1. Before we dive into your role at July, what has your career journey looked like so far
I’m the General Manager at July, the fastest growing luggage brand in Australia.
I come from a digital marketing background, and before joining July, I was the Marketing Lead at the cryptocurrency platform, CoinJar.
My career background is a little hard to summarise as it was not linear or easy to explain. I spent most of my twenties simply saying yes to opportunities that were exciting and interesting to me.
- I left a comfortable communications graduate government role to join a crypto startup as a digital marketer in 2014 (no one knew about it then)
- I spent a year freelancing and trying the digital nomad life
- I explored what it was like to be a marketer for all sorts of products and services, from nail stickers to B2B SaaS platforms
I found that I really enjoyed brand, content and partnerships. When I moved to July, it was my first time in the ecommerce space and it opened up a whole new side of marketing to me – from ad creation to influencer collaborations.
I’ve been really lucky that it’s worked out so far, and I’ve been able to work with so many amazing brands and people.
2. Transitioning into work, what the heck does the General Manager @ July do?
What is July?
July is an Australia travel brand that sells beautiful and clever luggage, bags and accessories so you can focus on the parts of travel you love.
How is the marketing function structured?
We are a design-driven brand, and high-performing creative powers our marketing stack. Our team of designers work closely with our Marketing and Product team to launch campaigns, and continuously create beautiful and effective content. Our media-buying is currently outsourced, allowing the marketing team to focus on content and partnerships at this stage of the business.
PS – we are currently hiring marketers, designers and content producers!
What does your role entail?
Marketing is still under my stewardship until we hire a Head of Marketing. The role spans across:
- Campaigns & product launches
- Continuous creative production
- Growth initiatives
- Performance marketing
- Partnerships
No two days are the same!
3. What’s a project you’ve worked with on in your currently role and how have you helped bring them to life?
Project Name: United States launch in June 2022
What was it?
We launched in the United States in June 2021, just as the world started to open up. Planning and executing this market entry has been a highlight of my career so far. It was incredibly strategic in terms of messaging and timing, and we did take some calculated risks that paid off.
Launching into another country is a huge effort, and it is particularly expensive to do so in the US. It went very well, and we are growing quickly there.
As the US returned to travel much sooner than Australia, our market entry helped us recover from the past couple of years faster than if we had just kept to the Australian market. It’s changed the business entirely.
4. What do the entry level pathways into hardware marketing look like?
I would suggest for marketing graduates to take on opportunities that will help you figure out as quickly as possible what you like and dislike in the marketing space. Are you passionate and skilled in content? Maybe you’re more of an analytical marketer?
Find and master your skill set first. Then, pick the industries where your skill set is valued.
5. What’s one thing you recommend someone who wants to work in hardware marketing do right now?
Get an internship as soon as you are able to. It’s very competitive for graduates and the ones that get ahead are those that graduate with relevant work experience under their belt.
