In conversation with four marketing stars for the future

We talk to four of those rising stars about what inspired them to get into marketing, the challenges that excite them today and how marketing can be a positive force for change.

From left to right: Emilie Berg Kaasin (DNB); Ben-Jie Lim (AirAsia); Krishma Sood (Arnott's Group); and Ioanna Kontorigopoulou (Nestlé/CPW Hellas)

Emilie Berg Kaasin, Concept Developer in Marketing & Digital Sales, DNB (Norway)

What inspired you to get into marketing?

My interest in marketing started in the innovation environment at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. I learned that innovation and building strong brands are keys to achieving competitive advantage and profitable growth. During my master’s degree at the Norwegian School of Economics, I became particularly interested in how changes in the marketing mix based on consumer and market insights can affect customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and company performance. This led me to Norway's largest financial services group, DNB, where I work on developing value propositions to improve customer experience.

What challenge keeps you busy right now?

I am exploring how DNB can effectively engage young customers with banking. The youth segment has grown up in the digital age and has access to more information and choices, sets higher demands and expects companies to get more involved in important societal issues. At DNB, we know that some of the most important issues for young people are climate change and environmental protection, while banking is generally a low-interest topic. It has been really important to take this insight as a starting point when improving the bank’s offer.

How can marketing do good for people and the planet?

Marketing can be good for both profit and the environment and by having these two thoughts simultaneously, DNB as a major player in Norway’s financial sector can contribute to a better world. A good example is our “HunInvesterer” initiative, which aims to reduce the capital gap between women and men, and our “The pension gap” campaign, which seeks to match the pension income for female pensioners of the future with that of male pensioners. By engaging the right target group through the right tools, in the right channel, at the right time, marketing can play an important role in changing consumer behaviour.

Ben-Jie Lim, Head of e-Commerce, AirAsia (Malaysia)

What inspired you to get into marketing?

I’ve always been interested in the power of marketing, mainly due to two great mentors, Tony Fernandes, AirAsia’s Group CEO and Margaret Au Yong, Head of Media and Marketing at Tune Group. They have taught me that marketing allows us to dig deep within ourselves to draw out inspiration and, more importantly, the need to constantly evolve and innovate to stay ahead of the game.

What challenge keeps you busy right now?

In my current role as Head of e-Commerce, the main challenge has been to expand our lifestyle offerings on AirAsia’s super app across different consumer categories and across country borders. But above all, it is really all about being the best person I can be for my team. I’ve come to realise that diversity and inclusion within the team is the fundamental reason for AirAsia's success over the years. It has been a great learning experience for me and I look forward to every challenge that comes my way.

How can marketing do good for people and the planet?

Marketing is always about telling a story and making that story compelling enough for consumers to join you on that journey. A great marketer always brings out the best in a product or service and how it adds value to a person’s life. Therefore, marketing has a strong role in doing good for the people and the planet especially when the future remains uncertain.

Krishma Sood, Marketing Manager, The Arnott’s Group (Australia)

What inspired you to get into marketing?

I was inspired by the role that marketing plays in shaping consumer perceptions of social issues, and its ability to change the way the world thinks! My young adulthood was spent watching brands such as Dove advocate for “real beauty”. As an Australian-Indian female, I fell in love with brand management and felt inspired by the impact a marketer could have due to the sheer scale of FMCG brands. The brands I’ve worked on have had more than 90% market penetration – meaning billions of consumers engaging with your ideas.

What challenge keeps you busy right now?

At The Arnott’s Group, I focus on leading game-changing innovation. My daily challenge involves making the world of biscuits relevant, fun and engaging for consumers – a particularly tough feat when working on an iconic Australian brand! Bringing disruptive, category growth-driving innovation is what gets me out of bed. Delivering innovation at scale that meets consumer needs within existing manufacturing capabilities remains the key tension within the Australian FMCG landscape. Leading the new teeVee snacks x Krispy Kreme collaboration has been the first step in moving towards the type of innovation that we want to drive within macro-snacking.

How can marketing do good for people and the planet?

There is an inherent intersection between meeting consumer needs, delivering business results and driving social impact. With a generation of marketers moving into leadership roles who hold business results in equal regard to environmental impact and social purpose, marketing and brands can play a pivotal role in “doing good.” During my time as a marketing manager at Unilever, I led a project that yielded savings of around 70,000 tonnes of paper per year and transitioned the brand to recyclable packaging. This type of brand management is no longer a “hot trend”, this is simply the way we need to do business.

Ioanna Kontorigopoulou, Brand Manager, Lion & Fitness Cereals, Nestlé/CPW (Greece)

What inspired you to get into marketing?

I have always been a creative person and I was really interested in how companies use creativity to grow their business and sell their products. I have also always been fascinated by consumer behaviour. Why do people purchase the things they do? What inspires people to purchase things in the way they purchase them? What can be done to influence buying behaviour? Marketing is very much about knowing the consumer and how and why they buy things.

What challenge keeps you busy right now?

The influencer’s power as we once knew it is starting to lose, well, its influence. We need to figure out what will be the next big thing, what will be the new way for us marketers so that we can be closer to our consumers when they have a certain need, or better yet when they haven’t even realised they have one. It is a very hard thing to do, but that is what marketing is all about – overcoming challenges!

How can marketing do good for people and the planet?

Brands should not only be concerned about how they will grow their market share and profit. Brands should also care about how they will help make our world better. Every brand should fight for a greater cause and use their resources and share of voice to drive awareness, educate their consumers and be the leading example in doing good for the planet. We want to see brands have higher aspirations than just their own pockets, we want to see brands care more.

Click here for more information on the marketers included in this year’s Future 50 list.