Feature: Where are you now?

Each month we catch up with a recent ISP diploma graduate. This month we speak to Alistair Niven.

Where are you currently working?

SMP Ltd. (Simpson Mahoney Parrock) as part of the SanDisk International Channel Marketing team.

What was the last SP campaign that you worked on?

‘Vinci con SanDisk’ (Win with SanDisk), a Free Prize Draw promotion run in Italy themed around the Winter Olympics in February 2006.

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

Perhaps ironically, in the past year my role on the SanDisk team has shifted to focus on in-store merchandising and POS communication projects. As such I haven’t been working on Sales Promotion campaigns.

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

Play.com – I love these guys and they are at the top of their game right now. Play can offer marketers a range of disciplines to work with including SP, DM and digital media and that’s something that would really interest me.

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

I’d be looking for a renowned British actor/actress with a long history in movies, perhaps Sir Ian McKellen or Sir Peter O’Toole. The campaign would invite consumers to enjoy the actor’s best performances with Play.com.

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

Get a good night’s sleep. Things are always better in the morning.

What types of media do you find most effective?

Bias from my past year’s experience aside, I feel that POS media is the most effective. ATL communications tend to dissolve into the ether when you’re in-store, faced with the task of purchasing 1 out of 10 different brands of the same product. Point of purchase is the last chance brands get to influence a consumer’s buying decision, so added value campaigns communicated via POS are an excellent way of promoting loyalty or conversion (depending on the objectives) and securing that purchase.

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

The increase in consumer spending on-line. Christmas 2006 put a huge dent in high street retail because of increased consumer shopping online. As an industry I think marketers are going to have to start innovating and investing in new digital media to promote brand interaction online they way we currently do in-store.

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

The variations in promotional legality between different European countries and how to generate Ts & Cs accordingly.

Things I like / Don’t like

Pub/Bar:

Like – A nice cold pint in a sunny beer garden Don’t like – Queuing behind tall people at the bar of a dingy, smoky pub

Reality TV program:

Like – Nothing about them Don’t like – Everything about them

Childhood memory:

Like – Saturday Morning Cartoons Don’t like - Homework

Things about work:

Like – My colleagues and team Don’t like – Unrealistic deadlines

Weekends:

Like – Lie-ins Don’t like – Sunday nights