A Day In The Life Of A Director Of Marketing At Hedley And Bennett
Alice, Director of Marketing at Hedley & Bennett, describes a busy day filled with "nine to five with meetings," balancing daily stand-ups, cross-functional check-ins with various departments, and dedicated blocks for platform management and content creation, all while strategically managing email using Boomerang to maintain focus. The role also involves weekly reviews, a hybrid work model, and the unique integration of team lunches in a renovated factory kitchen alongside pursuing an MBA, requiring careful scheduling to navigate Los Angeles traffic.
Project Management, Communication, Teamwork, Executive/Leadership, Marketing Strategy
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Alice Khabituyeva
Director of Marketing
Hedley & Bennett
Trinity College (Hartford, CT) and 2017
UCLA Anderson
Economics
Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
Communication and Marketing
Took Out Loans, Immigrant
Video Highlights
1. A day in the life of a marketing director involves a mix of strategic planning, team collaboration, and hands-on execution. Alice starts her day early to plan, followed by daily stand-ups with her team to discuss priorities and roadblocks.
2. The role is highly cross-functional, requiring collaboration with various departments (product, finance, etc.) through one-on-one meetings and weekly check-ins. Content creation and campaign management are also key aspects, with regular creative reviews and performance sessions.
3. Alice highlights the importance of time management and work-life balance. She uses tools to manage email and blocks time for lunch, emphasizing team collaboration even during breaks. She also manages her schedule to accommodate her MBA studies, demonstrating the commitment and dedication required for success in this field.
Transcript
So, what does a day in the life of a Director of Marketing really look like?
I typically go in a little earlier to plan my day. The past few months have been pretty backed up with meetings from nine to five.
Since I still have the execution part of my role and a lot of planning happens day-to-day, I usually take the morning to work. I'm also a morning person, so I'm usually there around 8:00 or 8:30 AM.
At 9:30 AM, we have a daily stand-up on the marketing team. The four of us discuss daily priorities, any blockers, or questions we have. It's an opportunity to check in, ensure everyone has visibility into what others are working on, and ask questions. These meetings are quick, 15 minutes or less, focusing on the day's top priorities.
My role is very cross-functional, so I have a mix of one-on-one check-ins throughout the week. I meet with our product director, president, founder, and VP of Finance for weekly check-ins. We also have weekly creative review and performance review sessions.
For example, on Mondays, we spend 30 minutes discussing upcoming ads in our pipeline that need to be produced, worked on with our video editor, or filmed that week. We often create ad content on the fly or in reaction to what's performing well on the platform.
I also have blocks of time, at least once or twice a week, where I'm in the platform setting things up and managing performance. If an email is going out, I'll set that up and work with our graphic designers.
I try to limit email checks to three times a day. I use a tool called Boomerang for Google that sends emails only at 8:45 AM, 1:45 PM, and 4:45 PM. I don't check my inbox otherwise because I'm so booked; one thing can derail my whole day.
We work a hybrid model, being in the office Tuesday through Thursday and working from home on Mondays and Fridays. Once a month, we have an All Hands meeting for the whole company, with big company announcements and updates on work progress.
There are also weekly product marketing touch bases with our teams. We discuss dependencies between product and marketing, such as when to develop samples, use them for photoshoots, and how to market them, focusing on product differentiators.
Lunchtime is blocked off from 12:00 to 1:00 PM. If I'm in the office, we have a newly renovated kitchen at the factory that also serves as a shoot space. We use this time to eat lunch together and even cook, which is great.
As an MBA student at William Floyd, some days, like Tuesdays, I leave work at 3:00 PM to get to campus by 4:00 PM for class. Other days, I leave around 5:00 or 6:00 PM, as I'm only 20-30 minutes away. In Los Angeles, I try to beat traffic, especially when leaving work early to get some tasks done. However, we try not to schedule meetings after 4:00 PM, though there are a lot of meetings.