Marketing is not an industry for everyone. You must be ready to constantly follow new trends, while at the same time not forgetting the authenticity and uniqueness of the brand/product you are building. Most of the time you have to be in touch with your creative side, deal with clients who want everything done immediately and perhaps do not understand the essence of this industry. In short, not everyone's cup of tea. :)
25-year-old Sedina has mastered all this in her 4 years of experience working for the marketing agency Ditactic media, which is one of the first companies to join tershouse and currently has 15 clients.
Sedina is always full of ideas, she speaks and walks fast and is always smiley. However, it's always interesting to hear how a person sees themselves (and of course, I can't resist asking). 'I'm a good friend, I love my family, I'm very social, I like to explore new places and experiences, I like to help, to give advice (even when it's not asked of me - she adds with a smile), that would be me through a private prism. In a business context, I think I am fair, and given that I am now in a position where I have to supervise the work of others, I never ask more from them than what is expected, I prefer that I finish some extra work than that my colleagues stay overtime.' In addition, she adds that she is a very creative person, an artist at heart and that she would like to have more contact with art.
Considering that marketing is what she's passionate about, and something that she's dealing with, as she says, even sometimes 7 days a week, I was interested in what she thinks is the magic formula for good marketing; following trends, adapting the brand to the market or something else. 'From my experience, authenticity is better than following trends, but the real recipe is actually both; to follow trends and adapt them to what you already have. Follow the trends but be yourself. Honesty, no false marketing gimmicks. People recognize it and hate it, no matter how much marketers think they don't.'
As we mentioned the trends in the world of marketing, I cannot help but refer to the hot topic, which is the use of AI technologies in many branches, including marketing. Many challenge AI, others claim that someday it will replace the human factor in every sense and in every industry (the extreme ones), and still others don't even think about its use. 'I think that in general, we need to adapt to the market and use AI as a tool; for us to be better, to reduce work time, to get an idea that we develop further... I don't think that AI will be able to take over the marketer's job, because in the end the 'human touch' is the most important, maybe they won't need a marketing person to write texts, but they will eventually let the person beautify everything at the end. In my opinion, AI should be used in situations where your budget is limited or when you don't have the resources to make an image, for example.'
As we continue to talk about marketing, I wonder if she has an example of a campaign that she remembers as particularly good. Sedina states that a good marketing campaign is one that gets talked about. 'Of course, such a campaign should first reach the target group, but also the general public.'
Given that Sedina sailed into the marketing waters at a very young age, I was interested in what she would have liked if she knew in her early days, that she knows now. Or as we often see this question formulated; what would Sedina advise the younger Sedina now? She says that she wishes she had been wiser, in the sense that she is too honest and that she often talks without a filter, but she also adds 'I wouldn't give this advice to others, because it is something that you have to find it yourself. The advice for young people is to do internships, to explore the field they are interested in, regardless of the financial part, because money always comes when you have knowledge and experience.'
Marketing is definitely one of the more creative branches that require new ideas, if not daily, certainly weekly. We all have different ways of dealing with creative blockages...Some people reconnect with themselves by going out into nature, some through meditation, some sitting in their favorite cafe...I was interested in what Sedina does when such periods come. 'Inspiration comes when you are not at the table. If you don't feel creative, leave the table and it will come back in 15 minutes. A good idea always comes when you're in a 'random' situation when you're walking your dog, when you're taking a shower... When you don't think, it will just happen, at least that's how it is in my case.'
Like any job working in marketing has its bright and less bright (maybe even rusty) sides. When asked what is the most difficult segment of her job, Sedina says that it is working with people, because, as she explains, people can be difficult and we often have to match our capabilities with their expectations, and that is the biggest challenge. 'This wouldn't be so difficult if it wasn't often about people who don't understand the essence of this industry and then expect too much from you and you from them. A marketing advertisement cannot be good if it is not done by someone from the industry.'
Knowledge of psychology is useful in every industry, but this is especially true for marketing, which is often a manipulation of the human psyche (not in the negative context of the word). Sedina agrees with this and claims that from her experience, psychology is behind every strategy she has used so far. As we touched on psychology, I was also interested in how she sees the dynamics within the team now that she has taken on new responsibilities within the team, as she has been leading the Ditactic media team since the middle of this year. She says that as far as team dynamics are concerned, things have not changed because they are a small team; and as far as her personal position is concerned, she has retained many of her previous responsibilities, but the responsibilities have of course expanded. 'I try to make sure that everyone in the team knows that the importance of each individual is the same, there is no separation and all opinions are respected when it comes to the creative process. We are building a team where everyone can contribute with the skills they have, which is great because we get a diverse set of skills from more people!'
As we get closer to the end of the interview, we move away from marketing and move closer to Sedina in her private hours. To the question 'What does one of your non-working days look like?' she answers that she likes to spend most of his time with her friends, family, husband, and dog Ari, but then the more interesting part of the answer is 'I always work on weekends too. At least half an hour from the cell phone. To continue with a calm head, to see that everything was okay while I was not there."
And finally, (call me cheesy but I had to), I had to ask about her experience with tershouse, considering that her company was one of the first to join our community. 'tershouse has been like a second home to me since we came here. Definitely a place that is full of optimism and good energy. Those who are not like that leave on their own. People filter themselves.' I definitely agree with this statement as a Community manager and amen to that 🙂
