About me
The part of marketing I love the most is storytelling and bringing a business, a brand, a product or service to life. It’s so much fun!
I’ve been a marketeer since I graduated many moons ago!
I love being immersed in my clients’ brands and whatever they want to achieve….and then delivering it!
This can entail everything from producing their marketing strategy to writing website content, creating promotional material, delivering events, producing tenders and much more.
My favourite element without a shadow of a doubt is writing, which I believe comes from my love of reading.
Reading books is just magical and I can easily take myself into the world of whatever I’m reading, whether that’s a fictional book full of intrigue and adventure, or one full of facts and learning, though I have to admit, I find the former much more fun!
I’m also a Trustee of The Sea View Trust, a Multi Academy Trust responsible for several schools based in Blackpool and Rossendale. It’s a role I feel very honoured to perform and if I can make a difference to even one child’s life then that is truly amazing.
Just to give you a bit of background on my exciting (well, I’ve really enjoyed it!) career….here’s a bit of history about me….
It was such a fun industry to kick start my marketing ventures, and I dipped in and out of it for many subsequent years. Some of the more well known publications I worked on in include;
- What Car
- BBC Good Food
- Management Today
- Smash Hits (which I absolutely loved as a teenager!)
- Motorcycle News
- What Hifi
- Practical Gardening
I also worked on numerous specialist magazines which most people will never have heard of unless they’re into kitchens or American cars!
My event management skills were first put to the test when I worked as a Marketing Specialist for Fuji Photo Film. I was responsible for running awards campaigns and ceremonies for the European Press Awards and the Student Awards, alongside managing the “Fuji School of Photography” across the UK and overseas, working with some of the most acclaimed photographers in Europe. It regularly involved the marketing team being used as “models” by the photographers and I have played the role of a bride many a time, even having to wear those ghastly “meringue” style dresses on occasion!!!
McCann Erickson certainly honed some of my advertising and promotional capabilities as I delivered successful campaigns for Lucent Technologies and developed a new brand for Bass owned pubs and restaurants, alongside numerous other major brands through radio, newspaper and direct mail campaigns. It was a stunning place to work, with a swimming pool and gorgeous gardens where they grew some of the food which was served in the staff restaurant!
Alongside this, I managed many worldwide conferences, roadshows and seminars. I also helped develop the business extensively through my tender writing expertise, winning many long term marketing contracts as well as projects to manage major events and award ceremonies on behalf of the UK government.
I delivered projects for over a decade for the majority of central government departments including;
- The Home Office
- The Department of Health
- The Central Office of Information
- The Department for Culture, Media and Sport
- The Department of Trade and Industry
It taught me a great deal about working alongside civil servants and politicians and the intricacies of working with central government…..!
Venturing out of employment and setting up Zebra Colour was my first step to managing my own client base. Daunting but I have never looked back!
This subsequently led to the launch of Meena McDonald Marketing which gives me the flexibility and freedom I love, working with clients who value my services and I enjoy working with.
A pretty perfect combination I would say!
Oooh I forgot to mention….a few years into my career I decided to go backpacking around the world for a year…..one of the best things I have ever done! There are lots and lots of crazy stories I can tell you about from that period of my life!
I talk through my marketing journey, some mistakes along the way, my favourite campaign and some simple principles to guide your marketing strategy.
Please have a listen by clicking the image.
