What does it actually mean to be an Associate Marketing Director?

My job is to get content to the end user. I come up with crazy ideas and execute them via digital and traditional marketing activities. I am continually monitoring data, trends and the industry so that I can improve our customer experience and provide our users with the latest and most relevant content.

How did you get into it?

The creativity, psychology and strategy behind marketing has always excited me. Apart from marketing and food, I’ve always loved reading, and the idea of connecting people who create content with people who need that content meant that publishing was always the natural fit.

I was adamant that I would have a job in publishing fresh out of university and have been lucky enough to work in the industry (predominantly) since graduating in 2014. I did make the mistake of taking a job in insurance a few years ago – let’s just say that marketing numbers is nowhere near as invigorating as marketing magazines and journals!

What do you love most about your job?

We’re a diverse bunch of thinkers: I’m a digital marketer, brand strategist, data analyst and have to deliver on all things subscriptions, user behaviour, insight, content, CRM, UX and PR. It’s a lot but we share our knowledge and foster a culture of curiosity and mutual support to provide the best service to our customers, and also to develop our skills as forward-thinking marketers.

At the moment I’m particularly enjoying how the delivery of content is shifting to meet the varying needs of end users and how they choose to consume content. It’s no longer only magazines and journals but events, video, AR, podcasts, social media, email, community sites, and then the real fun starts – we analyse all these different mediums so we can continue to optimise the delivery of our content.

What’s currently inspiring you at work?

I know this is an opportunity for me to say how great the people I work with are (and they really are) but as a marketer, I’m inspired by data! What you can do with it, what you can learn from it, and how it can be turned into actionable outcomes based on evidence – the opportunities are endless. Can you tell I’m a very proud data evangelist?

What’s happened since you were named one of the PPA 30 Under 30 in 2021?

Receiving recognition from the PPA for my work in marketing has been amazing and opened so many doors professionally. I’ve been able to deliver sessions on marketing best practice in publishing, met so many inspiring industry leaders, and I was promoted shortly after receiving the award – it’s been a great year!

How would you recommend our sector to someone at school/college thinking about what to do next?

Come and join the fun!

It’s an industry where we encourage risk taking and testing so that we can learn often from mistakes and optimise every output.

No two days are the same and you must be prepared to adapt and learn as publishing is constantly changing. Ultimately, you’ve got to be a team player – putting together a publication involves lots of different teams and stakeholders who are all experts that you can learn from to develop your career further.

What magazine titles did you read when you were younger?

My mum’s copy of Vogue – I was part diva and part nerd and loved Marvel comics too!

Other than the title you work for, what’s your current magazine content go-to and why?

There are so many… Campaign magazine, Insider, Pink News, Marketing Week, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal and The Athletic. These companies continue to effect real change in the publishing industry by leading from the front with innovative initiatives and leaders such as Sinead Bunting, Spriha Srivastava and Gideon Spanier to name a few!