Rizla has toured music festivals such as the Big Chill and Bestival this year - did the marketing team get to go?
We did. It's an important part of the role to make sure that events run smoothly and look at opportunities to improve what we do; it's a tough job but someone has to do it. Rizla is also the title sponsor of the Suzuki MotoGP team.
Describe the marketing team in three words.
Passionate, intelligent, hard-working.
How do you come up with fresh marketing ideas?
We work closely with our markets and our branding agency, The Gild, to connect to global trends and emerging cultures.
Is there a dress code?
We tend to worry more about what people do and what they deliver, rather than what they wear.
Does the marketing team socialise outside office hours?
Our local pub is great for darts and a real pint, but much of our socialising is done on foreign shores - there is a lot of travelling involved to destinations including France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Spain.
What is the company like for training and career progression?
Imperial Tobacco Group, which owns Rizla, is a superb company for development and career progression. Many people at Imperial Tobacco work here for the majority of their career.
Is there anything else readers may find interesting about working at the company?
We have a big store cupboard full of Rizla-branded bowling balls, and a fake bull's head from an advertising campaign.
Company facts
- Rizla's International marketing team is based at Farnham House, Farnham Lane, Farnham Royal, Slough, SL2 3RQ.
- Parent company Imperial Tobacco has 1600 UK staff, of whom nine are marketers, working on brands including Golden Virginia, Drum and JPS.
- Rizla is the number-one rolling papers brand globally, and commands about three-quarters of the UK market.
- Imperial's chief executive is Gareth Davis; Graham Blashill is group sales and marketing director; Ian Ross is head of central marketing.