In a fashion company, the Marketing Department coordinates and organizes activities to support the business. But what a day looks like for a Marketing Manager? And who support her/him? To deepen the role of the Marketing Department in fashion, we interviewed Rubina Guardiani, Marketing and Communication Director at the luxury footwear company Alberto Guardiani.
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How does the Marketing Office work?
My work starts with the analysis of the company strategy: what are the objectives to be achieved, and in which markets. Based on this information, my role consists in structuring a coherent action plan (the Marketing Plan) that goes from the presentation of the collection to the meetings with showrooms and with the press.
The support we provide to salespeople during the sales campaign is also fundamental: Marketing works both to strengthen the sell-in (business to business) and sell-out (sales to the final consumer).
Everything must be done without ever losing sight of the positioning of the brand, looking at the present yes, but also laying the foundations for future work.
In our case, then, as happens in many medium-sized companies, Marketing is combined with Communication in the Marketing & Communication office.
What are the daily activities of a Marketing Department?
Marketing, as well as communication, is a “service” office and as such there are no breaks.
The most strategic activities are the definition of objectives and actions (which can take place on an annual or seasonal basis), budget allocation and split by activity, followed by the definition of sales tools and the precise scheduling of the various steps put in place.
Another big part of our work is the planning and creation of promotional content, in media planning (another activity that sees marketing and communication working together) and in the monitoring of the analytics to verify the achievement of the objectives.
Data analysis and reporting close the circle, allowing to evaluate the effectiveness of the actions put in place and to act, if necessary, with “adjustments” in the running.
What are the most important skills to work in Marketing?
First of all, multitasking: the ability to work on several projects simultaneously, managing calendars, timelines and overlapping deadlines is essential. It is important to have an excellent analytical basis, to read and interpret the data: but it is necessary that this type of skill is balanced with a creative and flexible mentality. In times like these, where budgets are increasingly tight, it is essential to be able to solve critical issues with an unconventional approach, changing direction quickly and changing the marketing mix.
Complete the picture a curious mindset, aimed at the overview: asking questions is very important, and the best collaborators are those who do not just complete their tasks, but ask questions and seek answers.
What are the departments with which the Marketing works most?
Surely the first one is production, the beating heart of any fashion company. Then we work together with the commercial (wholesale) and retail department, in addition to administration. The beauty of Marketing is that it is always at the center, and you have an overview of the life of the company, often also has a function of a connector between offices traditionally “distant” from each other.
What are all the careers in Marketing?
The figures present in a marketing department can be summarized as follows.
The Marketing Manager is the head of the office: it usually deals with the spread of the Marketing Plan, the allocation of budgets, the division of the various activities.
Then there is the Content Marketing Specialist, which is instead focused on the production of promotional content, whether textual, visual, videos. Depending on the case, contents can be produced “in-house” or with the support of external collaborators: in this case, the CMS supports the suppliers and ensures that the briefings and the guidelines are respected.
The Web Marketing Specialist works on all the activities related to online marketing, which can range from display activities on large portals to SEM, from social campaigns to influence marketing.
Then there is the Trade Marketing, which deals with the promotion of the brand at wholesalers, providing promotional materials and sales support, structuring co-marketing and similar initiatives. Finally, the Retail Marketing, which deals with staff training, shop window planning and all the collateral activities related to sales points.
Featured Pic The Intern the movie Words Elisa Motterle
