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Life after brand management: Ann-Marie Kilcline

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In this careers feature, Liz Foster asks the question, with the number of corporate marketing roles shrinking as you climb the ladder, where do all the brand managers go?

Who? 

Ann-Marie Kilcline

When and where did you work in marketing?

I started off my marketing career in Unilever in Ireland, there I worked on some fantastic brands with amazing heritage like Vaseline Intensive Care and the now defunct but once great Ponds facecare which was used by many of our mums and grandmothers in its hey day! I got bitten by the travelling bug and moved to Australia where I worked as a brand manager on haircare for Colgate Palmolive. It was great experience working in a different market and in this role with an emphasis on innovation. Innovation became a love of mine and I moved to Blackmores in 2005 where I worked solely on NPD. I worked on a number of different categories from coughs and colds to fertility.

Highest marketing level reached?

Senior Brand Manager

What do you do now?

I work as a senior account manager for The Saltmine. In this role I work with a number of different clients across a whole host of brands. It’s different from brand management – the timelines are shorter! But the work is interesting, there is exposure to great brands and I work with some very bright people across the client side as well as the creative team.

Did you choose your path or did it choose you? 

I was at a crossroads, not sure where I was going with my career and felt that it was time for a change. This role popped up and I thought, why not? So yes, I suppose I was chosen!

What’s the most important skill that you’ve taken from your marketing days?

The customer is King! I don’t think its just a marketing skill, that’s a life skill. No matter who you are dealing with, always remember where they are coming from and what motivates them and it makes everything a whole lot easier!

If you had your time again, would you climb the corporate marketing ladder?

Yes I probably would, I learned a lot from my years in brand management and met great people in the process. Again, the skills I learned weren’t only about business, they were life skills and I use them everyday, e.g negotiation, budgeting, presentation.

What were the best and worst parts of your role as BM?

Definitely the best part was seeing a project come to fruition in market and probably the worst part was the opposite, where a project didn’t make it for one reason or another.

What career tips would you offer an aspirant or current BM?

Use other people’s skills. A problem shared is definitely a problem halved, I often found solutions in the most unlikely of places

Now that youve left the world of brand management, are you satisfied with your current role? If not, what are your future career aspirations?

Yes I think this role is a great role, I get great exposure to amazing brands and great talent. I am always busy and no two days are ever the same which keeps me on my toes.

Life after brand management: Samantha Hardman

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In this careers feature, Liz Foster asks the question, with the number of corporate marketing roles shrinking as you climb the ladder, where do all the brand managers go?

Who? 

Samantha Hardman, Creative Director, Bento Group

When and where did you work in marketing?

I worked in marketing for approximately ten years, most recently as Senior Manager at ANZ. 

Highest marketing level reached?

Senior Management Marketing, Online & Digital team. I was responsible for all marketing activities for the digital channel across multiple regions. 

What do you do now?

I’m the Creative Director for clothing label Bento. 

Did you choose your path or did it choose you? 

Depends on how you look at it! I genuinely feel fashion is my calling. That said, it was something I actively left marketing to pursue. 

What’s the most important skill that you’ve taken from your marketing days?

Understand your customer. Too many designers get caught up in the art of the medium and forget that at the end of the day, it’s a commercial venture. 

If you had your time again, would you climb the corporate marketing ladder?

It’s a tough call, but I think so. 

What were the best and worst parts of your role as BM?

Best – seeing a campaign through from inception to delivery and having it exceed your wildest hopes in terms of delivery. 

Worse – the monotony and the politics. 

What career tips would you offer an aspirant or current BM?

Never forget to sell yourself like you would sell your product. You are your own brand. 

Also, whilst you may not like the answer, remember: it’s always free to ask. 

Now that youve left the world of brand management, are you satisfied with your current role? If not, what are your future career aspirations?

Satisfied, challenged and excited. I’m thrilled with my current roles, but I still have aspirations for the business and my career along with it.

Life after brand management: Pip Jamieson

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In this careers feature, Liz Foster asks the question, with the number of corporate marketing roles shrinking as you climb the ladder, where do all the brand managers go?

Who? 

Pip Jamieson

When and where did you work in marketing?

I started my career in London working on the 2004 BRIT Awards (the UK equivalent to the ARIA Awards) as an event coordinator. Then in 2005 I moved to Sydney to work for MTV Networks Australia, where I planned and spearheaded the team that launched two new local channels in New Zealand, MTV and Nickelodeon. Then in 2006 I moved to Auckland, where I managed the launch of MTV into New Zealand.

Highest marketing level reached?

Most recently I was head of Marketing for MTV Networks New Zealand where I managed all areas of marketing activity including traditional and digital B2C marketing initiatives, online and offline public relations and events. It was incredibly exciting working on a high profile international brand launching into a new region. 

What do you do now?

In 2008 I quit my dream job at MTV to launch The Loop (www.theloop.com.au), a career networking and portfolio-building site for creative professionals. 

Did you choose your path or did it choose you? 

A bit of both! The Director of Digital at MTV, and my great friend, Matt Fayle approached me with the idea for The Loop. Being the digital guy he was constantly being asked by friends & colleagues for advice on the best way to build their own websites to showcase their portfolio of work and promote themselves to potential employers and clients. 

On the flip side I was finding it increasingly frustrating finding fresh creative talent to work on campaigns. I always had a clear vision of the type of photographer, designer, stylist etc I wanted to use but there was no easy place to search and identify upcoming talent. We were overly dependent on word of mouth – and incredible people were slipping through the net. 

We brought these frustrations together and the idea for The Loop was born.

What’s the most important skill that you’ve taken from your marketing days?

Marketing budgets at MTV weren’t huge, so the most important skill I learnt was creativity. I thrived on coming up with low cost, high impact campaigns. 

For example, in 2006 I came up with the concept of The MTV Mile High Gig, the first ever in-flight gig onboard a commercial airplane. We flew hip-hop artist Dizzee Rascal in from the UK who performed at 37,000 feet onboard an Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to Sydney.

It was a logistical nightmare. We had to rehearse in a grounded airplane in a deserted airport hanger at 3am, borrow a battery pack from the then Prime Minister John Howard (his private jet had the only battery pack powerful enough in Australasia to support all the sound equipment) and navigate the endless layers of red tape that is understandably in place when you bring massive amounts of equipment, and potential rowdy passengers, onboard a commercial flight!

It was incredible and terrifying all at the same time, a real career high. The entire event cost me only $10k and secured millions in media coverage. The event also bagged me an ANZ PROMAX for Best Innovative Idea.

Being able to successful market a brand, on a frugal budget, has been invaluable while starting my own business. The Loop currently has over 6500+ active users and over 750 amazing brands onboard – including the likes of Network TEN, Frost Design, Pacific Magazines, Animal Logic, Discovery Networks, SBS, Frankie magazine and more – but our marketing budget currently sits at $0 as we leverage partnerships, contra and other social media platforms to drive traffic back to the site.

If you had your time again, would you climb the corporate marketing ladder?

Absolutely. I could never have started my own business straight out of university. The skills I learnt along the corporate ladder have been invaluable. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

What were the best and worst parts of your role as BM?

When you’re young and hungry – MTV is an incredible brand to work on. Being a youth brand it was constantly reinventing itself and every day brought a new challenge. I loved that about MTV, life was never dull. 

However, there comes a point where staying out all night attending gigs and events, an endless supply of free alcohol, freebie CDs and living on a not-so-great salary starts to lose its appeal. I guess thats why my business partner and I jumped ship. We both left on a high before it started wearing us down. We’re still very much part of the MTV family, and regularly pop by for the freebie drinks!

What career tips would you offer an aspirant or current BM?

Love the brand you work on. When you’re passionate about the work you do its infections. All the truly great BM’s I know, are an extension of the brand they represent. Don’t settle for middle ground – go for the best you know and love.

Now that youve left the world of brand management, are you satisfied with your current role? If not, what are your future career aspirations?

In many ways I feel that I am still a BM, it’s just the brand I manage is my own brand!. As a BM you’re meant to help steer the 4P’s (Product, Price, Place & Promotion) but invariably promotion is the only aspect you have 100% say in. With your own business you can ensure the brand is at the forefront of all business decisions, which is how it should be but rarely is. I can’t tell you how magic it is to wake up every day and not only work on a brand you love, but a brand you own. I feel really lucky!

Entrepreneurial brand managers

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The number of marketers who move on from brand management roles to embark on their own business ventures is rather substantial. Below are six individuals who’ve started their own business and credit much of their success to marketing skills gained over the years. Liz Foster sat down with each of them to discuss how they made the big move.

Louise Schultze, CEO of iBidAM.com

Jenny Celebrin, co-owner of Youngiz

Lizzie Staines, part owner and marketing director of www.munchmonitor.com

Martin Buggy, director of Karmer

Chris Dale, managing director at MarketingHQ, Sydney

Justine Waddington, business owner of A Rendezvous for Singles.

Life after brand management: Meike Suggars

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In this careers feature, Liz Foster asks the question, with the number of corporate marketing roles shrinking as you climb the ladder, where do all the brand managers go?

Who?

Meike Suggars, financial/insurance adviser at Suggars & Associates.

When and where did you work in marketing?

I started in a sales role for (then) IT/infrastructure company, Bwired, and graduated to product manager. When I moved to London in 2003 I was marketing assistant for a webhost, and was quickly promoted to UK marketing manager when my boss resigned a month after employing me. My most satisfying marketing role was my last, at steel trade publication, Steel Business Briefing.

Highest marketing level reached?

Global head of marketing.

What do you do now?

Since returning to Melbourne last year, I’ve joined my father’s business in life insurance. It’s a huge change – new industry, new job/role and new work environment. I now work for myself and don’t have the ‘baggage’ of an office and staff. 

Each of my clients has a totally different set of financial and personal needs, so my new role ticks the ‘strategy and problem solving’ box for me, which was the aspect of marketing that I loved the most. However I found that in the real SME world, there wasn’t a lot of time or resources available for this. I get to dabble in the areas of marketing that I enjoy and see as a priority for my business.

Did you choose your path or did it choose you?

A bit of both. I studied marketing, and knew that was what I wanted to do when I graduated, although I didn’t have any feelings about what sector I wanted to be in. I fell into the IT/webhosting/steel worlds because of the marketing roles that were available when I needed the work.

What’s the most important skill that you’ve taken from your marketing days?

Being able to see the big picture, attention to detail and the ability to juggle a variety of activities at the same time.

If you had your time again, would you climb the corporate marketing ladder?

I never really felt I was in the corporate world as each of my employers were SMEs. I think working for an SME gives you exposure to a greater variety of work, however it can also mean that you don’t have the marketing mentor/guidance of a large department. But yes, if I had my time again, I’d follow a similar path.

What were the best and worst parts of your role as BM?

Best: the travel, developing and managing great people in my team, the buzz of successful campaigns and those creative brainstorms where ideas fly.

Worst: the travel (I missed my own housewarming party!), spending 90% of my time putting out fires and ‘juggling hot potatoes’ (towards the end of my marketing time – but I suppose that’s the joy of management!) and unrealistic expectations of other departments in the business.

What career tips would you offer an aspirant or current BM? 

Don’t reject a job opportunity just because it’s not in your ideal sector. If someone had asked me ten years ago if I wanted to work in steel I’d have said “Pardon?!” but that job gave me amazing experiences, both personally and professionally, that would have been difficult to gain elsewhere because of the historical and global nature of that industry. So keep an open mind.

Now that youve left the world of brand management, are you satisfied with your current role? If not, what are your future career aspirations?

I love having the control over what Im doing now, and not working to someone else’s agenda. Im passionate about the products I deal with and feel that Im really making a difference to my clients’ lives. All my marketing knowledge and experience gets used every day, even when Im not doing ‘marketing’ activities.

Life after brand management: Louise Schultze

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In this careers feature, Liz Foster asks the question, with the number of corporate marketing roles shrinking as you climb the ladder, where do all the brand managers go?

Who?

Louise Schultze, CEO of iBidAM.com.

When and where did you work in marketing?

At Palace Cinemas I was national membership/marketing manager. At Target Budgeting Solutions I was senior executive, marketing and profiling – I was a highly sought after profiling expert to the major players in the advertising industry.

Highest marketing level reached?

VIP on the Marketing and Communications Executive Committee International. 

What do you do now?

I’m the CEO and founder of iBidAM.com. As a profiler, when I was commissioned to do a case study on the next big wave seven years ago, one of the biggest categories was small business. I was laughed at when I said that in 10 to 15 years time over 70% of households would have a small, micro, sole-trading, freelancing, contracting type business coming from one of the occupants.

My analysis indicated that the single largest need of a small business is marketing and advertising. Large firms needed to do something to cater for their lack of education in this area. When I couldn’t get anyone to listen, I built the only website in the world where every service provider in the marketing and advertising industry (from designers to printers to commercial production houses in Australia) can tender for small businesses’ advertising and marketing needs. 

iBidAM has also created the very first industry pricing structure standard created by the service providers themselves. It has the largest sourcing database for the industry, and the only free education advice line for small businesses. Users can actually call someone with a degree in the industry and get real advice with real strategies, which is free and a genuine first of its kind. No more so-called advertising and marketing gurus and experts. 

Did you choose your path or did it choose you? 

We always choose our own path. I guess my will is to want things to change for the better – for people to be more responsible for themselves and for equality. These principles have deep down driven iBidAM’s concepts and ideas.

What’s the most important skill that you’ve taken from your marketing days?

Using external resources to complement my abilities. My professional profiling skills have come in handy quite a bit too.

If you had your time again, would you climb the corporate marketing ladder?

No. I would be working in third world countries, social services or doing aid work.

What were the best and worst parts of your role as BM?

It was hard dealing with clients who wouldn’t listen to the experts. They know their business but they aren’t always the best people to connect their business to a market place. It’s a learned skill.

What career tips would you offer an aspirant or current BM?

Stand for something. The more we are a part of pushing commercialism the more in debt society becomes. In desperate times people do desperate things. If you want to market something, choose something that will benefit society as a whole. This will fulfil you more and you will be less likely to leave and feel disillusioned by it all.

Now that youve left the world of brand management, are you satisfied with your current role? If not, what are your future career aspirations?

I’m happy with what I have achieved with iBidAM thus far especially now that it’s going global. As I use 70% of the profits I make from iBidAM to fund resources and facilities for underprivileged children and environmental projects, I hope that I can be more involved in this work in the next few years with a new CEO in place.

Life after brand management: Jenny Celebrin

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In this careers feature, Liz Foster asks the question, with the number of corporate marketing roles shrinking as you climb the ladder, where do all the brand managers go?

Who?

Jenny Celebrin, co-owner of Yunginz.

When and where did you work in marketing?

Between 1998 and 2007 I had several marketing roles in organisations that were trade orientated and tended towards business to business.

Highest marketing level reached?

My official title was marketing coordinator but in the latter stages of my marketing career the responsibilities in these roles were more of a marketing manager position. 

What do you do now?

I’m co-owner of www.yunginz.com.au, a new Australian kids footwear label. My business partner and I design all the styles, and we are currently the heart and sole (pun intended!) of the business – designers, sales, marketing, pickers and packers – you name it and we do it.

Did you choose your path or did it choose you?

I guess in the early stages of my career you could say that it chose me – I came to Sydney from New Zealand with a two-year-old boy, so picked up what work I could and started out in secretarial/PA positions. My role grew to incorporate more marketing responsibilities once management became aware of my capabilities and interest in this area. 

I had always wanted to start my own business but never knew what that business could be, until I went out to buy a pair of shoes for my daughter to find there was nothing that I liked – hence discovering the gap in the market and launching Yunginz to fill it.

What’s the most important skill that you’ve taken from your marketing days?

Not really specific to marketing only, but relevant to everything is attention to detail! Whether that’s in communication with others, design elements or creating marketing collateral – whatever it is – attention to detail is a must.

If you had your time again, would you climb the corporate marketing ladder?

No, there is no flexibility (or if it’s there it’s very rare) in the corporate world for the woman who has to juggle work and parenting. If a lot of executives realised that they’d get loyalty and strong work ethics by providing flexible arrangements in the workplace then they’d have less staff turnover and much greater productivity. I was lucky in one role where I had flexibility for a while, but there was no room for future growth in that particular business.

What were the best and worst parts of your role as BM?

Best – I love the strategic side of marketing.

Worst – the number crunching, marketing budgets etc – they are always the first to get cut (very frustrating).

What career tips would you offer an aspirant or current BM?

For an aspirant – get the education that you need if you can, but if you’re a late starter like I was who didn’t realise what they wanted in the early stages, then as long as you roll your sleeves up and do the hard work, believe in yourself, put the dedication and persistence in and have a genuine passion for it then it will happen!

Now that youve left the world of brand management, are you satisfied with your current role? If not, what are your future career aspirations?

Absolutely satisfied. It’s a hard slog and we have a long road ahead of us but I just love seeing our shoe creations on little feet!

Life after brand management: Christine Khor

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In this careers feature, Liz Foster asks the question, with the number of corporate marketing roles shrinking as you climb the ladder, where do all the brand managers go?

Who?

Christine Khor

When and where did you work in marketing?

1997 – 2000 marketing manager, shelf stable division at Simplot Australia (brands including Leggo’s, Engel and Big Sister).

1994 – 1997 product manager promoted to senior brand manager at Kraft Foods.

1989 – 1994 product manager at Hallmark Cards.

Highest marketing level reached?

Marketing manager, managing a team of eight marketers.

What do you do now?

I am now joint managing director of Carrera Partners, a sales and marketing recruitment specialist. We have offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and employ approximately 25 people.

Did you choose your path or did it choose you?

I definitely chose the path to be in my own business… but I sort of fell into recruitment…

I knew that I would like to run my own business. My family has run a variety of different businesses and I guess I was always surrounded by that entrepreneurial spirit.

I also knew that I wanted a family and that it would be difficult to have the career I wanted, with the variety, challenge and financial reward plus the flexibility. Basically I didn’t want to be told that I had to miss my child’s sport day to attend a cycle meeting interstate!

Why recruitment? Well it was based on a really simple insight that struck me when I was the ‘customer’. As a candidate and a client (employer) there were times when I just felt that the recruitment consultant I was dealing with either didn’t understand me, or didn’t understand the role. Don’t get me wrong, there were, and are, some fantastic consultants and agencies out there, but at the time I saw a bit of a gap in the market and that is sales and marketing people recruiting for sales and marketing roles.

So after a bit of research and a lot of naivety my girlfriend and I quit our jobs and started Market Partners.

What’s the most important skill that you’ve taken from your marketing days?

I was lucky enough to work with some really amazing, smart people and I learned a lot from them. Most notably:

Commercial acumen. Although I have to admit that when it is your own money coming out of your own bank account the concept of cash flow and debtor days really hits home… they are not just numbers on a monthly report.

Contacts. I pride myself on my strong network of people that I have worked with throughout my career. Many of these I continue to work with as clients or candidates.

The importance of brand. We have spent a considerable amount of time developing our brand and ensuring that we all live and breathe it. As a ‘people business’ grows, ensuring consistent brand delivery becomes more challenging – however it is non-negotiable. We have just completed a thorough strategic brand and marketing review and are thrilled with our new creative direction. As a true marketer we have gone to great lengths to ensure that it is exemplified throughout the Carrera Partners experience.

If you had your time again, would you climb the corporate marketing ladder?

I loved my time in corporate and I loved that I had the chance to work in senior marketing roles with some great organisations, brands and people. However I have no regrets about moving out of corporate and the thought of working in a corporate environment seems a bit foreign to me now. For all of the ups and downs that come from working in your own business I cannot imagine not working for myself. Although… I’ll never say never!

What were the best and worst parts of your role as BM?

Best – the brands, learning about marketing in great organisations, the training and the talented people.

Worst – the hierarchy, bureaucracy, reporting and budgeting process.

What career tips would you offer an aspirant or current BM?

As a young brand marketer and also in my current life meeting with marketers every day, I would say slow down and enjoy. Do I sound old? I think we were, and are, in such a rush to get the next promotion, to develop the next campaign or product and to get the next big job, that we sometimes forget that we are in a people business. Our job as marketers is to understand what drives and motivates our consumers, our customers, our sales team… do we spend enough time on this or are we too busy sending off emails and finalising reports to get to the true insight?

When I interview great marketers and I ask about their proudest marketing moment it is often about them identifying something really unique about their consumer or customer and how they put a product, communication or action plan together to leverage that insight. To find true consumer insights or truths takes time and ‘real’ listening!

Now that youve left the world of brand management, are you satisfied with your current role? If not, what are your future career aspirations?

Yes (and no).

Do I miss working on iconic brands? Yes.

Do I miss working with talented marketers, developing strategies and developing million dollar advertising campaigns? Yes.

Do I miss the SOP process? (anyone in FMCG will understand what I am saying – for those not in FMCG SOP is sales and operations planning and it is all about inventory management and forecasting). No (and I wasn’t very good at it either).

Would I be able to go back to work for a head office? No, I don’t think so.

What are my aspirations?

Well, Carrera Partners still has a long way to go… we only just merged the business (in 2008) and then had to contend with the GFC. We are now building our teams and driving opportunities in other channels and other markets. I guess when I stop loving what I do, I will do something else but until then we will just keep doing what we do best which is placing the best sales and marketing people with the best organisations.

Life after brand management: Bhupesh Shah

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In this careers feature, Liz Foster asks the question, with the number of corporate marketing roles shrinking as you climb the ladder, where do all the brand managers go?

Who?

Bhupesh Shah, B.Sc, MBA

When and where did you work in marketing?

I started my career in 1990 as a marketing analyst for Canadian Tire (Canada’s largest hardgoods retailer), progressing to buyer and finally marketing manager, where I was responsible for about $600 million in purchases. From there, I had a short stint as a group product manager for nine brands with Clorox Canada and finally director of marketing for Karcher Canada, where I launched two flanker brands.

Highest marketing level reached?

Director of marketing, Karcher Canada Inc.

What do you do now?

Since 2005, I have been providing marketing, sales and web strategy services to SMEs. My current engagements centre around social media and diversity marketing. I am also part-time Professor at Seneca College and Humber College (both in Toronto, Canada), where I teach marketing and other business-related courses. I find the two complement each other – I am able to bring current theories to the business world and ‘real-life’ examples to the classroom.

Did you choose your path or did it choose you?

It was a combination. I was dissatisfied with the slow pace of decision-making and short-term focus that I had experienced working for large companies. At the same time, former colleagues, suppliers and competitors were asking for help on reaching particular demographics. The time was right to take the leap into consulting and I have not looked back since.

What’s the most important skill that you’ve taken from your marketing days?

The ability to see things from multiple perspectives. Successful marketing requires close communication and collaboration with a diverse group of stakeholders.

If you had your time again, would you climb the corporate marketing ladder?

Definitely! Climbing the proverbial ladder has exposed me to the softer skills that are key to one’s success in marketing – listening, persuasion, negotiation, relationship-building, and customer-orientation, to name a few.

What were the best and worst parts of your role as BM?

The best part would include becoming intimately familiar with a brand portfolio and knowing that your activities can change people’s behaviour. The worst part was how share price can influence execution. Things like having my spend cut in the first six months because the company’s share price was low or pricing a line higher than what the market would accept to please analysts.

What career tips would you offer an aspirant or current BM?

Remember that it’s all about thinking from the consumer’s point of view – their needs and expectations. Sales drive everything in the company – including the marketing. Focus on learning from your sales team, your suppliers and your customers as they have unique experiences and insights that can help you become a better marketer. Get out of your comfort zone – participate in customer presentations, do something that has never been done before. Build solid relationships with your colleagues in other departments and divisions. Don’t assume that everyone understands marketing – take the time to explain (in their language) why it’s important for everyone to work collaboratively.

Now that youve left the world of brand management, are you satisfied with your current role? If not, what are your future career aspirations?

I am totally satisfied with what I’m currently doing as it allows me to leverage my brand management skills for the benefit of a wide variety of clients. Not everyone has the opportunity to do what they love… and get paid for it!

Life after brand management: Lizzie Staines

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In this careers feature, Liz Foster asks the question, with the number of corporate marketing roles shrinking as you climb the ladder, where do all the brand managers go?

Who?

Lizzie Staines

When and where did you work in marketing?

After graduating from university, I worked as marketing coordinator at Grainco Australia, a grain supply chain company.

Following that, I worked in London for a few years where I held positions as marketing and advertising executive at Michael Page International and National Magazines (She, Cosmopolitan and Zest).

Returning to Australia, I moved back into the agricultural industry with GrainCorp in corporate strategy and marketing followed by a move to BP Australia in fuels marketing.

Highest marketing level reached?

Leading the charge on experiential and associative marketing at BP Australia – an intricate and exciting arena!

What do you do now?

I’m part owner and marketing director of www.munchmonitor.com, which is an easy way for parents to order from their school canteen, uniform shop or other school services online.

Did you choose your path or did it choose you? 

While being a marketer at heart, I’m fascinated by commerce and business. One of my aims in pursuing a marketing career was to expose myself to a number of industries. I’ve covered agriculture, recruitment, publishing and energy industries before entering the world of online business.

The fundamental skills of marketing are easily transferable. If you can understand your consumer and what drives their behaviour and have an inquisitive mind, you can take your own path to the top – conventional or not. 

What’s the most important skill that you’ve taken from your marketing days?

People skills. Working in marketing you are actively involved with so many different people. You’ve got customers, creative agencies, media buyers, printers, employees and colleagues from other areas of the company, to name a few. You need to listen and understand them and take them all on a journey with you in order to get the job done. 

If you had your time again, would you climb the corporate marketing ladder?

Absolutely, I’d do it all again! Viewing the tough times as challenges rather than frustrations was key for me in finding daily satisfaction in the process. 

What were the best and worst parts of your role as BM?

The best part is the opportunity to be the pivotal person connecting customers with value driven products. It’s a special place to be in.

The part I disliked the most is convincing non-marketers and non-consumer focused colleagues in business to follow your path. It is your responsibility though to align the marketing strategy against the business’s strategy. If you haven’t done this, these people should be creating a roadblock for you.

What career tips would you offer an aspirant or current BM?

Don’t stop learning. The landscape changes at a rapid rate and you need to keep up with it. If you want to play with the big boys, you’ll need knowledge in commerce. Australian Graduate School of Management have some great courses in their executive program for non-financial trained minds. 

Now that youve left the world of brand management, are you satisfied with your current role? If not, what are your future career aspirations?

I love what we are doing with www.munchmonitor.com. Our school and parent customers contact us regularly to let us know how much we are helping them out. You can’t get much better than that!

Life after brand management: Martin Buggy

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In this careers feature, Liz Foster asks the question, with the number of corporate marketing roles shrinking as you climb the ladder, where do all the brand managers go?

Who?

Martin Buggy, director, Karmer.

When and where did you work in marketing?

In the mid-1980s I worked in local government as the city tourism and marketing manager for six years. I then operated my own marketing and PR consultancy from 1991 to 2005. I was joined in 2000 by my now life and business partner, Melissa.

Highest marketing level reached?

Marketing manager.

What do you do now?

I own and globally distribute Australia’s own gold medal chai latte – Bondi Chai Latte.

Did you choose your path or did it choose you?

I fell back on my marketing/PR skills after being retrenched as the managing director of a Japanese firm which had big plans for new Australian tourism operations but became a victim of Japanese ‘bubble economy’ bursting. We then chose our chai latte career. We loved marketing, but were tired of exchanging our most valuable asset – time – just for a bit of lousy money. After discovering the ‘chai latte phenomenon’ in the US in 2000 while on holiday, we recognised that it would eventually arrive in Australia – and other countries – and began casually importing a US brand before developing and launching Bondi Chai Latte in 2005.

What’s the most important skill that you’ve taken from your marketing days?

Seek first to understand, before seeking to be understood. Followed closely by trusting my intuition.

If you had your time again, would you climb the corporate marketing ladder?

I never have exactly climbed the corporate ladder and can’t imagine that I ever would. One only has to look ahead, up the ladder, to see what would be in store for you!

What were the best and worst parts of your role as BM?

Best parts of creating, managing and developing our own brand have been the positive response to the brand at every level in the food chain – from consumer to food critics to distributors. The worst part has been regularly having to choose which development/marketing idea to follow through on – so many things to do, so little time in which to do them!

What career tips would you offer an aspirant or current BM?

In the words of one much wiser than I, “Don’t sweat the small stuff (and it’s all small stuff!)”

Now that youve left the world of brand management, are you satisfied with your current role? If not, what are your future career aspirations?

When we decided to build a business around our own brand of chai latte we didn’t want to jump out of the frying pan and into an inferno, so we laid out some required returns-on-investment… we wanted to travel; to live where we chose; to make good money; to have time to enjoy all the above, and to achieve something worthwhile.

Our product is now sold in many countries around the world – and we travel a lot (either vicariously over the internet or in aeroplanes). We moved to paradise (not telling you where – as The Eagles sing, “Call some place Paradise… kiss it good bye!”)

We outsource everything that requires skills which we don’t have (and don’t want to acquire) which gives us time. Business is doing very well for the right reasons – our niche is narrow, but very, very deep, and we feel content with our work so far and excited about what’s still ahead.

Am I satisfied with my new role?

Hell yes!

Life after brand management: Chris Dale

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In this careers feature, Liz Foster asks the question, with the number of corporate marketing roles shrinking as you climb the ladder, where do all the brand managers go?

Who?

Chris Dale, managing director at MarketingHQ, Sydney.

When and where did you work in Marketing?

I started my marketing career firstly as a sales rep in 1996 and then went into FMCG account management for a few years. I secured my first brand management role with CIC Video looking after video products from Nickelodeon, MTV and Paramount Pictures. I then moved to Dataflow Computer Services, working as brand manager. Following this was brand and sponsorship manager at Orange, sales and marketing executive at International Management Group and until June 2009 national marketing manager at the Professional Golfers Association of Australia.

Highest marketing level reached?

National marketing manager.

What do you do now?

Marketing consultant for my own Sydney-based business, MarketingHQ.

Did you choose your path or did it choose you?

A combination of things. I’d always harboured a desire to build my own business as I think there is no greater test for a marketer than to build their own brand. With my previous role, our head office moved to Melbourne and so did my role so I chose to stay in Sydney and start my own business.

What’s the most important skill that you’ve taken from your marketing days?

I think that marketing is a strategic process that can be applied across categories. I’ve worked in many different industries and have found that the skills are relevant with whatever brand or product you are working on.

If you had your time again, would you climb the corporate marketing ladder?

No. I find being my own boss very rewarding and I want to build my own business. I really enjoy the variety of the work that I am doing and would struggle just limiting myself to a single product or category again.

What were the best and the worst parts of your role as BM?

Best: I enjoyed the people I worked with, as well as learning from more experienced marketers on how they approach certain marketing challenges.

Worst: Working in organisations where bureaucracy stifles marketing creativity and the marketing skill is not highly valued at board level.

What career tips would you offer an aspirant or current BM?

Keep your skills up to date and evolve your marketing skills with the changing needs of the market. Read books, attend courses and do not live only in your company’s marketing bubble.

Now that you’ve left the world of brand management, are you satisfied with your current role. If not, what are your future career aspirations?

I love what I’m currently doing. It gives me the variety that I crave and the power to control my own destiny which I never felt that I had before. It also allows me to spend more time with my family due to the flexibility that being my own boss provides.