Stella Forde chats to CMA judges about their career highlights and what makes them tick
Holly Waters-Marsh – Founder, Urban Fox Marketing
What has been the most exciting project or campaign you’ve worked on so far in your career?
It’s too difficult to pick one, there have been so many! Early on in my career, I worked at Saint-Gobain Glass on a multi-channel campaign to launch an energy efficient product to the market, which was my first experience of marketing through TV and radio. The next one that springs to mind was the introduction of an Italian designer range into a high-end door product category. I loved working with the supplier’s factory over in Bologna and the showroom in Milan, to introduce and manage a product range and create a joint marketing campaign. Finally, Chelsea Flower Show was the latest exciting project, in which I was introduced to the world of landscaping. Managing a campaign to raise brand awareness and ultimately manage the week-long event was a great way to demonstrate my project management skills.
How has being trilingual supported your career in Marketing?
It has certainly opened up doors for me through, not only being able to connect with stakeholders directly, but also becoming knowledgeable of other cultures and new ways of working. It has meant I have been able to live and work in other countries, such as France and Germany, which has given me great experience and insight for managing international projects.
Have you had the opportunity to travel with your work?
Travel is one of my favourite parts of the job. Throughout my career I’ve always travelled across Europe and in one role, also had regular visits to China, in order to carry out product development. Within Europe, I’ve travelled regularly to Head offices in Paris, showrooms in Milan or trade shows across Germany. More recently, the Netherlands and Belgium have been the main markets I have targeted, often visiting customers there.
Do you feel anything positive has happened for the Marketing sector because of the pandemic?
I believe that it reinforced the value of seeing people face to face and of being able to connect on that level. As marketers, we’re social creatures and meeting people is important to create and maintain relationships. That being said, the ease of being able to jump on a Zoom or Teams call to move projects along, has given us the ability to find that balance and manage our time more efficiently and effectively. From a digital marketing perspective as well, it has allowed/forced a sprint in the digitalisation of campaigns, allowing for much deeper analysis of activities and giving the agility to change the approach when needed, to achieve results.
What is your next career challenge?
Introducing Urban Fox Marketing! My next, very exciting, challenge is launching my marketing consultancy, focused on the built environment. Offering a range of services from integrated marketing strategy and market research to project management, it is a culmination of my knowledge, experience and passion to succeed. Sustainable thinking must now be at the heart of any strategy, which also aligns with the values of this consultancy. Ultimately, Urban Fox Marketing provides clever thinking and agile solutions to my clients to outsmart their competition.
