In our latest interview, we catch up with Sadie Wigg from Creative Pod who tells us about the role of a marketing manager and her views of how the industry is changing as we move into 2025!
Hi Sadie, tell us about your role now and the agency
I am the Marketing Manager at Creative Pod, a multi-award-winning, full-service marketing, design, and website agency. We work with our clients to become their dedicated outsourced department.
I help oversee the marketing team with my Marketing Director and manage a group of Marketing Executives and help over see their client base.
What has your development process been since you have worked agency side?
Initially, I did a two-week internship with Creative Pod, but unfortunately, at the time they weren’t hiring. However, I went on to work at a PPC agency, where I developed a lot of core skills within this area of marketing. Still, after a year, I decided I wanted to explore more than just PPC. I was keen to learn all aspects of marketing, and I thought the agency side would allow me to do this. After contacting Sarah, now the Marketing Director, she was hiring for a Marketing Executive. Our stars were so aligned, as I messaged her on the same day she put a job post out! I joined Creative Pod full-time in November 2019, and since I have progressed into the Senior Marketing Executive role and now Marketing Manager, with the aim of moving to Head of Marketing.
What do you think the biggest learning has been since you started?
This is a difficult one to narrow down, as working in an agency keeps you on your toes, which I love! In the beginning, it was learning all the different areas of marketing and my CEO uses a fantastic analogy that is agency side is very much a pirate ship and in-house is a cruise. What I mean by that is it’s all hands on deck in agency. There is a lot of cross over between departments and and agency life evolves very quickly, so you have to learn to always keep your head above water. That’s probably been one of the biggest learnings since I started.
Also as I’ve moved up the ladder, I’ve enjoyed moving into a management role and leading my team, helping them to be as successful as they can. This has been a rewarding and challenging experience.
What do you enjoy most about working at an agency and why?
It might be a standard answer, but it’s absolutely true – the variety makes agency life so exciting! I thrive on the fact that no two days are the same, and every year brings new challenges as we evolve and grow. PPC has always been my passion, so working with clients on ad campaigns is a highlight for me. That said, I enjoy switching between tasks and projects.
What kind of advice would you give to someone looking to progress?
Be patient, proactive and passionate. Progression doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time and a lot of hard work and determination, but if you are willing to invest your time and expertise, it will happen.
Agencies often have a reputation for high staff turnover, which is understandable given that people naturally seek new opportunities and change over time. However, if you find yourself at an agency that supports your growth, aligns with your goals, and provides a fulfilling environment, demonstrating loyalty can be incredibly rewarding. Staying committed to an organisation that invests in you not only helps build trust but also paves the way for long-term career success.
How do you think agencies will change over the next 5 years?
This is an interesting question because I’ve seen how agencies have already changed a lot in the five years I’ve been at Creative Pod. Of course, we had Covid through that period, so naturally, there was a lot of change, but I think since then, we’ve seen agencies work harder to be successful and not take what they do for granted. Something that I love and hope to see continuing to develop over the next five years is agencies actually supporting each other. I think there is a lot to be said for creating agency communities whereby we can share expertise and support each other in what is an ever-evolving space.
I also think we will see a lot of in-house/agency hybrid models, whereby some companies will shift specific marketing capabilities in-house while retaining agencies for strategy, innovation, or expertise, incorporating embedded teams between internal and external resources.
What can teams do to stay ahead of this change?
I suppose I would take it back to the pirate ship analogy, ensuring you are keeping your head above water at all times, and were not sinking ships. Of course, everything evolves and I think the most important thing with marketing is that you continue to evolve with changes. It might be that one year an agency is a dedicated apartment, but perhaps the following year, they are seen more as overflow, supporting an in-house team.
All we can really do is continue to work hard, find new business and grow communities and just see what happens.
What have you got coming up in 2025?
Last year was huge for us as we celebrated our 18th anniversary, an incredible milestone for an agency that started from my CEO’s bedroom. This year, we do have some great events, projects and celebrations in the pipeline, but nothing I can disclose yet!
Thinking specifically about my marketing team, we want to get our heads down in Q1, and get back on track from the Christmas period and continue to build on our client relationships and retention, while adapting to new technologies, platforms and updates that are coming our way.
If you would like to find out more about the role of a marketing manager or about agency life, connect with Sadie here.
