TheDaBoss
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Women in Focus: Samantha Holmes
Author
Wests Tigers
Timestamp
Thu 5 Mar 2020, 09:19 PM
Get to know Wests Tigers Marketing and Brand Manager Samantha Holmes!
Q. Tell us a little bit about you and how you got involved in Rugby League?
I have 15 years of professional experience in Marketing and have worked at Wests Tigers for 3 seasons now.
Until I started working at Wests Tigers I had little to no real knowledge of the NRL competition other than my experiences of being a corporate partner. My initial involvement with Wests Tigers was through the CEO’s partner whom I worked with in the entertainment and leisure industry. I came in for consultation on a marketing and digital approach for the business. Roughly 12 months after that initial meeting, a role became available with the club which I was lucky enough to be offered.
Q. What is your role within the club and what is your background in marketing?
My role at Wests Tigers has evolved as time has progressed. Originally I was hired to look after the marketing and brand strategy. Today I hold marketing, brand, design, events, game day, ticketing, digital projects, plus CRM and marketing automation in my remit. I have a fantastic team of people with core strengths across that scope.
My background is very much in marketing and brand strategy within corporate and ASX listed businesses. These businesses have been primarily in the entertainment and leisure industry. Along with my agencies, I have been very lucky to have worked on a lot of exciting brand projects and campaigns that have won nationally recognised awards across the Asia Pacific region. I have also worked for and with some pioneering women in business such as Karen Adcock who started the jewellery brand “Pandora” in Australia, and the head of licensing for Universal Studios across Asia Pacific to name a few.
Q. Coming from a corporate background, what is the biggest difference between the sporting industry and the corporate industry?
The biggest difference is the structure of the business. Corporate can be quite transactional and controlled. There is a passion and emotional connection to sport that you don’t encounter as much in most corporate businesses – which can be both a blessing and a curse at times! This is most beneficial to a marketer as one of the most effective ways to engage a consumer with a product or service is by creating an emotive connection and a loyalty to the brand.
In corporate this needs to be fostered and maintained whereas in sport this is often inherited and passed down through many generations. Sport is also a lot more hands on than corporate. The sentiment in sport is “one in, all in” which means even as a senior manager you are still required to roll up the sleeves and get involved on the ground!
Q. What would be your advice to any women interested in a career in sport?
Have a clear career goal, educate yourself, foster skills, work hard, and back yourself! If you want to be successful in sport, just having just a passion for it won’t cut it. There are many people that want to work in sport so you need to be the best in your field if you want to rise above the rest. You also need to be resilient and adaptable to a fast paced environment because the sporting landscape has many highs and lows and you need to be able to get on with it and move forward.
Author
Wests Tigers
Timestamp
Thu 5 Mar 2020, 09:19 PM
Get to know Wests Tigers Marketing and Brand Manager Samantha Holmes!
Q. Tell us a little bit about you and how you got involved in Rugby League?
I have 15 years of professional experience in Marketing and have worked at Wests Tigers for 3 seasons now.
Until I started working at Wests Tigers I had little to no real knowledge of the NRL competition other than my experiences of being a corporate partner. My initial involvement with Wests Tigers was through the CEO’s partner whom I worked with in the entertainment and leisure industry. I came in for consultation on a marketing and digital approach for the business. Roughly 12 months after that initial meeting, a role became available with the club which I was lucky enough to be offered.
Q. What is your role within the club and what is your background in marketing?
My role at Wests Tigers has evolved as time has progressed. Originally I was hired to look after the marketing and brand strategy. Today I hold marketing, brand, design, events, game day, ticketing, digital projects, plus CRM and marketing automation in my remit. I have a fantastic team of people with core strengths across that scope.
My background is very much in marketing and brand strategy within corporate and ASX listed businesses. These businesses have been primarily in the entertainment and leisure industry. Along with my agencies, I have been very lucky to have worked on a lot of exciting brand projects and campaigns that have won nationally recognised awards across the Asia Pacific region. I have also worked for and with some pioneering women in business such as Karen Adcock who started the jewellery brand “Pandora” in Australia, and the head of licensing for Universal Studios across Asia Pacific to name a few.
Q. Coming from a corporate background, what is the biggest difference between the sporting industry and the corporate industry?
The biggest difference is the structure of the business. Corporate can be quite transactional and controlled. There is a passion and emotional connection to sport that you don’t encounter as much in most corporate businesses – which can be both a blessing and a curse at times! This is most beneficial to a marketer as one of the most effective ways to engage a consumer with a product or service is by creating an emotive connection and a loyalty to the brand.
In corporate this needs to be fostered and maintained whereas in sport this is often inherited and passed down through many generations. Sport is also a lot more hands on than corporate. The sentiment in sport is “one in, all in” which means even as a senior manager you are still required to roll up the sleeves and get involved on the ground!
Q. What would be your advice to any women interested in a career in sport?
Have a clear career goal, educate yourself, foster skills, work hard, and back yourself! If you want to be successful in sport, just having just a passion for it won’t cut it. There are many people that want to work in sport so you need to be the best in your field if you want to rise above the rest. You also need to be resilient and adaptable to a fast paced environment because the sporting landscape has many highs and lows and you need to be able to get on with it and move forward.
