Samuel Bonstow
Marketing executive, Realistic Games
I have had a relatively direct route into marketing. I studied business at school, which led onto studying consumer behaviour and marketing at the University of Reading. From there it was a small step into my first graduate marketing role.
I’ve been in marketing for approximately two and a half years, made up of an internship as a marketing assistant, my graduate role as a PPC consultant and in my current role as a marketing executive.
The biggest inspiration for me came from when I was growing up, where my mum insisted that we had to buy certain brands of household goods because she felt such a strong connection to the brand. Seeing that inspired me to want to build and develop that connection for other people.
I think initially a two-pronged approach is needed to inspire more school age children into marketing. Firstly, I think we need to get the message out that marketing is a career option and doesn’t fall under an umbrella of ‘sales’ or ‘general business’. Secondly, I think there needs to be opportunities to give children an experience of what real-world marketing is, either through competitions like the School of Marketing’s ice cream challenge, or working with local businesses to encourage work experience.
