Navigating the Non-linear with Emma, Marketing Consultant

How does one navigate a non-linear career path??

Emma Houghton is a creative marketer who has gone from agency to in-house, and worked with global brands from lululemon to niche startups.?

We discuss how she got her start in marketing in the early days of social media management and her vision for creating a creatively fulfilling career for herself, utilizing all her many artistic skills to build brands.

Kaley Ross: When did you decide to pursue a creative career??

Emma Houghton: I've always had a natural inclination toward creative pursuits, like drawing, sketching and taking photos.?

I learned marketing was an option for a career when I was at McGill, and I felt it was such a natural fit.?

Being creative has always been part of my lifestyle and choosing marketing as a career has allowed that to flourish.?

KR: What were the first steps you took after university to make it happen?

EH: The biggest thing was deciding which direction to take - whether that was to go in-house or go agency - and I found leaning on my network and talking to people who were further down the track in their careers was super helpful.?

At my first internship, one of the senior leaders gave me the advice to start my career at an agency if I could because you get exposure to so many different campaigns, clients, and ways of working - and that's ultimately what I did which I’m really grateful for.??

Leaning on the people around me in my community and network was so helpful - it’s how I got my first couple jobs and helped me see what was possible for my career down the line as well.?

KR: Yes, your network is so important!

Was there a serendipitous moment that put you on this path that had a big impact on your career??

EH: At my first job I was one of the youngest people at the agency as the intern, and so I was always given the social media projects.

That's how I got my feet into social in 2011 or 2012.?

KR: Oh you were in there so early.?

EH: It was so new - most people in the office weren't familiar with social as it wasn't a thing yet, so as the youngest person on the team it often landed on my desk.

KR: Yepp.

EH: So I'd say that is really what started my career - going down the path of social media marketing and content creation.

After that first job, I moved to a boutique agency which was more social-focused, which helped me see that there was potential in social media becoming a career.?

And from there, I landed at lululemon and managed paid and organic social!?

KR: And that's how we met!?

EH: Yeah!?

KR: As a creative marketer what lights you up the most??

EH: Oh, that's a good one.?

I love seeing things come to fruition and be out in the world. From starting with a brainstorm to then figuring out how it all comes together across channels and seeing it IRL is really rewarding!?

I also love doing my side hustle as a photographer. Seeing the work at the end of the day, especially getting film scans back, and wondering if I totally missed the mark and the photos are a mess or not - it's all part of the fun process.

Seeing your work come to life makes it all worthwhile.?

KR: I love that. Do you shoot film for client projects??

EH: I mostly shoot digital but have started doing film as well.??

Shooting film is more of a creative outlet right now. I'm just playing with it, but ultimately I want to be offering more film to clients. I really love the medium and the look and feel of it. It’s so beautiful and I think the element of not necessarily knowing what you're getting until you get your scans back is fun.?

KR: I want you to shoot me!?

I’ve never shot film for a client. I don't think I've actually shot film since I was a kid, but definitely not since I took photography seriously as a form to study and in my profession.? Even in college the classes where we shot large format was all digital.

Okay, circling back to the brainstorm to execution and seeing it come to life.?

Is there one kind of actionable insight that you could give someone who is starting out in their marketing career and learning the process of bringing ideas to life?

EH: I think it’s important to remember that all ideas are good ideas, especially when it comes to bringing a concept or a campaign to life.?

Sometimes when you're junior, you can feel like you don’t have enough experience to bring your ideas to the table - but everyone has great ideas and it can help move the brainstorm along and bring the puzzle pieces together.?

Don’t feel like your creative ideas aren't valid or worth sharing because they are and if it's not the right idea in the moment, it'll probably at least help spur other ideas.?

KR: That's great advice.

Was there a moment where everything felt like it was gonna fall apart and you really had to pull through?

EH: A startup environment with small teams and small resources, but big ambitions is an interesting spot to be in.

There’s a lot of challenges, but I think just trusting your team was the biggest thing I learned. Leaning on your team and your agencies to help get things across the line was critical and relying on them as partners helped get things out the door versus taking on all the stress and the brunt of it myself.?

KR: Do you think it's important to be able to move quickly in marketing, or is it possible to move a bit slower??

EH: I think some of the best brands are the ones that can move quickly and jump into conversations that are happening in culture - for example, looking for a man in finance was a massive trend not long ago.

There are so many Finance brands that could have been making something out of that and jumping into the conversation.

KR: That's such a good point. The brands I see that were having fun with it were not even remotely related to finance.?

EH: Yeah.?

KR: Looking back on your career thus far, you're standing at the top of this mountain that you've climbed. What does your view look like??

EH: My career has a lot of diversity in it.?

Maybe this comes down to having itchy feet or being creative and wanting to try a lot of things, but I just love to work across different types of brands and projects.?

I've jumped from agency to in-house to start-up, and I often think that not having linear experiences could be a detriment.?

But ultimately I think it keeps me inspired by working with a bunch of different types of brands, industries, and people.?

I’ve learned a lot and have a breadth of experience that I can apply in the future.

KR: I love it. Okay, and that's a great segue.? What is your vision for the future??

EH: Hah great question. It’s currently a work in progress.?

As it currently stands, my vision for my career is helping brands tell their stories through strategic creative, marrying my background in marketing, content, copywriting, and photography.?

KR: Oh, I love it. Thank you so much for joining me, Emma!