1. Before we dive into your role at Swarovski, what has your career journey looked like so far?
I began my career working in account servicing in media agencies.Â
My first role was at L’Atelier, a GroupM agency that serviced LVMH brands and then I moved to Starcom to work across a more diverse portfolio of clients, ranging from Brown Forman to PUIG to WWF.
2. Transitioning into work, what the heck does a Media Executive @ Swarovski do?
How is the marketing function structured?
At Swarovski, there’s an executive responsible for each marketing function that reports to a marketing manager:
- Media (where I am)
- Public relations
- Visual merchandising
- Retail marketing
The specialisation means that each person has the opportunity to really become an expert within their designated marketing function but also makes collaboration within the team extremely important in the execution of a cohesive strategy.
What does your role entail?Â
As the media executive, I work closely with the media agency to ensure all paid advertising campaigns are planned and executed successfully.
One of the most rewarding aspects of being a part of a complex, retail-focused, global business is seeing how media can address broader commercial goals, whilst staying consistent with global branding guidelines.
A lot of creative problem solving is required!
3. What’s an example of a project that you’ve worked on and what was your role in bringing it to life?
Project: Multiple campaigns raising awareness for Swarovski’s 2020 re-brand
What was it?
I’m grateful to have joined Swarovski at a pivotal moment for the brand. In May 2020 Swarovski appointed its first ever global creative director, Giovanna Engelbert and has since had a rebrand to elevate its crystal creations into the attainable luxury space.
With this, comes an overarching brand vision that threads together all the smaller campaigns that drop throughout the year. I like to think of it as a theme that tells consumers why the brand’s story matters.
In the case of Swarovski, it’s the sense of empowerment we want to imbue within others, to inspire individuality and ignite your dreams.
What was your role?
So rather than a particular campaign, I’d say my biggest project is to increase awareness around Swarovski’s rebrand in a meaningful way.
I work closely with the media agency, the retail network and internal stakeholders to ensure the media strategy is both elevating the brand and delivering on commercial outcomes.
This means engaging new partners, staying up to date with industry trends, monitoring competitor activity, planning and optimising our advertising strategy.
4. What do the entry level pathways for marketers in retail look like?
There’s no real set formula – in fact, I think adhering to a fixed mindset is quite detrimental to finding joy and remaining agile in your career. However, because the sector dictates so much of what you will do in your day to day for both marketing and retail, it’s important to find an area of passion.
For me, it’s always been the fashion and beauty sector so I’ve always tried to explore internships and coordinator/assistant roles within those areas.
On getting on the ground retail experience…Â
Retail experience within those sectors, albeit not necessary, gives you insight into business operations.
Often, marketers can be one too many steps removed from the final transaction so having retail experience can keep you grounded and also shed light on the ways in which marketing can impact the end consumer.
5. What’s one thing you recommend an aspiring marketer do right now?
Stay curious, ask questions and seek mentorship because more than experience, it’s people who build each other up.
