Changing Faces: Assistant Brand Manager

First thing’s first, how was your childhood?

I was born in the eastern cape but moved to PTA at the age of 5, I’m the first born of 4 ( we were 3 for most of my life) and I generally had a very normal, unexciting childhood. Then my parents got divorced in my grade 11 year…. That’s a whole different post!!!

What do you now?

I’m currently an Assistant Brand Manager at a multinational.

What did you study and are you using it at all in your current role?

I double majored in Marketing and Business Management and went on to do my honours in Marketing. Yes, for the greater part, most of the content we were taught at school we utilise in one way or the other within marketing

How long have you been working and what do you miss about student life? 

I’m pushing five years now, going on 100million…. I miss long holidays, and pocket money. I miss only having to worry about work during exam season, I miss partying 7 days a week.

How is your typical work day?

I get to the office and generally get to it, most days start with me checking mails from agencies to see if reverts have been sent, then I’ll debrief and send back for further fixing, lots of meetings, with prospective agencies pitching for business or our current agencies giving us status on what the next week holds or internal stakeholders on campaign progress. I work closely with my digital and PR agencies to field content opportunities, so I’m constantly tracking what trends are within my target market and then brief my PR/Digital team on reactive responses. The late afternoons are then dedicated to processing payments (the bane of my existence) and working on feedback presentations I have to prepare for my greater team.

Three tips for people keen to join your line of work?

You definitely need to become a person who can work a room, perception and reputation is everything in marketing (sometimes I feel its valued far greater than work ethic). The political game is a real one, and in corporate, however much we hate to admit it, if you don’t play it, one way or another, you will be let on the back foot

 Be flexible: don’t get comfortable in knowing 1 aspect of something or 1 thing. This field is forever changing, and you need to as well. I speak from experience, when I first got into marketing, I wasn’t sure which stream I’d end up on, Through the line, comms or sales … I am currently in a role that does ALL of that, the flexible spirit, that is comfortable ( to an extent) with change and movement will thrive in this space

LEARN, LEARN, LEARN- read marketing blogs, forums, trends, ask to be included in forums that may not necessarily directly influence your work, well rounded people make better more informed decisions- this is a big weakness of mine, I suffer from ‘ihatereadingacorporatebookasitis’.

Lastly, do you encounter any challenges that specifically come with being a young black woman in corporate SA?

So my challenges are twin-fold. I’m a black woman … and I’m a new mommy… the two most dangerous things to be in corporate SA.

Black female representation is limited in corporate SA, and in my company, while there is a black director, you almost get a sense that her placement is more political than legitimate, that’s a big problem, and as woman we should be wary of being placed merely because we are black females- I hate the notion of ‘being a NON DECISION MAKING director. We all know them, they are always called to speak at functions but you can’t quite place what she does. So while many women are deserving, they do not get the full ambit of responsibility and decision making they are entitled to.

Being a mother in corporate is another challenge altogether. You are almost viewed as handicapped when you return to work, and while it’s subtle, the treatment of women who choose to start families, is different. You almost have to prove yourself doubly….story of our lives.