Assistant brand manager, Elle MacPherson Intimates

By JANINE OGIER

My job

Name: Rob Barlow

Age: 23

Role: Assistant brand manager, Elle MacPherson Intimates, Bendon

Working hours: 45 per week

Average pay: $30,000-$40,000

Qualifications: Bachelor of Law, Bachelor of Management Studies, Waikato University




Q: Describe how you got this job?

A: I majored in marketing in my management studies degree.

I was looking for a job at the beginning of the year and Bendon advertised for marketing graduates. I had a couple of interviews, they looked at my CV and they offered me the job. It is the first time Bendon has taken marketing graduates.

Q: Describe what you do?

A: I am part of Bendon's 13-strong marketing team and work primarily on the Elle Macpherson Intimates brand.

I work on the brand's promotion, with our PR and creative agencies and the media company which buys time on TV. It means a lot of co-ordination of a team of people that don't necessarily work within Bendon but are working towards the same goal, which is marketing Elle Macpherson Intimates.

Q: What sort of training or experience do you need?

A: Bendon specifically wanted someone with a marketing qualification. It is important to have a marketing background.

As they were taking on graduates they were not looking for industry experience, but I definitely think it would help. Any experience in fashion or apparel, even in retail, would help to understand the customer, the target market, and the processes that are unique to the fashion industry.

Q: What skills and qualities do you need?

A: You have to be reasonably creative.

With lingerie it is a whole creative process. There is a design team designing the lingerie every six months and in order to sell the product you have to come up with creative ideas. You have to offer a point of difference to the team as a graduate. I assume Bendon were interested in people who could offer a fresh idea and a different perspective on things. It is quite handy, as I am the only male in the marketing team.

Q: Best part of the job?

A: As a guy I guess it is great to be working with lingerie and in fashion.

A lot of models work for us and having the opportunity to meet them is quite good. Probably the best part is being part of the creative process as the garments we are responsible for marketing are all original designs. We have an intelligent, sophisticated, fashionable target market so being part of the creative process and pushing the boundaries of marketing to appeal to those people is challenging and enjoyable.

Q: Most challenging part?

A: Coming in as a guy fresh out of uni. To be honest I was not expecting to get a job in the lingerie industry so understanding the target market and trying to predict what they like and what they are looking for is definitely the most challenging part.

How do you define success in this job?

For me personally it is having fun and enjoying the job.

From Bendon's perspective it is having a successful brand that people want to wear and people enjoy wearing.

Q: If I wanted a job like yours how would I go about it, and what qualifications would I need?

A: The first thing to do is to get a marketing degree or qualification and demonstrate a talent for marketing, which I guess is based on how you do at uni and what you achieve.

You need to work hard and be prepared to learn. For me there was a huge learning curve. I have been in the job six months and I have learnt so much. Try to offer the company you want to work for some point of difference, even get involved in activities or university competitions.

Q: What are your career hopes for the future?

A: I guess I would like to still be in a job that I am enjoying. I would like to still be in the fashion/apparel industry and hopefully still with Bendon as we are really successful at the moment. Bendon is doing well moving into a lot of overseas markets and I would like to ride that success.