Sarah Footman
Head of brand
ITV
A marketing “all-rounder”, Sarah Footman is “bold, inquisitive, great with stakeholders and a huge asset” to her team, according to her nominator.
Promoted from growth marketing lead for streaming service ITVX to ITV head of brand in August, Footman describes her formative years in marketing as “squiggly”. She advises young marketers to try different roles, arguing a broader skillset opens up jobs, helps you progress quicker and distinguish yourself.
Since kickstarting her career at John Lewis in 2015, Footman recalls how the “massive growth” of ecommerce gave prominence to digital marketing, which impacted measurement.
“Gone were the days of simply relying on an econometrics model a month after the campaign finished to tell us the impact of marketing,” she states. “We were now boots on the ground every single week, front and centre in trading meetings, communicating marketing’s effectiveness and its role in supporting business growth.”
“The old saying is true: there is no such thing as a bad question. It’s the consistent theme I coach my teams on, as it’s the easiest way to get on senior people’s radars from the get-go.”
As performance marketing has evolved, Footman believes the industry is striking a better balance between short and long term. However, this early exposure to data instilled in her a “robust performance, insight and measurement agenda”.
She is also passionate about continuous learning, which could mean anything from attending a lecture on AI, to reading an IPA effectiveness paper.
“Over the last few years, I’ve really prioritised identifying gaps in my areas of knowledge or skillset and finding ways to address them. As a Scholar at The Marketing Academy, I was schooled in understanding what great leadership looks like, sounds like and how it behaves,” says Footman.
On the flipside, she believes fragmented measurement is one of the biggest challenges for marketers, making it hard to “paint a single picture” of effectiveness.
“This leaves room for interpretation and misattribution, particularly when your KPIs aren’t revenue related,” she argues.
“This is exacerbated in tougher economic climates when businesses need and want growth in the short term, making it difficult to communicate and land the benefits of long-term brand building, especially when you might not see results in the next six months but over years.” It is imperative to position marketing as a growth driver by building plans that give long-term brand and short-term sales equal importance, Footman suggests.
Looking ahead, she is concerned AI could mean brands all look and sound the same. Footman predicts businesses will, therefore, need to prioritise brand management.
Whatever happens over the next decade, asking questions is the difference, she says. “It’s the consistent thing I have been praised for throughout my career, as it shows curiosity and genuine interest in the business, while also building your personal brand,” she explains.
“The old saying is true: there is no such thing as a bad question. It’s the consistent theme I coach my teams on, as it’s the easiest way to get on senior people’s radars from the get-go.”
