In the moment with Ellie B.
What goes on in the mind of a marketing coordinator? We sat down with Ellie, affectionately called Ellie B. around the office, to pick her brain a bit. We wanted to learn about her approach, her most controversial opinions, and more. Read about what we learned to see what she’s made of.
Expertise and approach.
Interviewer: Let’s begin with your day-to-day. What sort of requests do you usually get as a marketing coordinator?
Ellie B.: Usually, clients come to me and ask for things to be actioned as soon as possible: web updates, emergency email campaigns, print campaigns, blogs, etc. I feel like I'm someone who can deliver quickly.
As marketing coordinators, we’re on the frontlines. And… we’re dealing.
Interviewer: I’d say you’re dealing well! What’s a mistake you see brands make over and over with their marketing efforts?
Ellie B.: I think they don't go out of their way to truly understand their consumers before they act. They're hopeful, but they skip the user persona phase and often miss learning what consumers actually need.
Interviewer: And for your approach: if you had to describe it in one word, what would it be (and what does that actually look like in practice)?
Ellie B.: Proactive. I try to get everyone rallied together to make sure we're on the same page before actioning anything; this also maximises our options. I usually rattle off what I think could work well, then wait to hear back from the brand managers.
Interviewer: Where do you think the best ideas really come from when you’re working – structure, chaos, collaboration, or solitude?
Ellie B.: Chaos; but this can also be my downfall. That’s why I take time for solitude, to have space to think and check on the details. So a combination of solitude and collaboration… but I love a bit of chaos.
Point of view and taste.
Interviewer: Moving on to trends and POV: what trends in marketing are you quietly ignoring right now, and why?
Ellie B.: AI. One of the UK’s biggest theme parks has a welcome sign that was created by AI. Rollercoaster enthusiasts know the details, and spot errors instantly. They’re probably cutting corners because of budget, but they’re not giving passionate creatives a chance – it’s such a cheap cop-out. It makes it look like they don’t care enough, and like they just hope no one will notice.
Interviewer: What’s something you have a strong opinion about in your field that others might disagree with?
Ellie B.: I think more brands should do surveys and customer sampling to understand their audience. So instead of just acting, actually understanding if there's a need for it. And stop pushing for something if you're not getting results – do something different.
I’ve actually been a part of a customer survey! One time I was on the street and literally got pulled into a customer sampling for Walkers crisps.
Interviewer: I’ve always wanted to do one of those! Guess you just have to be at the right place, at the right time! What excites you most about working with brands today, and what bores you?
Ellie B.: So much excites me, I can't just pick out a key point. I love the tight turnarounds, being creative, getting stuck in with the creative team, aiding wherever possible and trying to think from the consumers’ point of view. It’s easy to write something beautiful but you need to think about who’s reading it.
I also love reporting! It’s my sh*t. I love understanding why statistics have changed over time, why people have stopped engaging, etc. What was the turn-off, and why? What should we do differently? When things work well, applying the same tactics to other clients. Learning and feeding that data back to the brand managers to adapt the plan. I like cracking a case and solving a problem.
Interviewer: That is fun. How often do you do reporting work?
Ellie B.: For most of our retained clients, including Ketchup, every month. I am currently doing a course on analysis called, “Data-Driven Decision-Making”. This could help us learn from our mistakes quicker and stop us from making them again when something isn’t delivering.
I find it quite satisfying! It all ties into my interests in consumer behaviour psychology.
Collaboration and Ketchup perspective.
Interviewer: Now moving into Ketchup-specifics: how does being part of a multidisciplinary team at Ketchup shape your work?
Ellie B.: It’s amazing! I love having access to such talented people. You can tell everyone is so passionate about their field… I feel we've got people at the top of their game all under one roof because everything we deliver is top-tier; you can’t find that collection of condensed talent elsewhere.
Interviewer: And what’s something clients might not realise they get access to by working with Ketchup?
Ellie B.: So much enthusiasm, energy and ideas. We don’t want to just be told what to do – we want to get creative and work with our clients. We're happy to jump on calls and keep things moving forward because we genuinely want the best for our clients. And sometimes it means not wanting to blindly do as we’re told since we want to give them the best outcome. We’re a collection of creative strengths that we can tap into whenever we want to improve an idea.
Interviewer: What’s a project you’re most proud of that you’ve done with Ketchup?
Ellie B.: Toolfair and InstallerSHOW bits for Starrett! I never had trouble with the approval process because I stayed on everything really closely. Even with last-minute requests, purchase orders, changes, and tweaks, I kept it running smoothly.
One of the first clients I worked with was St Helena Hospice, so they’re always a special one for me. A memorable early success I had was when an organic post I did got 40 purchases. It was at no cost to them, so that was pretty amazing. I did the copy and graphic for that (I like stepping in every now and then and getting creative). Overall, I like mitigating stress for the Brand Managers.
Personality and human side.
Interviewer: Now for the personality stuff: what does your brain do when you’re not working?
Ellie B.: Plan. I like to plan trips and other things to look forward to. In my evenings, I like to go for a nice long walk after work while thinking about the things I'm looking forward to the most. I’m a very excited person – I'm always excited about something. I’m also a creature of routine: I attend a pub quiz every Wednesday and bowling every Thursday (they have a discount on Thursdays!).
Interviewer: What’s something you’re excited about right now?
Ellie B.: All my theme park trips planned for this summer – I’m going to Belgium, Switzerland, and Borneo; I am so excited to be in a rainforest!
Interviewer: What’s a habit or ritual that helps you reset mentally? In other words, do you ever stop?
Ellie B.: I do stop; I like being outside in nature, bird-watching, or feeding the ducks and geese. I also love space at the moment, so I’ve been spending time stargazing on clear nights. I would love to invest in a proper telescope soon, and to see Saturn or Jupiter from my garden. It reminds me that I’m so small. It brings me peace knowing there’s so much more that’s bigger than myself.
Interviewer: And finally, if you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing instead?
Ellie B.: Probably own a vegan food truck and bring it to the beach to sell hotdogs or tacos at the Goose Fair in Nottingham. It’s chaotic, and I like chaos. Plus, there’s cooking and travelling involved, and I like to do both.
She explained the Goose Fair, one of Europe’s largest travelling funfairs to our copywriter, who concluded the interview hungry and ready to eat. To learn more about Ellie B. and our other team members, you can visit the Meet the team page on our website.
