My job: Thriving on making a difference

Elizabeth Higgs. Photo / Graeme Sedal

Name: Elizabeth Higgs
Age: 43
Role/occupation: General manager marketing and communication, Progressive Enterprises
Working hours: Lots
Employer: Progressive Enterprises
Salary: Hays Salary Survey rating range for marketing directors is $200,000 to $300,000.
Qualifications: BA Des, Dip Marketing (UK), MBA (UK)A marketing degree or industry qualification can provide a good holistic understanding of the various components of marketing.

Describe what you do.

I joined Progressive Enterprises in May 2006 and am based at the company's head office in Mangere, Auckland. Progressive holds about 45 per cent of the New Zealand grocery market and operates 150 supermarkets under the Countdown, Foodtown and Woolworths brands. The general manager role has four direct reports (business managers for brand and advertising, marketing strategy, communications and public affairs and print production) and a team (including the print and production facility) of 38.

I am responsible for marketing strategy, brand development, customer engagement and insight, private label development and marketing, partner promotions, corporate communications and public affairs, and Rapid Print (warehousing and distribution of all point of sale and requisites).

Your work history?

My career in Britain included working in advertising, retail, manufacturing and academia before I moved to New Zealand.

Why did you choose to work in marketing?

I have always been interested in consumer behaviour and believe understanding the customer is at the heart of any good business.

How do you manage the different sectors of your role?

The key to managing a wide span of control is having good people in your team - talented individuals who are accountable and can make decisions autonomously while keeping you involved in the overall strategy for a particular area.

What skills are needed to be successful in marketing?

There are some spectacular marketers without any formal training, having learned and developed on the job. However, a marketing degree or industry qualification can provide a good holistic understanding of the various components of marketing. Continuing to train throughout your career is fundamental.

Why is marketing so important in the supermarket trade?

Successful marketing and communications investment can and has led directly to market share growth for our brands. Supermarkets play an integral role in the everyday lives of ordinary people. As marketers, our job is to understand the wants and needs of "the household shopper" and articulate that to the wider business. From the time we ask a local council for consent to build a supermarket, to when it closes after a day of operation, we are working to meet those wants and needs.

Where are we heading regarding technology in the supermarket trade?

Building environmentally friendly supermarkets is the biggie in terms of future technologies but low CO2 emitting refrigerant gases is not my forte so in terms of marketing ... it's all about being timely and relevant for customers. For example, Onecard mySpecials applies data-driven marketing principles to effectively deliver an ongoing direct communication.

Technology enables us to analyse customers' individual buying history to prioritise relevant product offers for that customer. Integration and automation of data mining, email and web marketing allow us to deliver against business objectives of increasing sales.

Where do you get your ideas from? And what marketing drives do New Zealanders particularly favour?

Ideas come from an in-depth knowledge of the customer but bringing the ideas to the surface requires interactive team work. The Progressive marketing team work closely together. Although one person might have the germ of an idea, another person is likely to take the idea and develop it further.

Kiwi consumers are true value seekers; they love to be smart when they shop. The Windback price proposition brings consumers into our supermarkets in droves but we need to fulfil their expectations when they get there or they won't come back.

You have worked in Britain and attended the Food Executive Programme at Cornell University in the United States. What are the main differences between the NZ market and Britain and the US?
Retailing in the US and UK is highly developed, as is online shopping. The transport infrastructure assists this immeasurably as cost-effective distribution systems are available. Also, the vast populations mean retailers can have highly tailored offerings as they are able to find enough of a market to sustain the business.

What is on your agenda for the next 12 months?

To consolidate and build upon the great platform that we have for the new generation Countdown brand and continue to develop our data-driven customer engagement. To improve systems and processes that streamline the workload for my team.

Most rewarding part of the job?

The people, my team, the support for marketing from the top of the organisation and market share growth.

Worse part of the job?

Unnecessary, last-minute changes.

Advice to someone wanting to do a similar role to yours?

You need to get your head down, focus and drive for continuous improvement. Be prepared to live and breathe your work - to commit yourself 24/7.