Category: The Journey Talk

Welcome to The Journey Talk with Rafa Uccello! Here we talk to young marketing professionals about their career journey, aspirations and inspirations. Get to know more about the people that are shaping the future of our industry.

This week, we got to chat with Jaeden Auguste, a freelance marketing specialist who highlights the importance of networking and constant learning, in the evolving marketing industry.

Name: Jaeden Auguste

Pronouns: He/Him

Education: Humber College – Bachelor of Commerce, Marketing

Industry: Digital Marketing

Favourite quote: “Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing. That’s the Law of Consistency. It doesn’t matter how talented you are. It doesn’t matter how many opportunities you receive. If you want to grow, consistency is key.” —John C. Maxwell

Guilty pleasures: Sour Patch Kids

1.Did you have a career in mind when you started?

For me, it was a very interesting process. Sometimes in high school, you are forced into specific roles—your parents want you to be a dentist, an engineer, etc. My parents wanted me to go into I.T., So I went to Ryerson University for technology management. I spent about three years there and realized that what I wanted to pursue was marketing and that I didn’t enjoy I.T. So, I decided to go to Humber.

2.  At what point did you know the career you wanted to pursue, and what you wanted to achieve?

 My interest in marketing started when I was a kid. My dad had a company, and I helped him with his marketing and social media content. When I transitioned from I.T to marketing, I knew I wanted to work with digital content, and I already had the leading skills to do it. My real-life experience was the catalyst for choosing digital marketing. If it weren’t for my dad’s business, I probably wouldn’t know about my interest in the industry.

 3. What is something that you learned that has been impactful for you?

 I learned throughout my time in school and at work that networking is so important. Networking is one of the key skills that a marketer should have. I learned about it later than I wished, but I made sure when I started at Humber that I connected with my professors and classmates. In the real world, to get through particular doors and positions, it’s not always about being the best candidate; it’s about who knows the right people.

 4. What is one thing you wish you knew when starting your career in marketing?

 I wish I knew what I wanted to specialize in, sooner. As marketers, we are always trying to learn as much as we can—the industry is constantly evolving and changing; we are naturally forced to tackle many different areas. I wish I had known to focus on one thing at a time, try it out, and move on to the next if I didn’t like it. I realized while applying for jobs, recently, that no one wants a “marketer of all trades”; companies want marketers who are focused, and who get results.

 5. What keeps you motivated and inspired in your professional life?

 My hunger to learn keeps me motivated. I chose marketing because it is constantly changing—which means there is always something new to learn. Every day is different! For you to learn, you also have to execute: hands-on, practical experience, is key. With a continually evolving industry, I have the opportunity to apply that and be the best in my area of expertise. Working as a freelancer, I have been doing a lot of social media marketing, however, on the side, I’m also exploring YouTube analytics, SEO, backlinks, sales copywriting, etc., to ensure I’m ahead of the curve.

Welcome to The Journey Talk with Rafa Uccello! Here we talk to young marketing professionals about their career journey, aspirations and inspirations. Get to know more about the people that are shaping the future of our industry.

This week, we got to chat with Paige Sontag, a Senior Manager at Nielsen, that talked about the importance of leadership and transparency in client relationships.

Name: Paige Sontag

Pronouns: She/her

Education: Bachelor of Arts Honours in English and Psychology at Queen’s University, and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Research Analysis at Georgian College

Industry: Digital Marketing / Advertising Technologies

Favourite quote: “You don’t know what you don’t know” – my boss and mentor

Guilty pleasure: Love Island and boxed wine

Q: Did you have a career in mind when you started?

A: No, not really. I went to Queen’s University for English and Psychology because I wasn’t sure of what I wanted. I had two ideas in mind: either I wanted to get a master’s in information sciences and become a librarian or do a master’s in counselling psychology and become a counselor. As I was near the end of my undergrad program, I realized I did not want to get another degree. After that, I started looking into colleges and multiple post-grad programs. I came across the Research Analyst program at Georgian College that sparked my interest. While I was there, I noticed that I liked marketing research, where I started my career. I always knew I enjoyed research; however, I also knew I didn’t want to work in academic research. When I started to learn more about marketing research, the passion started setting in. And the rest is history.

Q: Did you ever feel rushed to decide your path after undergrad?

A: I did feel kind of rushed because everyone wants to get a job after they graduate. My problem was that I wasn’t entirely sure about what I liked. I was a good student, but the university was not the type of study I liked to do, so I knew that doing a master’s without being sure if I would enjoy it was not worthwhile. That’s why I took the post-grad path; it turned out to be a great experience.

Q: At what point did you know what career you wanted to be in, and what you wanted to achieve? 

A: When I was in my post-grad, I had different courses within research that sparked in me the certainty that “Yes, this is what I want to do”. I like qualitative research; although I leaned more toward quantitative analysis in my job, I had the opportunity to get trained as a moderator. Throughout that period, it became apparent that I wanted to have a career in that field.

Q: What is something you learned that has been impactful for you? 

A: One of my bosses told me that “You don’t know what you don’t know”, which can be a confusing sentence. However, this taught me that when you work as a supplier of data to marketers and agencies, they expect you to be an expert in many areas, but you can’t always be that. Admitting that you don’t know something and finding the answer afterward, was one of the most impactful things. I’m a perfectionist at my core, and I always want to help my clients, immediately. But it is not always possible. It was hard for me to understand that at the beginning of my career, it helped me realize that it’s ok to not know everything in such a vast industry, and take the time to find the correct answer later on.

Q: What is one thing you wish you knew when starting your career in marketing?

A: I wish I knew that the job isn’t as important as it feels. When you are working hard because you want to see great results, you can burnout quickly. One thing people say in our industry is that “We don’t do brain surgery”. There are no radical outcomes if you can’t get something done. Although we are accountable to our clients within our deadlines, most clients understand if you need an extra afternoon to get something done. Needless to say, working is essential, but it’s not life or death. However, I still need to remind myself that it is okay to take a break, so I don’t feel burned out. That keeps me going.

Q: What keeps you motivated and inspired in your professional life?

 A: For me, one of the essential things is leadership and being part of a team. What keeps me motivated is being able to keep my team motivated and engaged, and seeing their success. When they are successful, everyone wins, the team and each individual member. It also reflects how much I helped them grow and work toward their goals. I always say to my teams that if they need a reference for a future job, I would oblige; I don’t want to hold them back for what could be a significant step in their careers. Decisions leaders make can have a profound effect on the trajectory of their team members. I always want to help people—from those I manage to my team or my clients.

Welcome to The Journey Talk with Rafa Uccello! Here we talk to young marketing professionals about their career journey, aspirations and inspirations. Get to know more about the people that are shaping the future of our industry.

This week, we chatted with Amani Youssef, a young marketer who graduated amidst the pandemic—a challenging feat! However, it gave her time to reflect and understand more about what she wants for her future.

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Name: Amani Youssef

Pronouns: She/her

Education: Advertising and Marketing Communications Diploma, Humber College

Favourite Quote: “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it” —Albert Einstein

Guilty Pleasure: Music

Q: How did you decide what you wanted to study in college?

A: First, I wanted to get into fashion, then acting, then signing. However, with time, I started to understand what really could work for me. Or not. In grade 12, I was stuck. And while talking to my dad, I mentioned how all of my hobbies didn’t feel viable as a successful career path; they did not align with my future goals in life.

My dad then suggested going the marketing route. He introduced me to the Marketing Communications & Advertising Diploma program at Humber. I was a bit hesitant; however, my family motivated me to give it a shot. I didn’t want to take a break after high school, so I started my program when I was seventeen. It was only two years, so I felt if I didn’t like it, I could still switch direction, and I would have my first diploma by 19. I started enjoying the program mostly after my first year; I’m so grateful I made that choice.

Q: Now that you have finished school, do you still want to pursue marketing?

A: I do! Right now, I’m leaning more toward advertising. I also really enjoy the social media aspect of marketing. While I was in school, I had a lot of interest in copywriting until I started visiting agencies and got a better understanding of that role or function. It didn’t fit my every-day work goals and personality; it was way more complicated than I thought.

Q: What is something you would like to achieve in your career?

A: Right now, I don’t have a clear idea of what my dream career would look like. I consider this more of a personal goal; I just want to be content with whatever I am doing. I don’t necessarily believe everyone has to have a dream goal or career; those are just materialistic goals, and we’ll always want more, anyway. I’d love to have the opportunity to work with brands and agencies I admire, but I will never accomplish these goals if I’m not content with myself, and with what I am doing.

Q: What is something that you learned that has been impactful for you?

A: I’m a very bubbly person, and with COVID, I lost a lot of my motivation—I was struggling to be active. While on a drive with my 16-year-old brother, I told him how I didn’t feel motivated, and I didn’t know what to do next. He then told me, “Amani, you shouldn’t depend on motivation to do things, otherwise you will never get anything done. It’s about the discipline you have on yourself.” This happened recently, but left a significant impact on me. Every time I feel stuck, I remember his advice, and it pushes me to be productive.

Q: What is one thing you wish you knew when starting your career in marketing?

A: To take things more seriously, and be patient. When I first started school, I was young, and I thought I was prepared for college life. But I wasn’t. I learned the importance of being present in class, developing a relationship with your professors, and being patient. “You are going to get through it”, I would say to myself.

Q: What keeps you motivated and inspired in your professional life?

A: Many people say social media can be toxic for many reasons, which I agree with—to a certain extent.

I also believe it’s about how you use it to your benefit. TikTok, for example, has been helpful. I follow many young entrepreneurs; it’s fascinating to see how they are building their careers and success. This motivates me to see that it really is possible to get where I aspire to be one day, and keeping up with many different examples online—and drawing inspiration from it.

Welcome to The Journey Talk with Rafa Uccello! Here we talk to young marketing professionals about their career journey, aspirations and inspirations. Get to know more about the people that are shaping the future of our industry.

This week, we chatted with Emme Anderson, a client strategist at Nielsen, who came to Canada to attend university, with the hope she can make a fresh in building a new career path.

Name: Emme Anderson

Pronouns: She/her

Education: University of Toronto, Bachelor of Commerce – Management/Marketing

Industry: Digital Marketing & Data Management 

Favourite quote: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

—Eleanor Roosevelt

Guilty pleasures: The Bachelorette and ice cream—preferably at the same time.

Q: Did you have a career in mind when you started?

I’m originally from California, and I have dual citizenship. When deciding where I should go to school, my parents mentioned Canada. Many don’t realize how many good schools there are here. I knew I was interested in business & marketing, and U of T had a great program. I wanted a fresh start from high school, so moving to Toronto felt like the right choice.

Q: At what point did you know what career you wanted, and what you wanted to achieve?

A: I knew I liked business, math and economics; my mom also works in the marketing industry. I was not sure specifically which path I wanted to follow within that industry, so I was looking at school programs with different options. Mid-way through university, one of my courses had a project where we had to talk about our career plans. We had to pick a dream job, explain why it was our dream job, and which steps we were going to take to achieve it. I pondered it for two weeks and thought about what I wanted to do with my life. I wrote it all down; this definitely helped me find some guidance.

Q: What is something impactful that you learned?

A: I think that not everybody you meet through school or work will think the same way as you. This can be from their work styles to the way they communicate. I started noticing this in University where you have to work in a group of people you have never met before and may not share the same vision as you. You have to learn how to easily adapt in order to work more effectively with people. With work, I’m constantly meeting new people; having those interactions during university, definitely helped prepare me for that. You need to figure out the best way you can adapt to different situations; to be more efficient.

Q: What is one thing you wish you knew when starting your career in marketing?

A: I wish I knew that you don’t need to be perfect at everything all the time. When I started, I was nervous and wanted to do everything, perfectly. If I received constructive feedback from someone, I would still take it negatively; I thought that I wasn’t performing well. However, perhaps I merely made a minor error, and the feedback was a way for my team to help me grow and learn. In the marketing industry, for example, it’s not only your particular job or the projects you work on, that might go through constant change. Consequently, it’s common to make mistakes and have to learn new things on a regular basis. With COVID, all of us went through multiple changes in a short period of time; we all had to learn how to adapt—quickly! It’s ok to make mistakes; you just have to stand tall and learn from them.

Q: What keeps you motivated and inspired in your professional life?

A: That is definitely a hard one. Of course, there are days I’m unmotivated. I live alone in an apartment, so the transition from in-office work to remote work, due to COVID, was definitely an adjustment. You go from seeing people every day, to being very isolated. I do have a cat that keeps me company, though!

I don’t feel like I need validation from other people but I really love when I get positive feedback—everyone does! This can be from a manager, or conversely, someone I can help. But in the end, if I am able to provide them with a good solution they’re happy with, it gives me validation; it motivates me with my day-to-day tasks.

I enjoy being around my team and collaborating in person. If we were to go back to in-office working, I would definitely like it, even though I got used to work from home. Online meetings can be a bit distancing without the in-person connection. My team and I want to make ourselves available so the people that we are working with can connect with us.

Welcome to The Journey Talk with Rafa Uccello! Here we talk to young marketing professionals about their career journey, aspirations and inspirations. Get to know more about the people that are shaping the future of our industry.

This week, we got to chat with Erika Sabrina Giuggio, a young entrepreneur and marketer who is creating her own opportunities toward accomplishing her dream of owning a business.

Name: Erika Sabrina Giuggio

Pronouns: She/ her

Education: Bachelor of Commerce – Marketing, CEM

Industry: Digital Marketing  

Favourite quote: ” The more you learn, the more you earn” —Warren Buffet

Guilty pleasures: Queen of the South, and reading a book by the ocean

Did you have a career in mind when you started?

Yes, I had a few options I was seriously considering. Just before I started my marketing degree at Humber, I wanted to become an entrepreneur. I come from a family who has always been in business, so I had this influence right at home. In 2017, I filed a patent in the U.S. and Canada called Cosmetic Brush Systems. I used my knowledge, experience and resources on campus throughout my college career to get my start. If that didn’t pan out, my second option was to work in a corporate setting in marketing, specializing in digital and social media.

At what point did you know what career you wanted to be in and what you wanted to achieve?

During my Cosmetic Brush Systems idea, I knew, even at the tender age of 15, I wanted to be an entrepreneur. As I mentioned, my entire family and extended family are in business. I saw how hard they worked, but I also saw the financial freedom it can come with, and living life on your terms. I had the support and connections to try and make it out there, and I knew I could achieve the same—if not better.  And by better, I mean, making an environmental impact that slows down the process of climate change.

But then COVID-19 happened, and realizing my dream is, for now, on the back-burner. I mean, who’s putting on make-up when your mask is covering it? I applied for a few marketing positions; I got a job at a travel company downtown. Unfortunately, the Monday following, they called to tell me they’re closing six of their offices, worldwide. I kept applying and getting interviews, but kept receiving job offers that made working at McDonald’s more attractive, in terms of pay. So, I declined. Now even though this might come across as “millennial entitlement”, I knew I wanted mor, and needed more. This was the reason behind my new mindset and attitude, that, “If you can’t find a job, create one”. And I did just that. I started Erika Giuggio Consulting. Initially, my plan was to do this short-term, while at the same time, developing my portfolio. Well, things changed—yet again! It’s now become more like a long-term venture. Perhaps, eventually, I may not even end up in marketing. For the future,I want to scale the business using white labels and to outsource the work. Ideally, I would focus more in the project management section of the company.

Life throws you curve balls: You’ll either sink or swim. We make choices—and they’re ours to make.

What is something that you learned that has impacted you?

“The more you learn, the more you earn,” & F.A.I.L.

Professors repeat this over and over again, but you need to read beyond the textbooks. You need to be learning about what’s happening in the digital sphere, and you need to be doing it every day. I’m glad I took that advice. I would not be where I am today, nor the person I’m striving to be as a professional marketer and entrepreneur. Marketing is all about “Capturing hearts and minds of consumers.” How you market to them today may not be how to market to them tomorrow. The more you learn, the more likely you are going to provide results in an ever-changing environment. More results, bigger $$$. When I hire employees, I tell them from day one, “The more you learn, the more you earn.” Your potential is unlimited when you hustle. When you keep up, you provide more results; when you give more results, you develop a fantastic portfolio to charge more for your work. It’s as simple as that.

F.A.I.L

In my academic and professional career, I use to beat myself up when I would make mistakes, especially big ones. But I later realized it was okay to make them. Relax. Learn from your mistakes and move on. When you pondering them, you’re just wasting time. F.A.I.L stands for the first attempt in learning. Learn, and keep going.

What is one thing you wish you knew when starting your career in marketing?

I wish I knew what I was in for when I started consulting. Providing a service is 10% harder than a product. With a product, you become obsessed with your audience, learn what they want and sell it to them. With a service, there is a lot more work involved.

What keeps you motivated and inspired in your professional life?

What keeps me motivated and inspired is the fantastic support network around me such as CIMMO, my mentors and my coaches. As an entrepreneur, you need a mentor or a coach. Or both! There are some days you are going to wake up and say, what am I doing? Am I a burnout? Is this crazy? I’ll just go work for someone else. And you need someone to keep you in line and tell you to remember how far you’ve come. Not to quit. Stay the course. What also keeps me motivated is meeting new people—in a professional setting or otherwise.  As someone that would go out all the time before COVID-19, the pandemic has adversely impacted how I interact with others.