Brand Manager of the Week: Al Cross, Brand manager, Halewood

- Describe yourself in three words: Could try harder.

- How would you define marketing?

What is my point, and why should you care?

- What would you be if you weren't a brand manager?

Paranormal investigator or tailor.

- What advice would you give someone starting their marketing career today?

Get a job or secondment to sales for at least a year.

- What attracted you to your current job?

The opportunity. Who wouldn't?

- What was your first job?

Entomologist.

- How did you get your first job?

By accident. Honestly.

- What's your greatest ambition?

To get it right, all of the time.

- What makes you angry?

Prejudging - I'm guilty of it and it drives me crackers.

- What hobbies do you have?

Taking part in triathlons, collecting vintage port and conjuring, although not at the same time.

- What's your favourite holiday destination?

Scotland.

- What other languages do you speak?

French, badly.

- If you weren't you, who would you be?

Huey Morgan of Fun Lovin' Criminals or Steve McQueen.

- What is your all-time favourite slogan?

Interest-free overdraft.

- What have been your best and worst freebies?

The worst was a blunt screwdriver from a marketing agency. The best was a pair of new snowboard boots from a jolly decent friend.

- What's your favourite pub?

All of them. Publicans work very hard for very little thanks or recognition.

- If you were a brand what would you be and why?

Jeffery-West shoes: elegant, well put-together and quirky.

- If you could get tickets to any event, what would it be?

Tommy Cooper live on stage (bit of a long shot).

- What was your finest hour?

Holding my wife's hand at the birth of my daughter.

- If you had three wishes, what would they be?

A cure for the common cold, my daughter to be healthy, happy and successful, and three more wishes.

- What headline would you most like to read in Marketing?

'Al Cross wins lottery rollover.'