Sara Farrow
Head of marketing operations
RSPB
After joining RSPB in 2020 as head of supporter communications, Sara Farrow was promoted to head of marketing operations last June, and has been credited with helping the charity thrive at a time when many are facing a challenging financial climate.
While delivering RSPB’s award-winning member magazine, which now reaches 560,000 readers, her nominator says she has “quietly delivered significant innovative change” across its marketing, creating its “jewels in the crown” and broadening its reach to younger audiences, with the company now boasting 1.2 million members.
Though starting out in B2B content marketing, Farrow says her focus hasn’t changed in the B2C world, as she is still driven by “building trust and relationships”. During her time in marketing, she has found data to increase in relevance, claiming it leads to “much more targeted and personalised marketing”, helping to build upon existing relationships.
Farrow believes that, alongside data, learning opportunities are the biggest opportunity marketers should be embracing, suggesting “marketing theory remains vital”.
“By constantly keeping up to date with industry news and insights from podcasts, industry leaders, and publishers like Marketing Week, I am a more effective marketer,” Farrow says.
“I think there’s a real risk with AI and the abundance of data that everything becomes bland and risk-averse. But genuine, brilliant creative ideas are more important than ever.”
She believes strapped budgets are the biggest challenge facing charity marketers right now, with teams having to be “very creative and efficient”. However, if using AI to drive efficiencies, Farrow suggests marketers need to be careful.
“There may be a reaction against this [AI helping efficiency] with audiences wanting real connection, so I think the fundamentals of creativity and building trust with audiences will remain as important as ever,” she says.
Farrow adds that AI “cannot compare to developing a critical marketing brain”, so she encourages those looking to start a career in marketing to “learn and keep learning” and “apply deep knowledge to overcome marketing challenges”. She also advises emerging marketers to be creative, and “take inspiration from unexpected places”.
“I think there’s a real risk with AI and the abundance of data that everything becomes bland and risk-averse. But genuine, brilliant creative ideas are more important than ever,” says Farrow.
While it may not be the traditional route into marketing, she says people shouldn't be opposed to taking on a sales role to “get your foot in the door”. “Understanding the business bottom line and having a direct impact on a P&L will [provide] the right mindset to help brands grow,” she adds.
