FIGARODIGITAL.CO.UK
HELEN NORMOYLE, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER AT DFS
Helen Normoyle is Chief Marketing Officer at DFS. She’s also a member of Women in Advertising and Communications London (WACL). We caught up with Helen to hear about her career in marketing so far
What was your first job in the marketing industry and how have things changed since then? Helen Normoyle: My first job was as a market researcher for Infratest and GfK, based in Germany. It was the early 1990s so things have changed massively since then. Probably the biggest changes have been driven by the way in which digital technology has transformed how we browse, purchase and shop and how we receive, consume and share information and content; also the data that we have now about consumers’ behaviour in each of these areas and more. There’s more specialisation than ever in marketing and it’s matched by the need to be better than ever at integrating activities, not just in marketing but across the organisation.
Are there any words of wisdom you wish you’d taken note of at the beginning of your career in marketing? HN: At the beginning of my career I was advised that it’s useful to see it as a marathon and not a sprint. It’s hard to take on that advice when you’re young and keen to make an impact. You tend to be more impatient to see results. With the benefit of more experience under my belt I have learned to see the wisdom in that advice. That said, I am not sure that any of my colleagues would describe me as a patient person!
Net//Working
Which other brands’ strategies do you admire and why? HN: Lego is a brand that I very much admire in the broader sense of a marketing strategy. I have two boys (aged five and nine) who are Lego- mad and I am struck by how much the brand has stayed true to its values and relevant to its target audience despite intense competition from innumerable toys
caught up in the hype of the latest shiny new toy without being clear on the benefits to the business
People get 8 issue 24 may 2015
and screens. They went through a
challenging period some time ago but have, I think, come out of it stronger than ever. They’ve successfully stayed relevant to children today without losing track of who they are and what they do best. I love the way they have developed
their products and linked them to the popular children’s movies and online games, and also the way they have gone a step further again with The Lego Movie (great content creation!) Loved the Lego ad-break
too!
Digital marketing is constantly evolving and
it’s easy to see how people get caught up in the hype of the latest shiny new toy without really being clear on the benefits to the business and its customers. The emergence of new channels rarely equates to an increase in marketing budgets so you have to be smart with the budget you have and manage how you create the space for test and learns—it’s important to take risks and try new things and it’s an imperative to evaluate and learn from them.
I’m a firm believer that if you
understand your customer well and have strong and relevant insights at the heart of your marketing then a targeted and carefully selected omnichannel approach is the best way to engage them.
dfs.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
