Feature: Where are you now?

Each Month we catch up with one of last years ISP diploma graduates…Sara Gibbs now works at The Marketing Store.

Where are you currently working?

The Marketing Store – I work on the McDonald’s European Family Marketing account.

What was the last campaign that you worked on?

The 2007 Pan-European McDonald’s Birthday Party Programme.

What was your favourite campaign to work on in the last year and why?

I really enjoyed working on the 2007 Birthday Party Programme as it involved reviewing the birthday parties on offer in over 30 European countries, understanding the individual market needs and coming up with one solution that satisfied all. The programme encompassed a range of techniques, from thematics and print designs to product (gifts) and even an on-line element. It’s not often you get to think about parties all day long at work!

What would be your ideal brand to work with and why?

Orange – I’m a big film fan and I really like the way that Orange have made the brand synonymous with film through cinema advertising, cinema offers (Orange Wednesdays) and sponsorship of the BAFTAs.

You can pick any celebrity to endorse this brand…who will it be?

To continue the film theme, I’d choose an iconic director like Scorsese or Tarantino.

What was the best advice you have been given in the past year?

To trust my instincts.

What types of media do you find most effective?

For me, personalisation is key and I’m likely to pay the most attention to media I have chosen to access rather than mass marketing aimed at the entire consumer population.

What do you think will be one of the biggest changes in sales promotion over the next 5 years?

I think that sales promotion is already undergoing a major change as digital media becomes more and more integrated into people’s lives, and brands are finding that they need to take a more digital and interactive approach in order to stay relevant and reach their target audiences. I think that sales promotion techniques will evolve to have a greater degree of flexibility and the ability to be personalised to individual consumers in order to resonate with people and maintain the brand authenticity.

What is the most valuable thing you learnt from the course?

I was new to the Sales Promotion industry when I took the course, so it gave me a good understanding of the different types of promotional marketing and how to devise, manage and execute them well.

Things I like / Don’t like

Pub/Bar:

Like – I love a little restaurant/bar in Soho called Kaslik – after you’ve eaten, you can just stay there drinking for the rest of the night!

Don’t like – Cheap chain pubs with no atmosphere.

Reality TV program:

Like – I’m a Celebrity

Don’t like – Big Brother

Childhood memory:

Like – Going to America when I was eight – I was so excited on the plane I spilled my coke on my Mum’s skirt!

Don’t like – I was on a school ski trip when I decided to get off the button ski lift a bit too early – I slid backwards down the mountain, then fell over and spent five minutes struggling to get up with some shred of dignity while everyone on the lift behind me watched!

Things about work:

Like – The great people.

Don’t like – Having to get up early to go there!

Weekends:

Like – Going out for dinner and lots of cocktails with the girls and then sleeping late the next morning.

Don’t like – Having to do all the chores I didn’t do during the week!