Nando's PERi-PERi North America

A Career Built on Risk-Taking

I’ve found that my time as a marketer has been heavily digital-centric as I grew up in the industry at the precipice of its evolution. I’ve been grateful to witness such monumental shifts. I’ve been a risk taker when it counted and it resulted in leading the very first adoption of digital practices in traditional media with Clear Channel Radio, now known as iHeart. I pushed boundaries when digital and online radio was still a questionable channel that many wondered if it could change the fundamental way we advertised to consumers

However, I saw the transformation, and I chose to be a leader in this space and now streaming radio has taken on a life of its own. That risk-taking leadership has been the cornerstone of my marketing career and has prepared me to be at the forefront of the many digital behavioral changes of the consumer in recent years. When you’re unafraid of innovation and shifts within consumer habits, you’re positioned to remain agile no matter where the industry goes.

Knowing your Customer in Digital Spaces

Building a strong and engaging digital brand presence starts with truly knowing your customers and audience. Knowing who they uniquely are in digital spaces instead of who they are in the offline world will ensure you’re speaking to their preferences and needs within this space. This means tapping into the abundance of personalized data now available and making no assumptions without fact-checking behavioral and performance data.

Also, building specific digital brand guidelines that cover all digital touch points is essential in ensuring the customer feels the throughline of your brand as they engage with your brand offline and online. Most of all, adhering to said guidelines will keep your brand whole whenever customers interact, whether it’s on an app, loyalty marketing or social media. They will feel the continuity and singular brand voice.

Creativity First, Data Second

I’m a creative first and a marketing executive secondly. Remaining creative as a marketer surrounded by real-time behavioral and purchasing data is no easy feat. The inclination to rely on data instead of imagination and creativity can create a robotic outcome in the art of it all. To avoid this habit, I always begin storytelling with ideation using my natural instinct.

"Building a strong and engaging digital brand presence starts with truly knowing your customers and audience."

Before I pull past campaign data or industry statistics, I begin idea-building, trusting my own ingenuity and artistry. I look for inspiration with other creatives and keep a running mood board of big ideas pulling from all sorts of topics and considerations, especially from unrelated events. Above all, think boldly in your creative storytelling and then fine-tune with data, peer feedback and resources.

Path Ahead for Digital Marketing and the Marketers

I see digital marketing moving ahead quickly within the next three years. We are now in a space where AdTech is reaching new places that were unimaginable just five years ago. Digital marketers should expect everything to become possibly monetized within digital advertising as we’ve seen with streaming apps, AI assistants and more. We should be prepared to reach customers in new channels once unattainable and learn quickly how customers will interact differently in those spaces. Automation tools are key to firstmover advantage. Personalization is fundamental and no longer a luxury in all digital consumer communications. Mass messaging will become more and more obsolete.

Social media and influencers will continue to grow as the dominant voice with consumers, but independent journalists with digital platforms will become hyper-trusted and relied upon. AI will continue to disrupt but will also lose credibility if left unregulated within information sharing and advertising, so it must be treated carefully with strategy, brand and commercial usage.

For aspiring marketers, my advice is straightforward: trust yourself. If you’re a marketer, trust your marketing instinct. It’s never led me wrong across the many areas within this discipline, no matter the industry. Keep reading and learning, it is fundamental to remaining ahead of industry shifts. They should also embrace their curiosity; it serves them in growth and challenges complacency. Take risks and be a leader in innovation. This will get you big wins and build your reputation. Try new methods, test, fail fast, correct and scale. Every new idea won’t work—it only matters how quickly you’re able to pivot toward success.