Marketing Manager at giffgaff
Tom Holmes, creativebrief Founder & Chairman, talks to Alison Esposti, Head of Acquisition at giffgaff and Marketing Academy 2011 alumnus.
Upon completing a degree in International Marketing Management at Bournemouth, Alison began her marketing career in the SME sector. She spent the first few years working across a diverse range of brands and businesses learning early on to never underestimate the influence of an organisation’s ownership structure.
After a brief stint agency-side at a partnership marketing agency she quickly realised client side was where she was best suited, able to get under the skin of a brand and input into strategic decision-making. These were the aspects of marketing she enjoyed most.
Her last SME role saw her heading up the global marketing function for premium hi-fi brand Naim Audio where she had full responsibility for channel marketing, brand development and product marketing.
In 2011 Alison was awarded one of 30 scholarships to The Marketing Academy. The experience really shaped her approach to leadership exposing her to an incredible network of talented marketers and opening up her mind and eyes to the future marketing leader she wanted to become.
Alison moved to giffgaff to head up the acquisition team in late 2012. She says “It’s a highly commercial and fast-paced role, which is both challenging and rewarding – depending on how you’re faring versus target that month of course. After years of working alongside sales teams, it’s fun to sit on that side of the fence for a while.”
Alison Esposti: I studied languages at ‘A’ level and had always thought I would follow a career that used them. When it came to choose my degree course I found one that gave me a sensible business discipline (marketing) but allowed me to continue my language studies. My heart and head were both satisfied. In the first term I realised that I was genuinely interested in marketing, that interest then turned into a passion and the rest is history. Nowadays you’ll find me on my holidays by the pool with a marketing text book and a highlighter. My idea of holiday heaven is having made my way through a hardback containing multiple marketing models.
Alison Esposti: In my mind it’s passion. I always have to be 100% interested in what I am doing. It has to elicit an emotional connection for me. If I don’t have genuine passion for the organisation or the product I’m marketing I can’t give it my all. Being a grafter with grit goes a long way too. If you’re determined to succeed and prepared to put in the hard work you’re half way there.
Alison Esposti: I don’t know you find it that often; however I have met some really talented marketers through my involvement with the Marketing Academy. I was fortunate to be selected for a scholarship in 2011. Of course my fellow scholars all have grit and passion in bucket loads. In terms of people who stand out, I hold Bryn Snelson, formerly at eHarmony now at Sport Pursuit as a shining example. He’s shown me how following your heart can lead to even greater business success. Sarah Ellis at Sainsbury’s is also a brilliant marketer who constantly proves if you set your mind to something you can pull it off – she always reminds me to keep striving and I will get there.
Alison Esposti: Pace and fragmentation. You have to be up to date on everything straight away and nothing is in just one place anymore, be that information or consumers. Step away from your twitter feed for a moment and the world and the consumer’s view on it will have changed already. Valuable insights have a shorter shelf-life so the need to act on them is accelerated. Being an agile organisation is essential to win these days. It’s exhausting, but also means you have to be ruthless in your prioritisation otherwise you’ll get sucked under trying to stay on top of it all.
Alison Esposti: It is a challenge. At giffgaff we like to be innovative and we operate in such a competitive space that it would be easy to chase every innovation you come across because that could be the one that gives you the edge. It’s difficult to pull yourself back to focus on your priorities when something new and exciting appears in your inbox. Generally we keep abreast of new technologies and we explore opportunities.
Alison Esposti: We’re fortunate that our agencies challenge us around innovation. They’re knowledgeable and push us to keep trying new things. Our role is to rein them in if they veer too far away from our focus and ensure we deliver our remit whilst still remaining creative and innovative. It’s a balancing act that’s not easy.
Alison Esposti: Well mine and my agencies’ remit is pretty transparent. It’s all about the results we deliver. If we’re not on target then I’m not getting the best from them, but in addition to that if I feel they’re engaged and passionate about what we do, if I leave a meeting feeling on a high that we’ve cracked something, then whatever we’re doing is probably working.
Alison Esposti: I remember in my last role I was proud when a sub-brand, that I’d created and taken to market, reached the milestone of representing 20% of the organisation’s total sales. To see something you’ve brought to life go on to thrive felt pretty good. More recently I’ve been pleased that my team have been delivering some great results in a market that is extremely competitive. I know the work that goes on behind the scenes, there’s some very innovative thinking going on and seeing our ideas get put into practice and deliver real results makes me very proud of my team – and that’s both my direct reports and the agencies we work with.
Alison Esposti: Listening and understanding where other teams and departments are coming from. I really believe in seeking first to understand. I’ve seen colleagues in the past blaze straight into situations and end up with unnecessary challenges down the line. Had they really understood the situation they were in, these could have been avoided. If you really understand what challenges finance are facing, their priorities and how you can help them, you’ll be looked upon a lot more favourably for a start, but they’ll also return the favour. I think the key to raising the profile, and also the credibility, of marketing, is to always genuinely look for the win-win. We’re all on the same team; we want our brands and businesses to be successful. We just look at how that happens through different lenses. If you can understand how someone in a different team sees a situation then you’ll have a better chance of working with them, and improving your profile and that of your team’s in the process.
Alison Esposti: I’m definitely a generalist. My background has meant I’ve always dipped my toe into lots of pools, and I think it makes me a better-rounded marketer as I have a whole-business understanding and appreciation. I’ve always worked closely with R&D, sales, ops, finance. In a specialist role, you might not get that level of exposure so early on in your career. Having said that I probably haven’t developed as deep an understanding of the different disciplines I have worked across as a specialist would have. It’s very much a trade-off. For a while I probably struggled with whether going generalist versus specialist was the right path to take, however I am where I am today. I think whichever route you take, at some point you’re going to end up in a leadership position and need to have a broad understanding of your team’s role. At the end of the day leading a marketing function is about having a clear vision of where you’re going and you need to know where to find the right specialists to help you get there.
creativebrief partner the Marketing Academy is a non-profit organisation which provides a unique forum for industry leaders, marketing gurus, entrepreneurs and inspirational people volunteer their time to inspire, develop and coach the next generation of future leaders. The Marketing Academy gift a maximum of 30 ‘Scholarships’ each year to the fastest rising stars in the marketing, advertising and communications industries. A team of high profile mentors and coaches develop these stars through a process of mentoring, coaching, networking and personalised learning. 86 mentors, 30 Coaches, 20 Judges, 36 companies and an owl called Merlin all provide their time, resources and knowledge to assist in shaping the minds of our future leaders. Furthermore as a vital part of their curriculum all Scholars volunteer at least one day per year through our Donate28 initiative to work with charities who need bright young marketing minds. For a full list of the individuals involved, see the Sherilyn Shackell interview.
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