The latest Digital Leaders spotlight features Rich Brown!
Rich Brown is a digital leader with extensive experience within the industry. As well as helping business to grow and establish their teams across customer acquisition; Rich has experience driving strategic growth and profitability for leading organizations.
We sat down with Rich to discuss his career journey to date, one of the most unique campaigns he's been involved with working in an agency, his amazement of the growth of Farfetch and why he's keeping a keen eye on the Metaverse.
Why did you join the Digital Leaders Club?
Our founder, George, was already a member and he had passed on some of the insight that the group had shared and I was keen to be included. There are some great resources and topics being discussed which will be of value to us and hopefully I will be able to add value too!
What's your career journey been like to date?
I started working in digital on the agency side and enjoyed the range of clients and training that it gave me access to. When I made the move to the client side it was to Farfetch in 2012. They were already rapidly growing by this point and I joined when there were around 25 people in the UK. It was great to be part of the journey and to get to work on new businesses they bought (Browns Fashion). I then spent 4 years working in the gifting industry at Smartbox Group UK (Buyagift & Red Letter Days) and after a brief spell with Resident Home, which wasn't the right fit for me, I landed in my current role back at another startup.
What is your current position?
I'm the Customer Acquisition Director at fourfive.com focused on growing the D2C side of the business.
Have you had any interesting moments in your career so far?
During my agency days I was managing PPC for a large property platform. One of the most unique campaigns revolved around data which showed searches for divorce lawyers increased on Boxing day. Therefore, on Boxing Day, we had a campaign targeting divorce related keywords with ads that showed 1 bedroom, furnished flats for rent. Definitely one of the most interesting tactics I've been involved with!
Have you had any challenges in your career to date; and how did you overcome them?
Working on an experience gift provider during Covid was very challenging, given all suppliers were closed for a long period of time. I was lucky to have a creative and hard working team that meant we could help the business navigate the challenges.
Tell us about your best success story
The rate of growth at Farfetch is still surreal to me to this day. When I joined it was 25 people in an office which was a converted flat off Commercial Street but by the time I left the business had 400+ employees in London alone. I was initially responsible for growing PPC but my remit increased to all performance marketing channels globally and I helped to establish activity and teams in new territories. It's definitely my best success story so far.....
What’s it been like transitioning to working remotely over the past two years?
I've been fortunate enough to have a designated workspace at home so the transition hasn't been too difficult. We've had to learn new ways of doing things as a business and as leaders but I think the 'new normal' is well and truly here. As someone with 2 kids, the opportunity to have more flexibility of home working has been beneficial.
What's the coolest/interesting trend you're excited about?
Really excited to see how advertising in the metaverse plays out. It still needs more regulation but it's an area some brands may have some success with and it will be fascinating to see how this plays out.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?
Playing football, keeping up with my kids and being wildly mediocre at Golf
What's your plan for the future?
I love working with businesses that are on a journey and being part of that story. So I will always look for opportunities where I can make that difference.
What would you be doing (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?
My dad is an engineer so how things work and building things has always interested me so I'd probably be doing something like carpentry. I've got lots of wild ideas on a pinterest board of what to build but those are just things I do as and when I have the time at the moment.
Connect with Rich Brown on LinkedIn
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