(English BA, 2014)
Keep an eye out on how brands market themselves to you whilst you are at university and take note of what has the biggest impact on you. A wide range of degrees lend themselves to marketing, if you can research, creatively persuade, and measure.
What was your experience like at Queen Mary and how have these experiences helped you in your working life?
I had an amazing time at Queen Mary. Not only did I make friends for life, but it gave me a unique opportunity to explore a subject I was actually interested in! It gave me a huge amount of independence and the big difference to school is that you choose your own projects and then it's down to you to tackle them. It is invaluable for when you finally start work.
What did you enjoy most about studying English at Queen Mary?
The variety of modules available. I chose Queen Mary to study English specifically because they do not just focus on the classics; they had a vast number of modern and worldwide modules which were incredibly interesting, and a lot of the lecturers were the leading critics of these genres.
What are some of your fondest memories from your time at Queen Mary?
Wednesday Netball sessions at Drapers! The community you get at Queen Mary meant you made friends for life.
How did your university experience help you to achieve your chosen career?
I studied English Literature which places a big emphasis on research, creativity and finding evidence to support arguments. My role in Marketing now is a mixture of figures, logic, and creativity so it definitely helped steer me into the role.
Can you tell us about your career path to date and your current role?
When I first came out of university I went into recruitment. I saw the work their own marketing manager did and knew that was the route I wanted to go down, so after eight months there, I moved to instantprint and I have been here ever since!
I lead the marketing, creative and web development teams. Our job is to work out the best ways to get the brand in front of the right customers - and then to make them love us! Day to day, I review each of our digital channel figures from the previous week and see what we need to concentrate on. I will then catch up with the team to make sure all our marketing campaigns, emails, website changes and product launches are coordinated, and everyone is working towards the same goal.
My job does not end at my job description. Although we are a pretty big business now, we still operate with a start-up mentality, so everyone mucks in with jobs they have had no experience in. Since starting I have tried my hand at interior design, organising events, bingo sessions and building furniture. No day is the same! I really love how driven and competitive everyone is at the company. We all want instantprint to be the best in the industry and the business is not afraid to let its team members try new things to get there - and we have fun each day doing it! What are your career highlights to date?
There isn't a specific time, but my journey moving from an entry level Marketing Assistant role to becoming a Brand Manager over the past few years has been amazing in general.
What do you enjoy most about your job and how does it allow you to explore the things you are passionate about?
I enjoy how fast paced and ambitious instantprint and the team is. You are constantly encouraged to try new things and fail fast if they do not work. As a growing business you need to take risks sometimes and seeing those decisions pay off is my favourite part.
What advice would you give to someone interested in a career in Marketing?
Marketing is a combination of creativity and data analysis. You cannot have one without the other to be successful, so make sure if you have fantastic ideas that you will know how to track their success, as that will help you make even better decisions next time. Keep an eye out on how brands market themselves to you whilst you are at university and take note of what has the biggest impact on you. A wide range of degrees lend themselves to marketing, if you can research, creatively persuade, and measure.
If you would like to get in touch with Laura or engage them in your work, please contact the Alumni Engagement team at alumni@qmul.ac.uk.