How long have you been with MRM and what is your role?

I’ve been with MRM for a year and half. I work as a Senior Strategic Planner in the Strategy and Planning department. When I started, I was embedded directly into a client team, now I’m in house at the agency working across different clients.

Tell us about your typical workday as a Senior Strategic Planner?

Day to day, I immerse myself with what’s going on in the world of consumer trends and insights for the clients I’m working on. A typical day starts with scanning what customers are saying on social media and through various articles and reports. I usually have meetings to check in with my team on how to respond to a client brief which is a jumping off point for me to uncover key insights that can give the client or campaign a different point of view and speak to a real-life unmet need. An ordinary day rounds off with a couple more meetings and sharing my research and thoughts.

What do you enjoy most about working at MRM and in the advertising industry?

I like keeping the customer front of mind and making sure the strategy and comms plans deliver the right message at the right time. At MRM I’m encouraged to redraft as many times as needed until it’s right and I get to work with experts that want to deliver the right message to the end consumer as much as I do. Working with our creative team is a privilege because I get to see some amazing executions off the back of true insights I’ve unearthed in the research.

Did you know you always wanted to do a role like this?

Absolutely, but I didn’t know it was possible. I have an analytical mind and I like to study things quite deeply to really discover some insight. This role allows me to do that, time permitting of course, but I enjoy it (being a nerd helps too).

What’s one of your biggest failures and what did you learn from it?

In the past I was more reluctant to let the consumer data guide me and would expect patterns of behaviour to stay more or less the same. But it’s definitely been a learning for me, just how much things can change and the importance of a test and learn approach.

What’s your top tip for hybrid working?

There have been so many time and money saving tips shared on this blog already, but for me, I really embrace the hot desk policy and I like to book different spots on my days in the office to work near and next to different people. As I’m working across a few clients its helpful for my team mates as well.

What would you say to recommend a career in advertising to a young person considering their career options?

My advice will be to really consider it even before the application stage. Have a look at who the company serves and their list of clients/ projects and listen to your gut. Are you excited at the prospect of working with them? Are you impressed and encouraged by the campaigns they produce? Do you align with their partnerships and values? If it’s a yes to all three, you’re on to a strong start because early on in your career while you’re still garnering experience and know-how, I think you need to feel excitement towards the end result.