This is the sixth in a series of guest blogs from members, this time from Pegasus. I’ve been asking member employees how they got into & why they love their jobs, so they can share their wisdom & inspire you.
Rebecca Aris – Pharma Senior Account Executive at Pegasus
How did you get into communications?
Moving from London to Brighton offered different career opportunities, and I fancied a change. As a graduate in pharmaceutical science, Pharma comms was ideal for me because it was a completely new challenge that made good use of my previous experience, of over nine years in science and pharmaceutical publishing.
Tell us about the projects you have worked on that you’re most proud of and why?
Since working as Pegasus I’m proud to have been involved in the creation of some fantastic websites for healthcare professionals. There is a lot of attention to detail that goes into making sure all of the data is accurate on the site, whilst also considering the usability of the website itself. It’s a great feeling when the site is finally launched and you can watch the traffic grow.
What are your three favourite things about your job?
One of the things I love most about my job are that no two days are ever the same. Between press releases, working on content for new websites for major clients, to getting into the nitty gritty of clinical data, I can honestly say I’m never bored. I also love the excitement and buzz of working in communications - working in the heart of Brighton is also a great perk too!
What advice would you give to younger self, knowing what you know now, about your career path?
If I could advise my younger self I would reassure her to not worry if your career path doesn’t always lead in the direction that you feel it should, there are opportunities in every role that you take, and you’ll always end up where you’re meant to be.
Dan Rowland – Mid-Weight Designer at Pegasus
How did you get into design?
Art and design had always been my passion, from pencil crayons back at primary school through to A levels and diploma, and then on to Bournemouth Arts University where I refined my skills in Graphic Design. This, along with many internships after graduating paved the way to what has been an exciting career in design so far.
Tell us about the projects you have worked on that you’re most proud of and why?
Two projects stand out for me. The first being the multifaceted campaign for Drontal & Advantage known as ‘The Inseparables’. As a designer, a lot of the work you do can go un-noticed by the majority. However, this campaign spanned traditional print advertising, Digital adverts and a brand new website, large format graphics at Crufts and even a full length TV advert. The look and feel for the emotive campaign was crafted and refined over a period of 6 months, tying every single aspect together to create a seamless identity across all platforms. It was the biggest creative campaign I have worked on to date, and seeing all our hard work reach the masses in such an impressive way was very rewarding.
The second one is purely down to personal enjoyment. Illustration is always a welcome break from sometimes conservative and restrictive design work. So when I was tasked with creating a children’s comic to teach them about the importance of our immune system, I made sure the final outcome was something that I’d be proud to place in my portfolio. Knowing that the story I helped write, bought to life by my illustrations was educating our next generation made the hard work all worthwhile.
What are your three favourite things about your job?
Every day is different. One day I’ll be designing a website to help promote a dog worming product, the next I’ll be illustrating friendly bacteria for an animation.
The work I do makes a difference to a variety of people (and animals)
I can wear trainers to work.
What advice would you give to younger self, knowing what you know now, about your career path?
Don’t be afraid or too proud to ask questions, the more you know, the better you’ll be.
You’ll learn far more working in industry rather than at Uni. University is great for the basics and ensuring Design is right for you, but it won’t prepare you for life in a design studio.
Never forget that everything should start with a great idea…and ideally a pencil and paper.
Paul Edge – Digital Marketing Manager at Pegasus
How did you get into digital?
Before I got into digital marketing, I worked as a B2B Marketing Manager that involved direct mail marketing and online advertising. In my current role as a Digital Marketing Manager, I get to use tools like Google Analytics to understand the performance of a website and make changes based on data. It’s really satisfying to understand exactly why your site is performing the way it is and be able to make changes that can boost performance. The same can be said for paid advertising using Google AdWords. I can test variations on a huge range of things such as copy, artwork or audience types to optimise performance. If you’re a bit of a control freak, like tinkering and have an analytical mind, then you’ll enjoy paid advertising!
Tell us about the projects you have worked on that you’re most proud of and why?
There are lots of different disciplines in digital and you need to be on your toes to keep up to date with the latest technology. At the moment I’m working mainly on website planning and email marketing projects. Website planning involves understanding the analytics and performance of a website so you’re able to organise the new content to provide the best possible user experience and help your client achieve their objectives. I managed a campaign recently for a skincare brand that helped me utilise all my favourite digital skills, as I redesigned their website and created an Ecrm programme that worked in tandem with the website. In just a month, I’ve manage to grow the database by 66% adding nearly 20,000 new people to their database and the website has received nearly 70,000 visitors.
What are your three favourite things about your job?
The main highlights of my job are of course working with the brilliant Pegasus team, being by the sea and … our table tennis table.
What advice would you give to younger self, knowing what you know now, about your career path?
If I were to speak to my younger self knowing what I know now, I would probably say get into digital and specialise in one area. Probably in user experience.
Some great advice & insights, thanks guys!
I’ve been running a series of Love Your Job Guest Blogs in 2016 by members. Take a peek:
- Programming/Developers: Crunchboards
- Marketing: Rakuten Attribution
- App Developers: Ocasta Studios
- Animation: BigMan Cgi
- Computer Hardware & Software Development: 7thSense Design
- Machine Learning: 15gifts
I’ve got a full schedule of Love Your Job blogs for the next 12 months – so watch this space for more inspiration! If there is a specific area of work you’d like to hear about then let me know kelly@wiredsussex.com.
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