Our Industry Insights Profile takes a weekly look at some of the professionals working across the advertising, ad tech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles and companies across the buzzing industry.
This week we spoke to General Pants Group head of marketing Sara Bray.
Time in current role/time at the company:
Current role seven months, company three years.
How would you describe what the company does?
General Pants edits global trends for young blooded individuals.
What do you do day-to-day?
I work with departments heads across Ecommerce, Retail Operations, Visual Merchandising, Design, Buying and Wholesale to ensure the marketing activity we’re delivering is aligned with the broader business objectives. Whether we’re planning major seasonal campaigns, sales promotions, store openings or collection releases, developing PR and influencer programs, meeting with brand partners, producing monthly photoshoots, or working on daily social content and creative – my job is to steer and support the marketing team to ensure we’re inspiring new and existing customers to purchase from our B&M and/or online.
Define your role in one word:
Dynamic.
I got into marketing because:
Having spent 12 years in PR/Communications it became a natural progression as I began to take on more responsibility within the company.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
Trade-offs. Deciding which opportunities to walk away from and those worth doubling down on.
What’s the biggest industry-wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
Bought followers/likes/engagement in the influencer marketing space. In saying that, we have greater transparency now so influencers have become a lot more accountable, making it easier to determine who drives the desired results for your brand.
Previous industry related companies you have worked at:
I built my career in boutique PR and event agencies before making the move in-house at GP. Previous clients included Nespresso, Neiman Marcus, Frederique Constant, Omega, Seafolly, Vans, Burton Snowboards, Pernod Ricard and a host of hospitality brands and venues, long before the lockout laws hit Sydney.
Who is/has been a great mentor to you and why?
I have an incredibly supportive network of industry friends, past employers and former colleagues that I love catching up with to bounce things off. My partner works in advertising so he’s a great sounding board and I also learn a lot from the team I currently work with. I’ve always been an inquisitive person so I ask a lot of questions and absorb the decades of knowledge and experience I’m surrounded by daily.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Probably the same invaluable advice our CEO gave me when I shared my career aspirations – read “What Got You Here, Won’t Get You there” and understand the difference in the skill set required when transitioning from a specialist role to a leader.
If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:
Spending more time cooking mid-week dinners!
My mantra / philosophy is:
One that my dad taught me early on which was to worry only about the things you can affect/control (do something about it) and accept/let go of those you can’t (if you can’t change it, change your attitude). It’s my approach in both personal and professional situations.
My favourite advert is (and why):
I’m biased, but an archival GP ad we discovered on YouTube one day! It’s hilarious - https://youtu.be/7gNOK_wKFv0
Music and TV streaming habits. What do you subscribe to?
Netflix for a weekend binge, Spotify (The Beatles Radio is a fave), and I especially love commercial TV apps (i.e. Tenplay, 7Plus, 9Now, SBS On Demand) as I’m never home to watch shows at the time they actually air.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
There’s quite a tight-knit company culture at GP so I’d be surprised if there was anything the team didn’t know about me.
In five years' time I'll be:
Celebrating my 40th, hopefully somewhere overseas with my out-of-office turned on.
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