hiyA i’m
clare
Marketing doesn’t have to be complicated – you just need to Think Smart. And that’s exactly what we help you do. It’s all about understanding your customer journey and having the right marketing plan in place. That doesn’t mean creating a day-by-day plan of your marketing activity, it means having a vision of what you want your brand to achieve and how you're going to get there.
7 years later
markEting doesn’t have to be complicated you just need to think smart. that’s what i’ve learnt over my 25 years experience of being a marketer and that’s what I’m going to share with you. so, here’s my story…
I started my career in marketing, straight out of university, with a very well-known household brand – Hotpoint. This is where I learned about the importance of customer research, understanding the needs of your customer and creating a strong brand.
It was back in the day when the internet was only just starting, Nokia was the leading mobile phone and TV advertising was King. Social media didn’t exist, nor did any form of digital marketing….
and then now
Since being a marketing consultant, I have been awarded Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing for my achievements over my career and I have also been given a place as a marketing mentor with the Association of Business Mentors. In my role I work with a diverse range of businesses and industry sectors including business to business and business to consumer, supporting business owners, senior leaders and marketing managers in their marketing journey.
I have also created my own activewear brand Stretch & Burn, I always wanted to create, launch and grow my own brand so that’s a bit of a personal achievement for me too.
Seven years later was my baptism into retail marketing working for Mamas & Papas as Head of Retail Marketing and at a time when they were following a program of store expansion, opening flagship stores both in the UK and on an international level. Becoming a mum myself during this time, I really did stand in my customer’s shoes, learning about the importance of the customer journey and nailing your marketing strategy to drive loyalty, awareness and positivity for your brand.
Another seven years on and (I think I may suffer from a seven year itch!) I started out on my own as a marketing consultant. My ambition was to take all the learnings from market leading consumer brands and share them with SMEs and start up brands. The tools and strategies I had learned from the consumer world could be applied and would make a big impact to business-to-business brands.
think smArt has also been on its own journey
Originally created by Gary King and Mike Hall, I joined the start-up marketing business as the seasoned marketer and together we have supported more than 300 different businesses across a variety of industries and on a national level.
As with any journey you will always reach a fork in the road, this came to us in 2023 when Mike took the leap to pursue his passion of bringing brands to life through abstract art.
Now the focus is on our core proposition, how I can support you to Think Smart in your marketing….