Editorial Articles

The digital team at Propel London placed James Glazebrook at Mindshare UK, as Account Director in their social media team. Here he tells us about his career to date, and offers some sage advice for brands and job-seekers looking to get into the social space.

How did your digital career start?
My first job was in press cuttings, after which I moved into media monitoring and evaluation. As media has become increasingly digitised my career has followed suit. Before Mindshare, I spent two years developing a social media analysis offering at an evaluation agency. When the service won industry awards, my move into social was cemented.

What were your early career aspirations?
I originally wanted to be a journalist, just like everyone in press cuttings! My current position still offers me the opportunity to write compelling copy, but it also works the analytical part of my brain, lets me build relationships with clients and get inside their marketing and PR strategy.

Tell us about your job at Mindshare.
I'm an Account Director on the fast-growing social media team. I'm the "data geek" responsible for using buzz monitoring and search data to assess our activity, gaining insights into what people think about our brands, and identifying new opportunities for campaigns. I'm lucky enough to work across our existing clients, on pitches for new work, and with the whole social team - from community managers, to creatives, to blogger outreach experts.

What are your favourite examples of brands using social media?
I know it's boring, but Old Spice. They've leveraged their advertising into a truly social campaign, with a hilarious TV commercial at its heart. Another great brand is Threadless, the t-shirt company. They've always been a social brand, as consumers vote for the designs they want to see printed and sold. They've taken their strategy beyond Facebook and Twitter into new and exciting areas. They're currently judging entries to their Threadcakes competition – cakes based on their t shirt designs baked by their many fans.

What are the common problems when brands use social media?
That it's cheap and easy. It may be “free” in that you don't have to buy space, but you have to earn your right to be there. Brands must be prepared to invest time, energy and money in social media if they want it to pay dividends. Brands can expect a return on their investment, but they need to commit to an investment first.

What do you see as the future of the digital industry?
Growth. I'm with Jeff Dachis, who believes that soon all business will be online, and all of the internet will be social. Companies need to look at the whole of their business, including their internal organisation, and make them more social.

What’s the future of your career?
My boss will be glad to know that I'm not looking beyond Mindshare right now! Within the agency there is an astonishing amount of data, and gathering it all together represents a real challenge. I'd like to be the person to work out the best way to report back to our clients on all of the exciting activity we do on their behalf.

What advice would you give people looking to get into a social media job?
Live and breathe social media. You should be on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and every other social network out there - and ideally have a blog. There is intense competition for jobs in social media, and the people who succeed are those who really "get it". Subscribing to Mashable's RSS feed is not enough!

If you’re looking to advance your digital career working with a media communications agency like Mindshare, or at a leading brand, then please contact Emma McNamara at Propel London on 0207 004 0550, or email emma@propellondon.com.