Meet Rebecca, Luma's new multi-skilled marketing manager
The start of a new school year always brings that fresh-notepad energy — and it’s no different at Luma. We’ve got a new face among our ranks, the next chapter opening and plenty to look forward to. This September, we’ve welcomed our new marketing manager, Rebecca Baird, who comes to us from an in-house role at a national housebuilder.
With 15 years’ experience under her belt (the last 12 of which have been in the built environment), Rebecca’s got a sharp eye for details, a head for data and a proven knack for spinning multiple plates without breaking a sweat.
She’s already laced up her trainers and hit the ground running, but we’ve managed to grab five minutes with her for a quick introduction.
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
My mum always said to me; “the world’s your oyster”, which essentially left my future career plans wide open.
But I did dip my toe into journalism at the age of nine: a letter of mine – sharing my concerns about an imminent parking charge coming into force in my local park – was published in the local paper. Cutting-edge commentary at its best.
Buoyed by this early success and imagining a future in the press, I even received some firsthand advice from the inimitable Jon Snow, after my aunt found herself at a dinner party with him.
How did you get into marketing?
As is often the way, I fell into marketing after getting a job at a university’s international recruitment office.
It turned out that the job was far more than recruitment; I found myself creating a website and other marketing assets to entice international students in and unwittingly being initiated into the world of marketing.
What do you like most about your work?
I love how creative and variety it can be.
I spend plenty of time thinking around how to solve a client’s problem, like how to help them communicate clearly with their audience, or how to boost engagement with their social media.
And there’s a great sense of satisfaction when you achieve outcomes.
How do you feel about data?
I have to admit that I love it. There’s so much out there that it’d be easy to get bogged down in it all, but when you know how to decipher it, it can shed loads of light on what the market is doing.
Data on email open and click rates or social media engagement, for example, help us to understand how well a brand’s message is reaching its audience, and who is particularly engaged.
It’s like being an investigative journalist (perhaps I have finally achieved my childhood dream), piecing together clues to understand what’s really happening.
Data also helps us understand who we are talking to. And that affects what we might say, and where we’ll say it. And that can fundamentally change your marketing tactics.
What are you looking forward to getting stuck in with at Luma?
I’m excited to be involved with all our accounts, getting into the nitty gritty on delivering for our clients, and wading deep into the data to inform our next moves.
What keeps you busy outside of work?
I’ve got a seven- and a three-year-old so I think you’ll be able to guess!
Finding time for hobbies is a real challenge in this season of life, so if anyone’s got any tips on that front, I’m all ears.
As a family we do love to escape to the country, and we often head to Cemaes Bay in Anglesey, where we have family roots.
