Tom Holmes, creativebrief Founder & Chairman, interviews Ed Ross, Marketing Manager at ITV for Sport, News, Factual, ITV4.
Ed is a 2012 Marketing Academy Scholar. Currently Marketing Manager at ITV responsible for Sport, News, Factual and ITV4. Since joining ITV Ed has been responsible for multi media campaigns for some of television’s biggest events ranging from Euro 2012, the Rugby World Cup, The Royal Wedding, UEFA Champions League, UEFA European Championships, The FA Cup and The Tour de France. Ed was part of the network rebrand team that delivered and implemented a new brand strategy and identity for ITV and ITV4 in January 2013.
Prior to joining ITV, Ed rose from the position of Account Executive to Account Director working at agencies such as, adam & eve, Ogilvy & Mather and EHS Brann. He has worked on a number of award winning campaigns for some of the nation’s most loved and respected brands spanning multiple sectors, such as John Lewis, Foster’s (Heineken), Genius Bread, Comfort (Unilever), easyJet and the Classic Malts (Diageo).
Why did you choose a career in marketing?
I studied Business and Marketing Management at Oxford Brookes University that included a one-year placement in industry. I worked in the marketing department for a management consultancy called Celerant Consulting, and I think it really helped to contextualise all the theory I was learning at University. So at point of graduation, it felt like a natural move.
What excited me was finding a career that would allow me to use both sides of my brain, the analytical business side but also the creative side.
Having worked with Agencies at Celerant it was something I decided I wanted to move into so started at EHS Brann and then on to Ogilvy and Mather and then adam & eve. Having worked on some amazing brands for Clients, I decided I wanted to pursue personal areas of passion and the lure of working for ITV across Sport was too exciting to ignore.
What do you think makes a successful career in marketing?
From a personal point of view, I’ll let you know when I get there! But overall, I think people that cut through the marketing jargon and demonstrate the value of marketing, adding credibility with real data are most successful. I’d also say that those that listen most intently to their consumers and react to their wants and needs accordingly and who aren’t afraid to be decisive and make tough decisions.
And who is a great example of this?
That’s a tough one to answer as I’ve been privileged to be a part of The Marketing Academy and gain access to some of the best marketing minds in the country. Google’s Sarah Speake was incredibly thought provoking.
But in terms of people I’ve worked with. From my Agency days, having John Lewis’s Craig Inglis as a Client showed me the importance of being decisive under pressure and never settling for second best. And of course from ITV, Rufus Radcliffe who has led an incredible rebrand and transformation.
What do you think are the main challenges facing marketers today?
Everyone wants more bang for their buck. More is expected from smaller budgets. But that’s a trend that is indicative of the world we live in now and not just marketing.
How do you keep up with constant stream of innovation in marketing comms?
Being part of the Marketing Academy Alumni has given me access to a very powerful network of people who cover a wide range of industries and disciplines. But I think it’s impossible to stay across every single development, you can only filter so much information, so you need to be selective, for me Twitter is a really helpful way to do this.
To read the rest of the interview please click here
