Future Market Leader – Jorgelina Melano, Brand Manager Chocolate Gifting at Mondelez International

Tom Holmes, creativebrief Founder & Chairman, talks to Jorgelina Melano, Brand Manager Chocolate Gifting at Mondelez International and Marketing Academy 2013 alumnus.

Jo started working back in Argentina even before graduating. She was keen on getting some experience so did various internships in marketing and sales. She was also very eager to work abroad and that’s how she took part in AIESEC, an organization led by students that facilitates international working experience aimed to develop future leaders; through which she joined Kraft Foods in New York with a traineeship that would shape her career to date.

From there Jo moved to Zurich where Kraft Foods’ European headquarters are located. She worked on Tassimo, the hot drinks system, first on new brewer launches followed by brand equity on the re-launch of its brand identity. At that point she was gaining experience in fields you may not get at early stages in your career but she was missing working on the commercial side of the business so decided to come to the UK, arguably the most competitive market in Europe, to sort that out. This move brought her to Oreo where she worked on its integrated marketing campaign and social media programme, launched a new product and developed its long term strategy, enjoying continuous double digit sales growth.

These days Jo is leading a diverse portfolio of chocolate gift products from Cadbury and Terry’s brands including the iconic Milk Tray. Her main focus is on redefining the role of the gifting range and developing the long term strategy.

Why did you choose a career in marketing?

I wanted to do something related to business and I’ve always been fascinated by psychology. Marketing offered a good mix of both and it seemed that it would be a constantly evolving field which wouldn’t let me get bored!

What do you think makes a successful career in marketing?

I see marketing not too different from general management, simply consumer led. Hence, passion for brands and the ability to unlock consumer insights backed up by a solid background on finance and sales make a strong foundation for a career in marketing. Then, as with any other discipline, true leadership devoted to create other leaders is what will enable a team to go further than they can imagine. Finally, sometimes just doing things differently can be of great help.

And who is a great example of this?

Whether you found it genius or outrageous, Christian Woolfended at Paddy Power has done a great job at living his brand and driving results by doing things differently while being extremely relevant to their customers. Emma Harris, currently Marketing Director at Virgin Holidays, is a fantastic example of leadership and passion that would positively boost any organization. While I haven’t worked directly with any of them, i’ve had the pleasure to have them as mentors through the Marketing Academy and they remain a huge inspiration to me.

What do you think are the main challenges facing marketers today?

There’s a lot to keep up with. Whether it is digital and comms developments to the latest consumer trends and competitive activities, it is an extremely fascinating and fast paced environment. Sometimes having the ability to bring insights into action and into the market ‘quick enough’ is still a challenge for some organisations especially when they operate at large scale.

How do you keep up with constant stream of innovation in marketing comms?

I try to do so via multiple marketing and advertising publications, attending events that expose me to talented people in the industry or case studies, books, etc. However it’s not an easy task!

To read the rest of the interview please click here

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