True story
I kid you not.
When I started out in advertising some years ago, I met a woman who would change my life - Win Offland.
She was my mentor and provided guidance and sage advice to us female rookies.
She often told her own story.
She was working as a secretary for one of the leading ad agencies and was called into a ‘big’ meeting with some super senior cheeses. It was a ‘TV’ meeting (reverent, hushed tones).
She entered the room excitedly, full of hope and expectation.
Were they seeking her opinion on a thorny strategic or creative issue? Did these elite, all-male denizens of North West advertising need a female perspective? Was this to be the start of an illustrious career path in TV advertising?
You guessed it. None of the above.
The best brains in the business couldn’t get the TV to work.
In spite of this inauspicious ‘start’, Win became the country’s first female TV buyer and was later made head of TV reaching the position of Chairman of the North’s largest, most successful agency.
And that, my friends, is a true story.
Why am I sharing it with you?
She achieved this ground-breaking trajectory by her talent, tenacity, hard work and by being herself.
Whilst ‘TV advertising’ is Mad Men-fuelled naustalgia to many of us in digital marketing we all still stand or fall by those same tenets.
Professionalism, the quality of the outcome and our ability to develop relationships based on trust.
And those are the tenets that are at my professional core.
Cheers Win.
If you’re interested - my professional story
After a degree in English and History and messing about for a few years, I started out client side working in theatre marketing. As great as this was, it barely paid the bills and I went over to the ‘dark side’ in agency land.
I have worked in a few of the best agencies including McCann Erickson, TEQUILA\ and TBWA\ mainly in client service. This exposed me to some great people both sides of the agency:client spectrum and some amazing brands.
I moved through the ranks from account manager to CSD and, years later as MD of digital agency, Brew.
I started off as a generalist - as you do - but later specialised in customer relationship marketing - CRM. And finally - as all of us must - in digital marketing.
There is close correlation between the two. They both are driven by a close understanding of the customer, their ‘journeys’ and data. Testing, learning and refining. In short, CRM is a great training ground for effective digital. They are both ‘accountable’ disciplines and that’s a good thing.
Not a particularly riveting story, I grant you, but it means that I have the experience and depth of knowledge to help you succeed with your marketing challenges.
