Advertising operations executive — Joelly Harrison

Joelly studied English literature and language at the University of Liverpool before securing her role in advertising at ASOS

How did you get your job?

I knew I wanted to get into marketing after university, but I wasn’t sure how to break into this field. I initially wanted to use my English skills to become a copywriter. I did a month's work experience as a copywriter which I believe gave me a competitive edge when applying for marketing roles.

I also completed the fundamentals of digital marketing course, which is a free course provided by Google Garage and a course in Google Analytics - I would recommend these to anyone looking to break into marketing who doesn’t have a degree in this field. These two courses were recommended to me in a feedback session after a job role rejection. 

After completing these courses, I was offered a role at Global Media & Entertainment as an advertising operations assistant. This role was a great introduction into the advertising industry and my first 9am to 5pm role. After five months at Global, I was headhunted by a recruiter at ASOS for the role of advertising operations executive and, after several interviews, I was thrilled to be offered the job.

What’s a typical working day like for you?

My main responsibilities are setting up and managing display and sponsored ad campaigns on the ASOS website across our markets. These include ads in the UK, US, Germany and France. I work directly with partnership managers and account managers to execute clients' programmatic campaigns, tailoring these bespoke campaigns to the clients' unique wants and needs. I analyse how well ads are performing and make optimisations to ensure the client has the best possible return on advertising spend, which drives revenue for the client and ASOS.

How relevant is your degree?

I am glad I have my degree, as I learnt so much during my time at Liverpool including improving my communication, presentation, and analytical skills - but for my role I don’t think a degree would necessarily be needed. If you have the willingness to work hard and have some prior relevant work experience on your CV, then you would be able to apply for a role in ad ops.

What are your career ambitions?

I would like to continue working at ASOS and progress in my role. It is a field where there is always change, and I enjoy working with my colleagues to try new forms of advertising to see how we can grab our customers' attention. I would also like to improve my expertise in other marketing roles within ASOS, such as customer relations management and account management, to see how we can strengthen our marketing processes.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I enjoy the troubleshooting aspect of my role. If an ad is not performing, it is my job to find out why this is and how to fix this. I enjoy working collaboratively with other teams to troubleshoot our problems to find solutions.

I also enjoy creating bespoke audience segments for our clients. As well as this, I am lucky to say that ASOS is a great place to work. My ideas are always welcomed as a more junior staff member, and I learn so much by working with colleagues with a wealth of experience in marketing. I am lucky to work with some fantastic brands and this role allows me to use the skills I gained while at university to excel. 

What are the challenges?

When I first started, I was challenged by the systems used at ASOS. The platforms I was using were all new to me, so this was a lot to take in, but this challenge really helped me learn and hone my skills. I asked my managers lots of questions and made a lot of notes to help me keep up with these changes. This paid off, as I now feel confident using these systems and have another skill to add my CV. 

Currently, I am challenged by the fast-paced environment at ASOS. There are lots of ad campaigns to manage and a lot of quick turnarounds and deadlines. This has helped me to improve my organisational skills to ensure my campaigns run smoothly over this period.

What advice can you give to those looking to kickstart a career in marketing?

• Learn from rejection - when I left university, I struggled to find a graduate role and it is disheartening when you are rejected. Always be courteous when responding to these rejections, there are learnings to be taken from knock backs and always ask for feedback. Don’t give up when you are rejected from roles, there is a saying 'what's meant for you won't pass you by' and I really believe this is true.
• Network - if you are looking to break into a field, talk to people in that industry. If you are already in your field, speak to people in your office. This sounds simple but you will learn so much about other people and job roles you may not have heard of. It’s also great to talk to people who work there and hear about their background, experiences and how they find the job role. Having these experiences to reference on your CV and in interviews indicates your dedication and interest in the field.
• Utilise digital platforms - it can be hard to network in real life, particularly if you have left education. LinkedIn is a great alternative to in-person networking, and you will be surprised by the number of people who are happy to help you. Attend online events and seminars held by prospective employees, as this is a great way to find out more about a potential employee and what a job role entails.

Find out more

• Discover marketing courses.
• Take a look at what is on offer in the marketing, advertising and PR sector.
• Explore free digital skills courses with Google Garage.