Our Global Director of Social Media takes this month’s 5 Questions hot seat to discuss brutal honesty, restaurant guides, and abseiling down Scottish castles…
1. If you could relive one day in your career, what would it be..
It would be the day I quit my job to start my own business. Was it scary? Yes! Did it pay off? Yes! Did the business ultimate fail? Yes! But do I regret it? Not one bit. It was one of the biggest learning experiences I’ve had and I’m still so proud of taking the plunge. I learned that it’s ok to fail, as long as it means you don’t have any regrets. And you really do have to fail at something to get that perspective. It might sound a funny one to pick, but that’s the day I would encourage myself to relive over and over again.
2. …and what’s the day that still gives you nightmares?
I’d say the day I was persuaded by two ex-Royal Marines to abseil down a Scottish castle! When I worked at Johnnie Walker, it was part of the brand onboarding – you’d have an immersive experience to bring the brand purpose of ‘inspiring personal progress’ to life. It was amazing – and maybe it’s similar to the first question in that ultimately it turned out to be a highlight – but the thought of doing it still genuinely gives me nightmares today!…
3. Who gave you the piece of advice you still live by, and what was it?
When I was in the Mindshare team as Planning Director on Nike, my boss at the time kept going on about how much he loved my ‘brutal honesty’. So much so, it kind of became his ‘thing’ – and started to really annoy me if I’m (brutally) honest. And though it wasn’t necessarily advice, it has stuck with me, and in retrospect, I realise he was clearly championing it and encouraging me to not shy away from it.
When your career ebbs and flows and you have good and bad days, sometimes you can question whether something that’s inherently you is actually ok. But he was encouraging me to stick with it, and because it’s such an important part of me, I really value that.
I think it just goes to show that advice can come in many forms, even if you aren’t aware or receptive to it at the time, we’re being shaped by our experiences every day in some way.
4. What piece of work created by someone else are you truly jealous of?
I’m going to take us back to 1900 for it.
When I was first getting into the branded content field, I remember hearing about the Michelin Guide and finding it so inspiring. It is what many consider the first example of branded content, and was created by Michelin to sell more tyres – give people a reason to get out and explore by visiting restaurants, and they’ll drive more in the process.
In 1926 the first restaurant ratings appeared in the guide, and in 1931 they introduced the famous 3-star system. So in 30 years they evolved it to where it is today, and in the following 100 years it’s stayed as relevant as ever. It’s a brilliant example of Cultural Endurance!
5. What’s your elevator pitch for people getting into the industry for the first time?
Working in social media in particular is amazing, because in what other career can you go in as a junior and instantly be seen an expert? You’re going to have people far more senior than you looking to you to tell them what’s going on in social. I think that’s such a beautiful experience for somebody starting out to embrace – you’re immediately joining as a hugely pivotal part of the team!