You can’t beat great storytelling right from the horse’s mouth
Networking has been absolutely core to my career, and through that I’ve met some of the most inspiring people on the planet – and they continue to inspire me. I’m lucky in having incredible mentors. I won’t embarrass them by naming them here, but they know who they are and why they are so important to me. I am also really inquisitive and enjoy getting out to see businesses and their leaders.
Surround yourself with great people
I am fortunate to do something that I love and get huge pleasure from. My father worked in commercial television when it all started, so the power of brands and marketing was ingrained in me right from the off. At this stage in your career you get quite disciplined about the things that are really important and those that aren’t.
I’m incredibly motivated by the success that we have been able to achieve at Global, and our plans for the future. The team here is beyond amazing and continues to exceed all our expectations. Outside work, my family and friends are the really important part of my life.
It’s not meant to be easy
You have to make tough decisions and stand by them. When I joined Global in 2008, radio wasn’t in the healthiest of states. We had to make several difficult decisions. In addition, marketers had fallen out of love with the medium. We had to create the desire again and, thankfully, seven years later, radio has never been in a better place.
For the marketing to be effective, the brand has to be compelling. The consumer sees through the smoke and mirrors much quicker now.
From our perspective, being able to create national brands delivered locally, such as Heart, Capital and Smooth, has proved transformational. The fact that we now work closely and directly with some of the biggest brands in the UK is testament to how far we have come, and something we are all incredibly proud of.
Don’t jump on the bandwagon
I’m excited and enthused about the future of marketing. I believe that the next generations of marketers will be far better equipped to deal with the significant changes going on within the industry than their predecessors.
The smart marketers will be those who don’t jump on the obvious bandwagons. Understanding and filtering out the vested interests of the intermediary is also going to be increasingly relevant in the decision-making process.
What should give huge comfort to the future of marketing is the work that Sherilyn Shackell and her team at The Marketing Academy do to identify, nurture and develop future marketing leaders. Sherilyn’s passion for marketing deserves all the plaudits it gets and, perhaps just as important, it will start to shape the boardrooms of the future.
It’s always been about the product
For as long as I can remember I’ve always loved brands. Steve Jobs came out with that fantastic line about "creating products so good you want to lick them". In all the businesses I have been involved in, it has always been about the product first. For the marketing to be effective, the brand has to be compelling. The consumer sees through the smoke and mirrors much quicker now.
Trust your instincts
Marketing’s role in business will only get more important as the challenges to reach the right consumers, with the right message, at the right time become more complex. Those who help build the most successful brands will, ultimately, create great shareholder value and should be appropriately recognised and rewarded.
I’m a huge believer in serendipity
It was through my relationship with Sir Philip Green that I met Ashley Tabor, the founder and executive president of Global. I shall be forever grateful for the introduction – it was a turning point in my life.
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