Marketing? How did I end up doing it?

I was told at university that marketing is an ambidextrous subject – it requires both creative and practical applications and I agree. It’s probably why marketing was such a good fit for me. Though I promise you it took me a long time to work that out!

I am a natural communicator. When I left school everyone thought I was going drama school. Instead I followed my other passion and became a horse riding instructor and I accidentally became a freelance marketer (I just didn’t know that – I think I said I worked in promotions if anyone asked but I didn’t really have a title as such).

I have always found it a pleasure to talk to people. I rarely come back from an event or outing without making enough of a friend out of stranger that I follow up and connect with them on social media.

I have also been a strong writer which in the marketing world translates into a strong copywriter. From plays to marketing strategy, from poetry to slogans I am good with the words me!

I also love learning and am a quick learner too so new apps, technology etc are some of my favourite things to play with!

This got me lots of freelance work when I first entered the working world – social media had just kinda started being used for thing other than connecting with people socially and I got loads of fun creative opportunities that I am forever grateful for. Whether that was making up an e-zine so I could get into gigs for free (which actually took off – another day, another story) and promoting the arts, gigs, performers and events both on and offline. I even won a free place on a short film course at a film school which I really enjoyed.

However, despite the number of people telling me to, I never considered marketing and probably couldn’t have told you what it was. I considered myself a quirky creative that was lucky enough to get paid for it. I also worked with horses and competed and didn’t want to give that up!

A few years later I ended up injured and needed to take a break from the equestrian world to recover and found myself in Scotland (again – another day, another story). I had no idea what to do with my life without horses / my London contacts to continue to freelance so I was a bit lost.

Luckily, there was a scheme to help young people (shut up – I still counted then as I was under 25) find careers. There I met a lady who was lovely (and I am still friends with her to this day) and again she said I should consider marketing and got me an interview and a job in an advertising company.

Sadly, I started in sales and I HATED it. I loved the people I worked with and talking to people but selling day and day out made me feel rotten. However, I had seen behind the curtain and I decided that I wanted to be the guy I sat opposite who got to work on the plans and creative stuff. It was what I had been doing in London before but with plans and research. He was supportive and always showed me projects he was working on and after a few months my mind was made up. I explained this to my boss that the role I was in wasn’t for me but working there had inspired me. He was lovely when I left and said ‘I hope we never have to compete with you’.

A few seconds of kindness have stayed with me for many years.

Then I got distracted because someone offered me the chance to travel to New Zealand, followed by a horse-related job offer in Africa, neither of which I could say no to. However, in the back of my mind I was scared of getting injured and finding myself lost again so as the contract came to an end I applied to study marketing at university. I didn’t want entry level positions, or crappy sales jobs or to start a the bottom – I knew the job I wanted. The same one I had had before but levelled up. University gave me the opportunity to learn how to apply my creativity in a strategic way. How to understand different sectors and how my creativity can be used in it.

And I made it. An accidental 6+ year of experience before my degree, 4 years of an honours degree and 7 more years of freelancing and work and I still love it.

I love to write, I love to draw, I love music, I love art, I love to sing loudly and badly, I love to learn new things all the time, I love stories, I love my imagination. These all make me a good marketer.

I also love to be strategic, I love researching, I love data, I love problem solving, I love statistics, I love evidence and I love analysis. These all make me a good marketer too.

Enjoying both sides is probably why I enjoy marketing so much!