Write a blog piece they said. Introduce yourself to everyone. That put the pressure on. What should I say? Should I be all serious about marketing and business? I can feel you clicking on to the next piece already. How about trying to be witty to raise a few smiles? The trouble with that approach is the word ‘trying’. It is rarely followed by ‘and succeeding’.

Working on the premise of ‘if you can’t be funny at least be honest’, here is a bit more about who I am and why I am here.

I’ve spent many years working in regional ad agencies. Agencies are fantastic learning environments, not just for the theory of marketing (I completed my CIM qualifications at Postgraduate Diploma level during this period) but also in the practicalities of understanding market places and how customers actually behave. The textbooks are one thing, the real world is often quite another.

You also get to become an instant expert in all sorts of sectors and industries, like tourism, health, food service, insurance, pubs and hospitality, food retail and education. And the associated marketing activities – strategy and planning, advertising, packaging, direct mail and public relations.

In recent years I have also been involved in teaching marketing and other business skills in both the private and public sectors. That’s CIM, ISMM and CMI for those wanting to add professional recognition to their CV’s and BTEC and degree level modules for those just starting out on their careers. So now the title of this piece makes a bit more sense. I have plenty of thoughts and things to say about the way marketing is understood, executed and taught.

Which brings me to why I am here. Firstly it is a chance to work in a successful company with a group of talented professionals. Which is not to be underestimated.

It also gives me a chance to put into practice the marketing skills and ideas I have developed along the way. This will be mainly with the way that we build Zing Insights into the company that Lisa and Paul envisioned at the beginning, but also by adding value to research with strategies and plans for clients.

One final thing, just to try and gain a bit of research credibility, I have also been studying for an MSc in Marketing. That means doing my own primary research to help to complete the dissertation. So I will be going through the process of project planning, developing the methodology, the data gathering, the interpretation and the final presentation. Phew. I am sure some of the joy and pain of that journey will be shared with you every now and then as well.

By Kelvin