We’re into the fourth month of Inchcape Introduces, and we hope you’re enjoying getting an exclusive insight into the various people and roles that we have here at Inchcape. You can find all of the previous interviews in the News section of our blog.
Our next employee to sit down and have chat with us is BMW and MINI Divisional Marketing Manager, Sharron Robinson.
How long have you worked for Inchcape, Sharron?
I’ve been with Inchcape for just over a year, but I’ve worked within the motor industry for over 20 years now.
Tell us about your career journey so far, and how you arrived in your current role.
I’ve worked within the BMW and MINI retailer network since the mid 90’s. I loved cars from a young age, and BMW was always one of my favourite brands so this is my ideal career.
I began my marketing career as Database & Marketing Co-ordinator within a BMW dealership, which had a real family feel to it. It was also an era of big showroom launch events, as at that time you would not have been able to see new models on the internet prior to launch.
I then progressed into a Divisional Marketing Manager role within the same company and stayed for 10 years before making the move to Inchcape.
What does your role involve on a day-to-day basis?
My role requires me to be very reactive, flexible and reliable because I’m always working to tight deadlines whilst executing the quarterly marketing plan, as well as managing ad-hoc projects.
I work closely with our in-house Graphic Designer on current campaigns from brief to completion. This also involves me working alongside the Digital, Social, Multimedia and Pricing Teams.
As I’m the marketing contact for all of our BMW and MINI locations, I spend time liaising with our retail sites, manufacturer and divisional team as well.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I really enjoy being creative and working with the many teams across our division to make sure all of our communications hit the right notes. I think that seeing the results of campaigns that come about thanks to our combined efforts as Marketing & Sales teams is definitely the best part.
What’s the secret to being an effective DMM?
Having enthusiasm and passion for the brand is always very important. Combine this with reliability, versatility, creativity and good budgeting skills and you have a good formula.
People tend to look to you to be the answer to their issues, so problem solving is also a good skill to have, as well as being able to think on your feet.
What’s your proudest achievement in your role to date?
Working for the brand in the first place is an achievement for me, but seeing campaigns you created performing well is a great feeling too.
I’ve also been a finalist at the annual MINI Oscars which was a real honour as it’s such an unconventional and creative brand.
As you work across BMW and MINI, what’s your favourite model?
With such a varied model range, it’s hard to choose from the current line-up. At present, I would have to say the BMW M2.
My all-time favourite BMW is the M Coupé. Unfortunately it’s no longer in production, and in hindsight, I should have invested in one at the time.
In your opinion, what’s the best thing about working in the automotive industry?
I love that the automotive industry is always fast-paced and challenging. No two weeks are ever the same, and I like that I’m able to work with great people and a great product.
And finally, Sharron, if you could have any car in the world, what would it be?
It would definitely be the MINI Superleggera.