Gabi Potgieter

6.30 AM

My alarm goes off and I make my way out of bed and into the kitchen. First things first, coffee. Once I have my coffee in hand, I feel prepared to tackle the job of getting ready and packing up my bag for the day. I always figure out what I’m wearing to work the night before to avoid having to make any decisions in the morning. Once I’m all sorted I hop into my warm car to drive to work – I’m really grateful that we have an enormous staff car park so that I can avoid the cold morning air for as long as possible! I usually pop on a podcast in the car to wake my brain up and to make the commute fly.

8.30 AM

I walk into the office, say good morning to everyone, and put my belongings down at my desk. It is coffee number two time as I head to the coffee machine with a few colleagues. After a quick chat (and a few jokes) I’m back at my desk ready to check my calendar and figure out my game plan. I generally write myself a “To-Do” list, which helps me prioritise and set myself up for the day ahead.

9.00 AM

Part of my role involves approving all advertisements that our Australian retailer network would like to put out into the market. This involves working mainly with Marketing Managers from retailers, and assisting them in developing on-brand and effective campaigns. We have roughly 60 dealerships in Australia – so I am kept pretty busy! I spend the first portion of the morning catching up on any overnight emails, and managing any inbound requests or queries.

10.00 AM

Time for a meeting with my wider team, the Brand & Content team. We go around the room and update each other on the status of the projects and campaigns that we have been working on. I’ve prepared a small update on the key projects that I’m managing and bring up any questions that are relevant to the whole team. These meetings are a great time to brainstorm solutions to issues, celebrate successes and to look at the calendar coming up. I’m blessed to be in such an enthusiastic and supportive team where everyone’s voice is heard equally!

11.00 AM

Back to my desk to keep working on retailer requests. An email comes in from a retailer that would like to do specific campaign that unfortunately is not within our marketing guidelines. I get in touch with the Sales team (just down the hallway), my manager and the retailer’s Marketing Manager to find a solution. We get the campaign to a point where all stakeholders are happy, and the initial concept is now in a spot where I can approve it.

12.30 PM

Lunchtime! Nearly every day I eat lunch with all of the other IBLs at the on-site cafeteria. It’s usually last night’s left-overs, or a freshly made sandwich from the on-site sandwich bar. Having time to chat with the other IBLs is important to me as despite being from different departments, we often face similar challenges. Whether that be work challenges or personal challenges, it’s great to have a group to bounce ideas off. A lunchtime never goes by without lots of banter thrown around and a good giggle. If the weather permits, we’ll eat lunch outside to get some fresh air and Vitamin D!

1.30 PM

Back into the office and I’m straight into working on a side project. I’m creating an on-boarding document for new Marketing Managers who start at dealerships. This involves coordinating every Marketing team for their input and ensuring that all aspects are aligned to marketing guidelines.

2.30 PM

A few employees from our media agency and creative agency visit the office for a meeting to discuss current projects and any work in progress. Having everyone in the room is sometimes a lot easier than organising a call – and we have a really productive session. We hold these meetings fortnightly to keep everyone up-to-date and to ensure deadlines are met on campaigns. I recently managed my first national campaign, which was for an AMG Roadshow that was visiting retailers around the nation. Seeing my work in market was a surreal (but awesome) feeling!

3.30 PM

My last meeting for the day is with my Manager. We grab a green tea and just jump into a small pod for an informal catch-up. This is a great opportunity to ask her any questions that I may have, and to discuss any roadblocks I’m experiencing. We work through a question that has come from the retailer network, and critically analyse all possible solutions. We come to a resolution and I feel empowered to pass this back onto the network!

4.30 PM

I usually use the last portion of the day to power through any last emails or requests, or make progress on any projects or campaigns I’m working on. Today I’m working on updating a set of marketing guidelines with the Social Media team.

5.20 PM

Home time! After a chat with colleagues, I hop back into my car in time to make it to my yoga class. I find it’s always important to wind-down after a day at work before I head home for the night and get ready to do it all again tomorrow!