1. What inspired you to pursue a career that embraces marketing? 

I have always had a passion for business, and a curiosity for what makes people tick. Therefore, marketing was the perfect option to combine both attributes and to build brands that deeply connect with consumers. I get a huge energy from seeing people connect with the brand I currently lead (Cadbury Creme Egg), and the role this can play in their lives. 

2. What are the biggest challenges currently facing your marketing team? 

I like to believe every challenge also has an opportunity. So, the biggest challenges, and opportunity I see is the pace of change across the market. I once read a quote that said, ‘today is the slowest pace of change we will ever experience’. Which both scares and excites me. It is our job to ensure we keep Cadbury Creme Egg relevant, reaching new audiences and fostering our existing, loyal ones. Therefore, keeping up with evolving consumer needs, new tech in a changing macro landscape is imperative. 

3. Science vs Art: With scientific data-driven marketing at one end of the spectrum and genius creative ideas at the other - which side do you lean towards? 

This is a tough one! And I’m tempted to say in the middle, as creating a connection between this delta is the key success. But, if I was pushed, I would say data-driven, the current vast media landscape and clever tech (i.e., algorithms), means our communication need to be relevant and in the right place at the right time to cut through. Gone are the days of linear TV being the only route to reach consumers. 

4. The Metaverse: are you ‘in’, ‘out’ or ‘not sure’? And please tell us why. 

Definite In. I see the metaverse as an evolving space, which will look hugely different in 2030 to how it does now. I am under no illusion that it will continue to play a vital part in our everyday lives, and how to connect with consumers. Some elements won’t succeed, and some will form a habitual part of our world. It still shocks me to think that less than 20 years ago, Facebook didn’t exist! 

5. How is Mondelez marketing 'Riding the Storm' of economic turbulence and increased cost of living?

It’s critical that marketing is sensitive to the macro environment, and what is impacting our consumers lives. Within the current climate, we always seek to ensure that our messaging and adverting is realistic NOT idealistic. For example, our latest Cadbury Creme Egg adverts that are set in people’s workplaces, we have aimed to great a scene that the nation can relate to. So we have one that is a guy in his van on lunch a break, a female at her desk sat at your office desk, plus more! We seek to ensure that Cadbury Creme Egg is a brand that is for everyone and therefore that is and should be reflected in the scenes we set in our communications. 

6. How do you adapt a business and marketing strategy to embrace the latest trends and keep ahead of the competition? 

A constant enquiring mind, experiment, and NEVER rest of your laurels. Cadbury Creme Egg is the biggest Easter brand, and it can feel comfortable to ‘do what’s worked before’ – but this approach will not work in this environment. Therefore, I always put a percentage of my time, resource and budget toward ‘test and learn’, it is okay if I personally haven’t heard of a piece of tech, a creator or a platform, if that is where our growth consumer is, that’s where we should be and I will take advice on board. We need to lean into this new environment and critically learn and apply those learnings as we move forward. 

7. What role does your company’s purpose and environmental strategy play within your marketing strategy? 

At Mondelez we empower people to “snack right”. Offering the right snack, and the right moment, made the right way. This is the north star informs every decision that we make. We apply this purpose and put it through the lens of Cadbury Creme Egg. Questioning ourselves ‘what is the right moment for our consumers with Creme Egg’. 

8. How important is storytelling when maximising your customers’ engagement with a campaign? 

It is imperative. We are fortunate that consumers actively want to engage with the Creme Egg brand, but we cannot take this for granted and need to craft a campaign that is simple, engaging and has a clear narrative. It is also critical that we recognise the diversity in our consumers, what engages one consumer, will not the next and that is why in 2023, we have overlayed over 250 pieces of data into our campaign to create a data-driven campaign which can also story tell. A good example of this is our radio ads, where-by each is localised, to exactly where your nearest winning Creme Egg was found, peppered with a touch of humour, (of course, being Creme Egg!) 

9. Creative agencies rail against the time and resource spent working on pitches to win accounts: is there a realistic, fair alternative to the pitch process? 

Getting the right creative agency is imperative to brands success. Which is why so much resource goes in from both sides to the pitching process – it’s a two-way relationship like a marriage, it will take work, and building the right foundations are essential. Having said this, I truly believe like everything, the pitching process will evolve. We don’t need to throw the baby out with the bath water, there are elements which will remain, but there are also elements that can be modernised. Interpersonal relationships are the key ingredient to make this work and it is vital to get this right. 

10. From a marketing perspective, what’s coming up for your brand or business in 2023? 

My main focus for the rest of the year, will be looking as far out as possible to build back a strategy which is fit for the future from a comms, and product point of view for next year and beyond. To my earlier point, pace is change is huge, we need to mobilise ourselves to be in the best possible position to adopt new technologies, formats and trends to seamlessly meet consumers needs.

 

Little Grey Cells is Tim Healey’s weekly profile interview platform where leading marketers share their valuable insights and experience, presented by Worth Your While.

Outsourced Marketing Director and best-selling author Tim Healey collaborates with senior marketers to help them have more time, less stress and clearer marketing strategies through his consultancy Shoot 4 The Moon Ltd. Book your meeting.

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