Tag Archives: moments with marketers

Moments with marketers: Paul Bennett

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Marketingmag.com.au had a chat with Paul Bennett, chief creative officer and managing partner with IDEO. If
you would
like to see a certain
marketer profiled, please email your suggestion to Sean Greaney on sean.greaney@niche.com.au.

What do you do?

There’s a great quote in Woody Allen’s movie Annie Hall that best describes my job: 


“A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies.”

I think of myself as having a relationship with creativity and the creative people that I work with as needing to be constantly moving. That’s what I do, keep us all swimming forward.



What was your first job?

My first design job was at Fitch in London in 1986, halcyon days. But I worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken to pay my way through college: they loved me and told me I had “management potential” when I outsold their annual quota of fries in two weeks.



What did you study?

Graphic Design.



Describe a typical day?

Much to the chagrin of my colleagues, I am up frighteningly early, usually 5am. Email with the West Coast, deal with anything there. Gym at 6, boxing. Days are usually a combination of meet, greet and eat.

I describe my work behaviour as doctors rounds. Basically I walk around and talk to our designers, who I find endlessly inspiring. Lots of client conversations, writing, Facebook (where much of my business is done) and working on actual projects: innovation is demanding, emotional and complex.

Go home around 6. At the end of a cerebral day, I watch utter trash to decompress: American Idol, Americas’ Next Top Model, nothing with a semblance of a plot.



What is on the agenda for the next year?

Deepening my own awareness of socially-relevant design issues: education, poverty, obesity, healthcare, and how IDEO can participate in solving the most challenging global problems. Were getting asked to contribute to some great stuff right now, which is cool.



What brand do you love the most? Dislike the most? Why?  

Changes weekly. Let me say this: I’ve had my iPhone for almost two years and I still swear by it. Dislikes? Anything that “sells” in an obvious way: I am bored to tears with ‘classical marketing’.



What do you believe has been the most significant moment in the history of marketing?

The internet, without doubt. I talk endlessly about how “Contribution is The New Consumption” and the internet is proving this to be correct: complete transparency is the only way forward.



Where can people find you? (Blog, LinkedIn, Twitter, company website, etc.) 

Yes. All of the above. I dont have a phone number on my business card. Im working on not having a business card at all to be honest, a piece of paper in a wallet feels sort of weird to me.



Moments with marketers: Greg Bosnich

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Marketingmag.com.au had a chat with Greg Bosnich, marketing director at Volvo Australia. If
you would
like to see a certain
marketer profiled, please email your suggestion to Sean Greaney on sean.greaney@niche.com.au.

What do you do?

I’m an anomaly: a marketing manager that has been with the same brand now for 10 years. When you boil it all down, from Monday to Thursday it’s the office. Friday is the agency and a nice long lunch. The perfect combination of eat, sleep, work and play.

What was your first job?

House chores – and I’m still going, but in more of a part-time capacity now. My first professional job was working at a customs agency straight from high school.

What did you study?

Is that what school was all about? When I finally learnt to ‘apply’ myself I ended up at Sydney Technical College studying Office Management, Business Communication and Business Law.

Describe a typical day?

Ridiculously early start (it never gets any easier), followed by hours in traffic listening to Cold Chisel, catching up on all the sports news. Who would have thought Sydney traffic could be worse than peak hour in Kuala Lumpur?

Once I hit the office, it’s usually back to back internal and agency meetings, interspersed with a flurry of emails, broken up by the odd trip for a glass of cold water (mobile in hand to follow-up calls with our ambassadors like Matt Giteau or Rocky Elsom to get the heads up on their latest training sessions as the rugby season gears up again), then the usual juggling of agency briefs, signing off on campaign strategies and budgets, planning and more budgets.

I usually try to head home around 6.30pm – if I can – and then once I’m home its dinner with the family, followed by a piece of my favourite dark chocolate. The ultimate wind-down.

What brand do you love the most? Dislike the most? Why?


Now that I think about it, over the last couple of weeks I’ve accumulated a veritable feast of Callaway golf products – clubs, cap and golf balls. So that is definitely my favourite brand flavour at the moment. Naturally, this has a lot to do with my love of golf and why I drive the XC60 (got to have somewhere to fit it all!)

The brand I dislike the most is easy – Ansett. They never return my calls.

What do you believe has been the most significant moment in the history of marketing?

Moses selling the Ten Commandments. I can think of a number of brands that would love to have that kind of recall and share-of-voice.

What advice would you offer younger marketers?

The execution is only as good as the brief. This is a challenge we all constantly face – you need to be able to communicate your brand vision clearly so that it resonates with others. It’s about increasing mindshare and creating the ‘we’ versus ‘me’ factor.

Where can people find you?


See response to question one…same place I’ve been since the turn of the century.

Moments with marketers: David Krupp

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Marketingmag.com.au had a chat with David Krupp, client solutions manager at Nuffnang Australia. If
you would
like to see a certain
marketer profiled, please email your suggestion to Sean Greaney on sean.greaney@niche.com.au.

What do you do?

I am the client solutions manager of Nuffnang Australia. What does this mean? Basically I match up Australian brands with Australia’s biggest bloggers. This involves liaising with media agencies, generating creative ideas for a very unique marketing platform as well as maintaining genuine relationships with bloggers.

What was your first job?

A sandwich hand in my Mum’s cafe. Didn’t really set me up did it?

My first real job was at Fox Interactive Media (MySpace, IGN, Rotten Tomatoes, AskMen) as a sales executive where I co-ordinated campaigns for those sites.

What did you study?

Arts/Commerce (Marketing) at Monash University Clayton campus.

Describe a typical day?

My alarm goes off at 7:50am. With no snoozing I’m straight out of bed and into the shower. Yep, it’s very late, but any earlier and I’m more narky than Kyle Sandilands. I’m working on this with my psychologist – and lawyers.

After 20 minutes I’m out of the house and take every short cut known to South Yarra to finally arrive at work, 20 minutes later

Once I get to work and make breakfast (I change my cereal almost like I change my underwear – which is everyday – but these days I’m into my Milo) I check my emails. I then go through my trusty excel document to-do list and prioritise my tasks based on emails and deadlines.

Throughout the day I have internal meetings to discuss Nuffnang’s direction and ways to overcome current business challenges. I also meet with media agencies and other stakeholders.

The day is littered with phone calls to other media agencies, as well as bloggers. Bloggers are Nuffnang’s biggest and most important asset so it is important to maintain a healthy relationship with them.

After the day is finished I try to get to gym by 6:30pm for a crossfit session of weights and cardio. Keeps me ticking and focused.

After dinner, a bottle of wine is cracked open with my roommate and the day floats away. It ends by settling into bed with a good book and relaxing before the next morning alarm.

What is on the agenda for the this year?

Nuffnang Australia Blog Awards in April / May is the biggest circle on the 2010 calendar. Rewarding Australia’s biggest bloggers for their contribution to the Australian blogosphere is something that will generate a lot of deserved media attention for them.

What brand do you love the most? Dislike the most? Why?

Love – Victoria Bitter. The reason why I love this brand is that it has become so integral to its target market that the brand is now one of the factors that define the segment: You’re a real man if you drink a VB, but perhaps not as fair dinkum if you drink a Pure Blonde. How can you not respect a brand that has become such an important element of Australian culture?

Hate – Eddie Maguire. Give someone else a go mate.

What do you believe has been the most significant moment in the history of marketing?

TV as a medium for advertising would have to be one of the most significant moments in the history of marketing. It bought brands to life and gave them a heart beat.

Where can people find you?

Moments with marketers: Tristan Fawley

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Marketingmag.com.au had a chat with Tristan Fawley, @www digitals creative director. If
you would
like to see a certain
marketer profiled, please email your suggestion to Sean Greaney on sean.greaney@niche.com.au.

What do you do?

Creative Director of @www Digital Sydney. We provide strategic digital advice and execution to brands and companies through any and all mediums related to the digital space.

What was your first job?

Ironically as a lifelong vegetarian my first job during college was as a grill chef in a motorway service station. Spending 10 hours a day cooking hundreds of fried breakfasts, chicken dinners and steak and chips might seem odd choice but it did however drum into me solid customer skills, dispute management and I never stole a single sausage in over four years!

What did you study?

I studied a degree in Branding and Packaging at Somerset College of Arts and Technology in West England before departing to the bright lights of London and starting work with a branding agency called Tutssels Lambie-Nairn. After working in the offline space for 7 years I moved to digital but I have always felt it is important to have a broad design understanding, its essential to know how what you do fits into the big picture.

Describe a typical day?

A standard day is mix of juggling the needs of my ever needy design team, persistent account directors and, of course, wonderful clients. If a get a free moment I haul myself out of bed at some un-godly hour and try to feel good about going to the gym. The day normally ends around 7pm when I can relax with my wife and dog and try to turn my mind off thinking about doing it all again tomorrow. I am a bit of a closet gamer so I might finish the night killing a few aliens to help me wind down.

What is on the agenda for the next year?

Growing @www Digital to be the best digital partner we can to our clients, expanding our online finance business Iposoft and developing our branded content division Dubz.tv in Australia to help expand our creative business further.

What brand do you love the most? Dislike the most? Why?

Apple (of course), as a designer I have lived and breathed Apple for the best part of twenty years. They have always remained at the forefront of both marketing and technical innovation and have shown that computers will never been seen as small grey boxes again.

What do you believe has been the most significant moment in the history of marketing?

The advent of true broadband capability – the really fast stuff is still yet to come but suddenly we are starting to see what the internet can truly offer for the first time.

Where can people find you?


Moments with marketers: Rebecca Derrington

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What do you do?

I run an online social media business called SourceBottle. The free site helps journalists and bloggers find ‘fresh’ sources, and businesses and PRs get publicity. My vision for the service is simple: for every ‘call out’ that’s posted on SourceBottle to be flooded with quality responses; and for every journalist or blogger using the service to be spoilt for choice.



What was your first job?

I was a Building Construction & Litigation lawyer for about three and a half minutes.

What did you study?
First Law, then Business majoring in Marketing and Public Relations.



Describe a typical day?

A typical day kicks off at about 6.30am with a wake up call from Mr one and a half for breakfast, followed by a similar demand from Mr four. Then it’s a quick bite and cuppa for me so I can jump online to approve call outs for sources posted the night before. This must be done in time for the 10am Drink Up! email alert that goes out to subscribers to the service who are waiting to see how they might get quoted in the day’s media.

A quick run to daycare and kindy and then I’m back in my home office tweeting call outs and responding to the day’s challenges – which can include anything from responding to international offers to run the site to ‘I’ve missed the deadline for a call out. Can you please help me get in touch with the journalist?’ I try to schedule any meetings for between 10am and 1.30pm, which allows me just enough time to approve the afternoon’s intake of call outs to go out in the 2pm alert.

By 5.30pm I’ve posted my last tweet and started preparing dinner before collecting the boys at 6pm. Then it’s bath time, dinner time, playtime and bedtime (for the kids) before it’s finally ‘our’ time – when my husband and I can kick back with a cuppa on the couch.

What is on the agenda for the next year?

Expansion overseas, but always with a local focus. SourceBottle’s about to launch in New Zealand and then later in the year in the UK and Canada. I feel it’s vital for a service like this to work within its geographic boundaries, and by that I mean offering local call outs to local sources. I don’t believe in a ‘one site services the world’ approach. Journalists prefer to deal with local news and local sources. So that’s what SourceBottle’s giving them – one country at a time.

What brand do you love the most? Dislike the most? Why?

Mmm… that’s a tough one. Google is definitely up there for me. I love the simplicity of the branding and the name and the fact that I feel it lives up to its brand promise. As for brands I don’t like, they’re usually the forgettable ones… like… um… I forget.

What do you believe has been the most significant moment in the history of marketing?

Big call, but I can’t go past the introduction of YouTube and it’s ability to launch a brand globally with a limited budget and at lightening speed.

Where can people find you?

www.sourcebottle.com.au or follow me @SourceBottle for the latest call outs (and some personal musings too).

Moments with marketers: Owen Davies

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Marketingmag.com.au had a chat with Owen Davies, general manager of marketing and communications at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank. If
you would
like to see a certain
marketer profiled, please email your suggestion to Sean Greaney on sean.greaney@niche.com.au.

What do you do?

Pretend to be a marketer. Seriously, I am a journalist by trade, so perhaps better described as an accidental marketer.



What was your first job?



Delivering telegrams – which immediately ages me; when was the last time you heard of a telegram? I guess this was a nice entrée to delivering the news as a journo. First proper job was as a reporter on the now-defunct Melbourne Herald.



What did you study?



Social science – which was also a nice entrée to journalism and marketing… plenty of social, not much science.



Describe a typical day?

  • 
Beat the alarm, set for 6am. I am the world’s worst sleeper-inner. It comes from six years on an afternoon newspaper.
  • Run or cycle – not only for the exercise but for an hour’s listening time on the iPod.
  • 
Breakfast. Eight-minute drive to work allows for two more songs, at volume, in my ute. Eight minutes to work is the beauty of our Bendigo HQ.
  • 
Work, usually until around 6.30. I am a lucky man; I have a fabulous team of young people who take seriously my philosophy – your job is to make me look good.

  • Drive home; more songs.
  • Drink beer (it counteracts the morning exercise) usually while watering our large garden in warm weather. In winter, just drink beer anyway.
  • 
Revise the day/life with my wife; news; Skype the kids (both of whom fled to far corners of the globe to escape us); DVDs/news.
  • 
iPod until I drift off and get up and do it again… same shit, different day, as David Brent said.


What is on the agenda for the next year?



Son Rhys’ wedding. He’ll be 25, one year older than me when I married, yet he seems so young!


Workwise: rebranding several of our businesses post the Bendigo/Adelaide merger, and revisit Bendigo Bank’s brand creative… always exciting.

What brand do you love the most? Dislike the most? Why?



I recently bought the most fantastic iPod sounddock-cum-CD player made by Swiss company Geneva, so that’s certainly my brand-of-the-moment. I have run in Nike shoes for 21 years without injury, so Nike has to be up there. And rounding out a top three would probably be Little Creatures pale ale.



Dislikes are tougher. By my age you have put those bad brand experiences so far behind you that it’s hard to remember them. I am a typical Aussie; if I have a bad experience, I just don’t go back. One that does stick in my mind is another sound system with a great reputation – Luxman. Five failed goes at fixing a CD player under warranty was enough to turn me off forever.

What do you believe has been the most significant moment in the history of marketing?



Henry Ford: “They can have any colour as long as it’s black.” LOL. How many do you reckon Henry would have sold today?

Where can people find you?



Harley Street, Bendigo, 3550. I am campaigning on behalf of Australia Post. My brother is a postmaster and needs his job!

Moments with marketers: Paul Wilson

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Marketingmag.com.au chats to Paul Wilson – joint marketing coordinator and managing director of Blocks Global and Square Circle Triangle. If you would like to see a certain
marketer profiled, please email your suggestion to Sean Greaney on sean.greaney@niche.com.au.

What do you do?

Chief coffee maker, cleaner, sounding board, problem solver, business developer, business partner, joint marketing coordinator and managing director, in something like that order, for our two companies Square Circle Triangle and Blocks Global. Really it’s a matter of ensuring the work is coming, clients are happy, the business is profitable and prospects are in line with expectations and are able to be funded.

What was your first job?

Busboy at the Chevron Night club. I cleaned up cigarette butts (remember smoke filled clubs?), girls toilets (that was an experience – lots of bits of paper everywhere), carried glasses, stacked fridges and mopped up spew: only once, luckily, before being promoted to god-like status as a barman one night when they were short staffed.

First professional job was as a designer at Harris & Harris design straight from university.

What did you study?

Graphic design at Swinburne School of Design.

Describe a typical day?

Mmmm, depends on the day of the week but it goes something like this.

Corporate traveller – Sydney, (which I have to say I have down to a fine art). Up at 6am, clothes already laid out, 6.15am drive to airport, arrive at 6.47am, into the shuttle and then the lounge for check in by 7am, for a 7.30am flight. I then check email, jump the flight, prepare for meetings, read The Financial Review or The Economist, arrive in Sydney and take the airport train to the city by 9.45am to kick off the day. It is over after the exact reverse trip, replacing The Financial Review with a glass of wine, and finishing at around 8pm.

Working parent – 6.45am(ish) either get up for a mountain bike ride, dog walk or pretend to be asleep for long enough to not have to get up to the kids, which rarely works. As I tend not to see the kids much during waking hours I enjoy a bit of a food fight over breakfast in the morning.

Generally, I try to get to the office by 8.30am, have a coffee (5 Senses from Perth is the preferred mix at present), stand up three times per week when we have a staff huddle to talk about what’s on and how people are tracking for our week, which is Wednesday to Wednesday. We have a weeks review every Wednesday at 4pm, beer and chips in hand. My day, apart from that, is generally a mix of internal, client and new business meetings, with some work from the endless list in Things (my favorite application) in between. Get home ‘round 6.30pm to see the kids, lights out for them at 8.30, then back to my computer to finish up the day ‘round 10.30-11pm.

What is on the agenda for the next year?

On the back of some considerable success with a number of clients in Australia and some exciting new features we are at an exciting junction with Blocks (our hosted marketing platform), with opportunities both here and in the US. We are undergoing some research with the Anderson School of Business at University of California, Los Angeles to help us define opportunities which has also forced us to look at, and clarify our value proposition which is so tough in the content management space.

As a web design and development company Square Circle Triangle is still focused on delivering powerful and accountable web outcomes that capture the value of a brand, and to grow the search engine optimisation, search engine marketing side of the business as well commercialising social media and live search for clients.

So this year is about taking some of our own advice and telling people about what we do (which we have been very poor at), having some fun and capitalising on some open doors.

What brand do you love the most? Dislike the most? Why?

Love – Don’t say Apple, don’t say Apple…APPLE, damn!
Cause I’m surrounded by it, it looks real pretty in the shop and on my desk, the ads make me laugh and it works, most of the time!

Dislike – Well if we are talking visually there is one large Australian public company I think has the worst branding solution I have ever seen for a company regardless of size, but we are also pitching our services to them, so it may be in poor judgement for me to name it.

What do you believe has been the most significant moment in the history of marketing?

Wow nothing like a ‘small’ question huh!

I think it would have to be branding becoming more than a the 2D visual representation of a company on corporate livery to capture the physical and emotional embodiment of what a brand represents. Or, in other words, a true brand experience.

This development is evident in almost every market segment, from car yards to banks. It endeavors to give the consumer a compete brand experience and creates lots more work for architects, interior designers, social media experts and consultants.

Where can people find you?

Well here we go:

Moments with marketers: Rob McKay

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Marketingmag.com.au chats to Rob McKay – general manager, marketing, of Luxottica If you would like to see a certain
marketer profiled, please email your suggestion to Sean Greaney on sean.greaney@niche.com.au.

What do you do?

I’m the group general manager, marketing, of Luxottica. I oversee the implementation of the company’s retail brand strategy over our network of 830 stores across Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Africa. To me, this role is about understanding and defining what the customer needs and helping the organisation deliver products and services to help satisfy these needs. I consider my team to be the representatives of the consumer to our entire organisation.

What was your first job?

There were three ‘first’ jobs: I was ‘chief ghost’ on the ghost train at the Royal Adelaide Show, a cricket coach and I was the owner of my own window cleaning service ‘See Thru Window Cleaning’ in my uni days. My first professional job was an area sales manager for Coca-Cola.

What did you study?

I have a Bachelor of Business Marketing from the University of South Australia and a MBA from the University of Technology Sydney.

Describe a typical day?

I wake up at 5:30am and try to make the first hour of every day my own, which usually includes exercise.

We have a one and a half year old and a two and a half year old who both wake up bright and early at 6:30am. My wife and I juggle duties, with my sign off being a morning cappuccino for Sarah. The early morning goal is to leave for the office by 7:30am.

I like to work directly with people, which often means my day involves a lot of informal meetings. We may catch up with one of our creative agencies or visit one of our stores. I typically schedule work and try as much as possible to have some form of a lunch break in the middle of the day. Every day is about something new and meeting new people and I really enjoy that about my job.

I work from a philosophy, a saying I picked up while living in America: “When you ask a bear to dance you can’t stop dancing ‘til the bear says stop”. In this role, I have asked the bear to dance -– my time is now spent with my team to implement our strategy.

What is on the agenda for the next year?

The primary focus is continuing to drive the change necessary to create a truly customer driven organisation.

What brand do you love the most? Dislike the most? Why?

I love Ray-Ban because it stands for authenticity, expression of the individual and has remained true to this throughout its history. In fact I am an admirer of all our brands at Luxottica – whether retail, or product. It’s an exciting marketing playground. Each of our brands has a strong history and following. It’s understanding what makes these brands great and translating this into today’s marketplace that makes my job the best marketing job around.

What do you believe has been the most significant moment in the history of marketing?

Coca-Cola’s introduction of ‘New Coke’ in the 1980s riveted my attention. It was a bit of a debacle with Coca-Cola introducing a new formula for Coke, followed by the excitement of seeing original Coke returned after Coca-Cola listened to its customers about what they really wanted from the beverage company. It was a learning curve for the company and it has forever taught me that companies may own brand assets but that the true ownership of any brand really lies with the consumer.

Where can people find you?

Moments with marketers: Sal Farrow

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Marketingmag.com.au chats to Sal Farrow – founder of New Media Marketing and freelance consultant. If you would like to see a certain
marketer profiled, please email your suggestion to Sean Greaney on sean.greaney@niche.com.au.

What do you do?

I set up my own marketing consultancy this year, New Media Marketing, after 10 years as a corporate warrior for the likes of NRMA, Optus, AMP, technology and online agencies and various pay TV channels. I still occasionally moonlight as a marketing consultant in the CBD for various corporates also.

I recently moved to the beautiful Southern Highlands of NSW and now gain much inspiration working from a home office looking out across our own park-like backyard completed by trees exploding with blossoms.

What was your first job?

Working at the local bakery in highschool and subsequently recruiting my two closest friends to come and work there…I figured if I had to work, I would make it as fun as possible!

My first professional job was for World Movies, a pay TV channel, in a small tightknit team where everyone pitched in and was exposed to all facets of the business. Being a niche TV channel with a small but loyal customer base, I fell in love with the power of customer loyalty. From there I knew that marketing was that elusive ‘thing’ I wanted to do with my career.

What did you study?

Graphic design then moved into a fine arts degree – painting, drawing, photography and digital media. It was fun, but I worked out pretty quickly by my marks, that I was far better at being conceptually creative, than I was at manually creating fine art.

Describe a typical day?

6-8am – Wake and rumble with the kids, get kid’s breakfast and dressed, make poached eggs and double shot espresso to kick start the day. 

8.30am – Head upstairs to home office and discuss joint ventures or meetings scheduled that day with husband who runs a graphic design business from home office also. Check emails, read industry news and indulge the crazy inner Virgo by writing a prioritised list of the days work activities ahead.

8.30-12.30pm – Client meetings, often at a picturesque vineyard or one of a myriad of groovy little cafés around Bowral. Check through campaign data, clean up client lists and put together stats from various campaigns.  Ghost write client Twitter and Facebook feeds, update their websites and draft a press release or two.

Lunchtime – Get some fresh air outside with the kids for a while before they head off for a nap.

Afternoons – Design HTML email templates (yep, studying graphic design at uni did come in handy), write a set of variable campaign messages for upcoming campaigns and finish off all the top priority items on the list.

5.30pm – Head downstairs for some crazy games and run around the garden with the kids, collect kindling ready to set the open fire. Discover to our horror that we have run out of wine -– make a quick dash into town and grab some, then remember to buy milk on the way home.

7pm – Dinner, bath and bed for the kids, then crack open a bottle of red for a few glasses by the open fire.

Hang out with hubby solving the world’s problems, discussing business ideas, laughing at how funny the kids have been, sneak in a bit of TV or head back to the office for a few hours work to get ahead for the next day.

Big cup of tea and congratulate myself if it is before 12pm that I hop into bed…

What is on the agenda for the next year?

Continue to build my client base, grow the businesses of my current clients, help friends and family get businesses up and running and possibly squeeze in a long overdue trip to the USA to see friends.

What brand do you love the most? Dislike the most? Why?

I believe simplicity is the key to a good brand, so Apple would have to be the class leader in that field at the moment. They have a simple colour palette, simple advertisements, a simple operating system, simple plug and play products – all of which mask very complex technology. I love the concept that once something is simple for a user find ways to make it simpler again.

As a parent, I would sadly have to say that [the brand I dislike most] is The Wiggles (sorry guys). Must they bombard every aisle of the supermarket with their products!

What do you believe has been the most significant moment in the history of marketing?

I would have to say the development of email as a DM delivery mechanism. Plus it has certainly saved a lot of trees from the fate of being formed into an intricately crafted DM Pack with sliding panels and spot varnish!

Where can people find you?

Moments with marketers: Nick Bolton

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Marketingmag.com.au chats to Nick Bolton – head of marketing at Viocorp. If you
would
like to see a certain
marketer profiled, please email your suggestion to Kate Kendall, online
editor, on kate.kendall@niche.com.au.

What do you do?

According to the business card, I am head of marketing at Viocorp, though should really be suffixed with ( aka sales aka occasional producer aka general manager, Melbourne.)

What was your first job?

First job was the good old newspaper round. I used to love the quiet at that time (but maybe not the cold!). First professional job was as a marketing assistant for a pharmco, marketing/selling among other things energy tablet drinks to students. Didn’t work but did make your wee go bright red! Didn’t enjoy it really but got to hang out at university bars for another three years.

What did you study?

Combined studies in marketing, law and accountancy. Found Law too unfair and accountancy too boring and failed miserably. Loved the marketing degree bit and did really well though. Taught me a lesson to do what you love and results/happiness will come. Geez I sound some like wanky new-age guru.

Describe a typical day?

Well my flatmate calls me the energiser bunny. Being stuck behind a desk is not for me. Usually a breakfast meeting and then out all day. Try to walk around Sydney if I can. During the week Im always out at gigs, the theatre or cinema. And Ive got football training in the winter. Usually involved in some acting rehearsals for some film or theatre project (my other life). Rarely in before 11pm most nights. I don’t get how people can sit in front of the TV all night. So boring, especially with the drivel on Australian TV. Much rather be at the pub or restaurant having a yarn and a slurp.

What is on the agenda for 2009-2010?

Well on 1 August I moved to Melbourne to set up the new Viocorp office, servicing the sudden influx of Melbourne clients, sourcing new clients, building our brand and looking for account managers. Online video is taking off, and the impending National Broadband Network will significantly help our business.

What brand do you love the most? Hate the most? Why?

Love: Paul Smith – every time I go back to London, I always treat myself at the Floral Street store in Covent Garden, London. It represents a throwback to what England was – before it lost its soul. It’s all class and quality yet got a humour about it.

Hate: Gillette – its sooooo American. So arrogant. So full of itself. So monopolistic.

What do you believe has been the most significant moment in the history of marketing?

I suppose I should say the browser or the media player! It’s all the same principle really, just through new, evolving and admittedly very exciting digital channels. Mark Neely once simplified it really well: its just selling more, to more people, more often, at more margin.

Where can people find you?

Moments with marketers: Alex Wilson

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Marketingmag.com.au chats to Alex Wilson – marketing manager at Wiliam. If you
would
like to see a certain
marketer profiled, please email your suggestion to Kate Kendall, online
editor, on kate.kendall@niche.com.au.

What do you do?

Marketing manager at Wiliam – a tier-one player in the
web design and development space. I head up the online marketing department and
look to find ways for clients to maximise their ROI on their website.

I also founded SavingsGuide.com.au, a
successful website targeting the niche market of saving money and personal
finance management.

What was your first job?

My first legitimate job was working at ToysRUs throughout high school, I was in charge of ‘animal alley’ specialising in the placement of soft toys.

First professional job was as a contractor for numerous companies in the ebusiness space, ranging from HSBC International to an SEO company in Australia.

What did you study?

After finishing school I studied a Bachelor of Communications, specialising in Information Management at UTS. Some confuse this with IT, but it is more so the study of how to provide information services to others and manage the needs and dissemination of information within corporate environments.

Now I am once again back at university, working towards a Masters of Business Marketing at UTS part time.

Describe a typical day?

6am: Get up and get moving. I tend to pretty much jump in the shower and turn some music on. Music gets me motivated in the morning.

7am: Leave for work either by train or car. I use this time to check emails, gather my thoughts and list five things I must get done for the day (I am big on lists).

8am: Arrive at Wiliam. Email sorting for an hour and following up on internal initiatives and my list.

9am-12pm: Business as usual, working with clients on their online marketing strategy. This can range from social media, SEO, SEM, viral marketing, display advertising and other forms of online marketing.

12-1pm: Grab some lunch, sit at my desk and catch up on the news. I also use this time to manage SavingsGuide.com.au – ranging from writing new content, approving comments, PR and media replies and actively pursuing coverage within the press.

1-6pm: Back to work, following up on strategy proposals, working with the search team here at Wiliam and attending meetings with potential clients to explain our strategy process.

6pm-12am: I am a night owl. I work hard on my own projects, night after night and find myself full of adrenalin and unable to sleep with excitement.

What is on the agenda for the next year?

The coming year holds a number of agenda items for both Wiliam and SavingsGuide.com.au.

At Wiliam, we have been making category-leading websites for over 10 years that are both commercially successful and heavily marketing oriented. I will be looking at formalising our market position to show people that we are much more than web development firm – we are also a fully capable online marketing agency.

On the Savings Guide front, I am expanding further into Asia pacific with a heavy focus on expatriate countries like Singapore and Malaysia. New Zealand is also a very prominent focus. Savings Guide offers a rather unique market position, it allows for blogging and discussion around any topics pertaining to personal finance, meaning the list is endless.

What brand do you love the most? Dislike the most? Why?

This is quite a broad question. I like the idea of personal branding on the internet these days, so would have to say a person I respect and admire for creating such a strong brand is Jeremy Schoemaker, aka ShoeMoney. He is an internet marketing genius – the techniques you and I have only recently started using, he has been doing for years.

What do you believe has been the most significant moment in the history of marketing?

The introduction of ecommerce – though it dates back to 1970, it has really come into its own in the past five years. I marvel at the idea of businesses turning over seven to eight figures with simple ecommerce solutions.

Where can people find you?

Moments with marketers: Janina Geraghty

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Marketingmag.com.au chats to Janina Geraghty – marketing and web coordinator at the Paul Wakeling Motor Group. If you
would
like to see a certain
marketer profiled, please email your suggestion to Kate Kendall, online
editor, on kate.kendall@niche.com.au.

1. What do you do?

I’m the marketing and web coordinator at the Paul Wakeling Motor Group. The Group incorporates three locations, 12 new and four used car dealerships and three service and parts centres. I report directly to the managing director and my job description includes coordinating advertising, organising events, website maintenance, social media marketing, creating newsletters, direct mail, promotional material, CRM and the list goes on and on.

2. What was your first job?

As soon as I was old enough, I got a part-time job as a ‘check-out chick’ at the local Kmart. My sister got a job at Cut-Price Deli next door and I remember her being furious as she watched me fall asleep at my register while she slaved away slicing, wrapping and cleaning for almost half my wage.

When I left school I hit the big city and got a clerical job at an insurance company. I worked in the insurance industry for most of my career between having babies.

3. What did you study?

I completed my Associateship of the Australian Insurance Institute while I was expecting my first child, did a couple of short courses at TAFE, but it has only been recently that I have become seriously interested in further education. I started a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) degree at UNE last year, studying part-time by distance education. It’s not easy getting back into study, but I’m not putting any unnecessary pressure on myself.

Although I’m enjoying formal study and see the value in it – I’d have to say I’ve learnt a lot looking over people’s shoulders, reading, asking lots of stupid questions and making mistakes.

4. Describe a typical day?

My day starts about half an hour after my alarm has gone off, then its full steam ahead. I get myself and my four school-aged kids ready, stop them from killing each other in the car and deliver them to school (roughly) on time.

After checking the backseat to make sure I haven’t forgotten anyone, I proceed to work.

Once in my office, I check my emails, news, analytics and manufacturer programs over a coffee before tackling whatever the day and inbox brings. A lot of my time is spent online maintaining our sites and accounts on social networks as well as liaising with our advertising agency. There’s always something on the go, whether it be the opening of a new showroom, launch of a new car or our Wakeling’s Women on Wheels program that keeps me occupied.

After work, I go home to dinner my husband has cooked (I don’t like cooking!). We still manage to eat dinner together at the table with no TV as it’s probably the only time we are all together. Following dinner the evenings can vary from watching TV, playing Wii with the kids, studying or hanging out in the kitchen with my husband as well as some housework and preparing for the next day. Naturally I’ll be tweeting in between and usually right up till I go to sleep thanks to my beloved iPhone.

5. What is on the agenda for the next year?

Personally, as well as my studies, I want to write more. I have been doing car reviews for Autochic.com.au, which I have enjoyed immensely and am about to start my own blog.

Professionally I am excited about managing the redevelopment of the group website as well as a few other upcoming projects. Despite the economic climate and negativity in the media, this really is an exciting time for the auto industry.

6. What brand do you love the most? Dislike the most? Why?

Working in a dealership you work with a lot of wonderful big car brands. My favourite brand is Holden. I admire that the brand has entrenched itself in the Australian way of life. Just as you can identify yourself as either a Vegemite or peanut-butter household, regardless of what brand car you own, you are either a Holden or Ford person. The loyalty to the brand here has not wavered despite the troubles of its parent company General Motors in the US and the slowing economy.

The brand I can’t stand at the moment is the Advanced Medical Institute (AMI) and their nasal spray technology. If it weren’t for their tacky prime-time radio ads, I wouldn’t have my six-year-old asking me to explain premature ejaculation!

7. What do you believe has been the most significant moment in the history of marketing?

I believe the current GFC is changing marketing forever. As budgets tighten around the world, no sector is feeling it like marketing and advertising and it has been a huge wake up call to those agencies that have been banking on the co-dependence of business to traditional media. The sudden rush to social media as the cheap alternative to reach customers online has forced companies to re-evaluate strategies and the way they communicate with their audience. They have to start engaging and listening again. The GFC is a cleansing for the industry and reminder of what comes first, the customer.

8. Where can people find you?