*

Brand Perspective with Lisa Hogg, EMEA Marketing Director at TOMS

Published by

As part of our "Brand Perspective" Annual 2018 judges series, meet Lisa Hogg.

Tell us what you do for a living and who you work for?

I am a Brand Marketing professional and currently am the EMEA Marketing Director for TOMS, based in Amsterdam.  I have been there since November 2016, and before that with several footwear brands

What does that involve?

I am responsible for the Marketing of TOMS in EMEA, predominantly in Europe at this time. This includes everything from Strategic Development to how the teams execute, as well as a strong collaborative partnership with our Global team in LA.

How did you get started in the industry?

I originally started my career over 20 years ago in a multidisciplinary design agency in Johannesburg, although I am not a creative I have always enjoyed being close to a creative process.  When I moved to Amsterdam I then transitioned to advertising agencies mostly because of more English language opportunities.  That’s where I stayed until 2006 when I moved over to brand side and from them to now I have been in the Marketing space for footwear companies – it happened pretty organically.

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing that?

I would love to be a full-time writer, and occasionally do stand up comedy.  I have been journaling and writing since my early teens but moving to the Netherlands at 23 put a bit of a break in my plan to be a copywriter.

What do you love about your job?

As before, being closer to how brands creatively express themselves, and the opportunity to tell stories and that in order to be good at my job I need to be on point with what is trending and relevant.

What do you hate about your job?

That everyone thinks Marketing is easy, and that many brands don’t invest in Marketing in a way that actually creates greater ROI and when revenues are down we are the first function to cut budgets

Do you work with an in-house creative team, an agency, or both?

TOMS creative is predominantly delivered by an internal creative team, brand strategy agencies are hired on occasion by the Global team and we have for the first time ever hired a creative agency to deliver the first UK specific campaign for TOMS for one of our biggest key accounts.  It’s a great opportunity to illustrate the difference between a UK/Europe consumer and a US consumer.

What do you look for in a creative agency? 

Partnership and transparency!  I have always seen the creative agencies I have worked with as a direct extension of my team which means they get me unfiltered but up until now, I have only gotten great feedback on that. It should be respectful and fun, working on creative solutions is probably my favourite part of my job.

What is the single thing that matters the most when working with a creative agency?

That the agency delivers ideas that make me uncomfortable, ‘growth and comfort seldom co-exist’ is one of my favourite quotes and think this really matters when developing creative. Consumers don’t want vanilla.  I do also appreciate an agency that understands the internal challenges we face and the commercial targets we have to hit – if they do we can work more collaboratively on delivering a creative solution in a way that gets it through.

What your all-time favourite piece of creative work/campaign?

The iconic bottle from Jean-Paul Gautier, Obama campaign creative, my brother’s photography…., but I feel that my other favourites shift with time and with today’s nature of drip feeding content I couldn’t actually have instant recall of something that moved me.

What is your favourite website/app/tool?

Instagram to keep In touch with my family and friends who are mostly far away and to be inspired by other women and organizations, and Spotify because music keeps me sane.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Teleporting: most of the important people in my life (except my kids of course) are far away from me and I would like to spend more time with them and get there quickly, hence not saying flying.

If you could give one piece of advice for someone starting out in the industry, what would it be?

Put in the time, listen to people who have gone before you but then form your own opinions and have integrity.  Don’t be afraid to say what everyone else won’t, but always be respectful.

Where can people follow you online?

Instagram: leetha75 (I am also on Twitter and LinkedIn in but not as active there)

Thank you Lisa!

Comments