"This quote from Susan Sontag: 'A writer, I think, is someone that pays attention to the world', speaks to how I write in my job."
Lydia Eales has amassed diverse and valuable experience within the marketing sector since graduating. Prior to Oliver Burns, she completed an internship working for a fashion PR company before transferring her skills to a digital lifestyle magazine, which provided an excellent grounding in customer care, copy writing and social media best practice. This was supplemented by employment at a leading advertising agency, planning audio-visual advertisements for high profile clients.
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Why did you choose to study English at Royal Holloway?
It was primarily because of its reputation as a leading university within its field. I also fell in love with the beautiful Victorian façade of Founder's and its traditional library, which seemed to me the perfect environment to study the texts of the past.
What have you been doing since you graduated?
I did several internships (fashion PR, beauty and an animation company), before gaining full time employment planning advertising campaigns. I now work for a luxury interior design practice.
How would you describe your job, and what attracted you to it?
I manage all the company's social media accounts, creating and implementing strategies to promote brand awareness, and increase traffic to our platforms. In addition, I produce all content, from blogs to quotes for press releases, to copy for a newsletter. I love that so much of my role involves writing and it's thrilling to know people are reading it.
I was fascinated by the psychology of a how a successful marketing campaign can change people's perception of a brand. I was also attracted to the need to combine creativity with business strategies, and the fact you can see the results of your efforts in real time.
The best thing for me is being engaged in varied and creative tasks every day. From putting together an inspiration mood, to posting on social media, to arranging flowers to dress a new development, no two days are identical and I need the ability to wear many hats. As a marketer, one day I am a journalist, the next day a data analyst, and the next a graphic designer; you need to be open to learning new skills and trying your hand at lots of different things.
As a PR Executive I am always writing. This quote from Susan Sontag: "A writer, I think, is something that pays attention to the world", speaks to how I write in my job.
Of your time at Royal Holloway, what did you find most valuable?
Building self-discipline. As studying English has limited contact hours, I found I had to find a structure that worked for me and had to set myself timelines to complete tasks within. This helped me prepare for the workplace.
If you could have your time again, what would you do the same and what would you do differently?
I would take all the same modules as I thoroughly enjoyed each class I chose but I would do more on an extracurricular basis as many of these opportunities are unique to being at university, such as writing for a campus newspaper or working at the Students' Union.
Useful links
Chartered Institute of Marketing
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