How Daniel Todaro got ahead

What is the next big brand in your view?
Virgin Media for all the wrong reasons, one month in and it appears to be hitting the self destruct button.

How Daniel Todaro got ahead

Name: Daniel Todaro

Company: Gekko

Job title: Managing director

What made you want to get into brands/advertising/media/marketing?
Having studied design at college I have always been driven to understand how products are marketed to appeal to consumers.

How did you get into the industry (including relevant qualifications and professional training)?
Having majored in marketing at University and realising that design didn’t pay very well, I got a proper salaried job.

What was good and bad about your first job?
Bad: Not realising that office life can be quite so dull and political.
Good: Realising that with the correct attitude you can achieve anything.

List your jobs to date:
MD and founder of Gekko
VP for brands – Mosaic Group
MD of Mosaic Technology

What were the best and worst, and why?
All my previous jobs were challenging and allowed me to develop, but none compete with the satisfaction of Gekko, which allows me to be creative.

Who has been your biggest inspiration?
People that challenge convention and make me smile.

Who in the industry do you most admire?
Martin Sorrell, for creating an empire that makes brands consider marketing from a commercial perspective.

What is your biggest achievement to date?
My son and Gekko being recognised amongst the best field marketing agencies in the UK – two babies I will defend with my life.

On what do you base your success so far?
Determination and self belief.

What are your ambitions?
To continue to develop Gekko so that Mr Sorrell calls me!

Change one thing about your job:
Service level agreements. Let’s bring some trust back into business.

Change one thing about your industry:
For brands to recognise the field marketing industry as a significant part of any marketing strategy and adds value.

Change one thing about the world:
Stop thinking about climate change and make a clear step forward to involve everyone.

What is your favourite brand?
I should quote one of our clients but for me it’s got to be the fashion brand Dunhill which has successfully held onto its quintessentially English roots producing quality products that are always well designed and appeal to a global market. Please send all freebies to…only joking.

What is the next big brand in your view?
Virgin Media for all the wrong reasons, one month in and it appears to be hitting the self destruct button.

List your ‘media diet’:
Marketing Week
Marketing
Observer
BBC News 24