English teacher was a huge inspiration to me. I had already decided at that point I was doing science A Levels, yet she pushed me and guided me into delving into the books we studied, pulling out details from them I’d never have seen otherwise.
Roald Dahl
I read a lot when I was a kid and Roald Dahl was far and away my favourite author. His stories completely transport you to another world - they’re exciting, they’re scary, they’re funny and can bring a tear to your eye.
Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet
I am still in awe of how Baz Luhrmann took possibly the world’s most famous story, one where everyone knows the ending, and made it so captivating and surprising. He made it so relevant to the times yet kept the heart-breaking tragedy true to its origins.
Gavin
My boyfriend Gavin is an illustrator and animator. Every day he surprises and inspires me with the work he creates. To watch him work on the videos he does is just brilliant - to see it from the initial thought all the way through to the final film.
Mother advertising
Working with the ad agency Mother is a joy. They don’t have Account Managers (the sales people) so you work directly with the creatives, which I enjoy so much more. They’ve created some brilliant work for me at Xfm and for loads of other brands too, like the Orange cinema ads and Pot Noodle.
Bjork
To this day it shocks me that someone as slightly odd as Bjork has had such mainstream success. Her album ‘Debut’ blew me away and then her live shows in 2008, 15 years later, also managed to be completely mind-blowing
Radiohead – OK Computer
Probably my favourite album of all time.
Xfm
When working at Xfm I was surrounded by the most inspiring collection of people you could imagine. DJs at the time included the likes of Ricky Gervais and Lauren Laverne, and every week there would be bands in the office, like Radiohead, Franz Ferdinand and The Killers. To be exposed to that really was a privilege.
1984
This book by George Orwell is my favourite of all time. It manages to create a whole new world and language, achieve biting political satire, be intensely scary and also follow a beautiful love story. So much for a relatively short book.
New York
The best city on the planet: the awe-inspiring architecture, the fascinating history, the massive avenues, the twisty streets, the glossy sheen and the vibrant squalor. It literally has everything.
If you would like advice on creative careers and courses, contact a Creative Way Careers Adviser - either Matt Ball on m.ball@uel.ac.uk / 07889 001764 or Sarah Comerford on s.comerford@uel.ac.uk / 07515 051509.
