Live and work – Durban and Joburg.
Play – outside. South Africa is an amazing playground just waiting to be explored.
It’s got nothing to do with fame, but I am very proud to have launched the Shield Sbonis’iDiski programme – a platform for aspiring footballers in South Africa to showcase their skills and take their game to the next level.
What a year!
— Gareth Marshall (@garethmarshall) December 11, 2018
Love being part of a team that can unlock opportunities for South Africans. Winners of the @Shield_ZA #SbonisiDiski trials seen training with a few of their heroes at @ChelseaFC #unleash #movewithshield pic.twitter.com/7Y44wHbD3r
My career so far has been an epic journey, learning about innovation, sponsorship and, most importantly, people. This fuels my passion for building brands that make a positive difference in people’s lives.
I believe in ‘redefining normal’, while still delivering business results. Having diverse experience on both sides of the industry – on the advertising agency and now client-side – has enabled me to solve business problems creatively, or change the game entirely.The fact that I started my career as a personal fitness trainer explains a lot!
My wife. Daughter. Running Shoes. Music playlist.
The ever-changing landscape. Being able to blend science and art into engaging consumer-centric communication.
Today, the role that brands and companies can play in influencing and shaping society cannot be overlooked.6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.
It’s a game that we play every day. The consumer makes a move, then we make a move, then the consumer reacts to that and we react to that move.
That’s what I love about it. Every single day, there are moves being made that we have to respond to. There’s no typical day because of that, and that’s what keeps the fire going.
Curiosity. Coffee. Phone. Wi-Fi. My brain. A bit of madness.
Never be afraid to have honest conversations with partners when reviewing work or campaigns. The majority of the time people are too defensive… But this is the only way to get better!
Lots of exciting projects on the horizon. From a work perspective, we are working on year three of Sbonis’iDiski.
Personally, I’m working on a project called #unleash… becoming a ‘business athlete’. This is all about adopting an athlete’s mindset to be successful in business.
I try to avoid all the buzzwords, but a key topic is hyper-personalisation or personalisation at scale. It’s all about how we can deepen the connection with consumers in a meaningful way.
My brain never sleeps. Some of my best ideas come to me when I’m out running.
Definitely a technophile.
13. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?
Simple as that. Click through to Marshall’s MyBiz profile, and follow his updates on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. You can also follow Unilever ZA on Twitter, and Shield on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.