Name: Becca Hoggett
Age: 26
Job title: Trade marketing manager
Company & location: Accolade Wines, Weybridge
Education: Event management at Bournemouth University
Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? It’s always been a sector I’ve heard a lot about due to family members working in the industry. I’d also previously helped clients with marketing and media requests in my previous role and always felt a buzz seeing something I’d helped create being published. Food and drink is an ever-changing sector with so many daily learnings and opportunities for being involved in new projects.
Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): I am part of the marketing team at Accolade Wines and work in trade marketing, looking after Tesco and Waitrose. Ultimately, I work with these retailers to plan in our media for the year. Once plans are agreed and aligned to our internal priorities and the customer promotional plans and events, I then work to pull together and supply the supporting assets ready to go to print or be posted online. For us, it’s all about looking at which brands work where, and how we get the highest level of visibility and results from media throughout the shopper journey – whether in store, print or digital.
What does a typical day look like for you? Firstly I keep on track with my media deadlines, as often we must supply assets well in advance of go-live dates and a lot of things can change in a short space of time! Once I know I’m on track with my media, I then turn my attention to working on several projects I am currently involved with, both internal and customer. I spend a lot of time on project calls, writing emails and lists, but it’s all fun and allows me to get wider exposure outside my day-to-day job.
“This role caught my eye as I knew I always wanted to move into fmcg, and the fact it was in wine gave it the edge for me”
Tell us how you went about applying for your job: After finding out I was being made redundant from my events job due to Covid, I was immediately on the search for a new opportunity. This role caught my eye as I knew I always wanted to move into fmcg, and the fact it was in wine gave it the edge for me. My first interview was a chat, talking about my experience and understanding of the industry, then my second interview was just a week after, where I had to do a pitch on how I would market Jam Shed, which to me at the time was a completely new brand. I guess, also, normally pitches may be done in person, but due to the pandemic, my interviews and first few months at Accolade were all remote, which made it difficult to build relationships with my team.
What’s the best part about working for a food & drink company? Getting to meet so many new people from across the industry and trying so many new products. Working in a category where trends are ever-changing, it means we are constantly looking at innovation and NPD. Whether this is creating a new brand or looking into new packaging, there is always cool stuff to try or look at in the office. A notable one since I’ve been at Accolade Wines must be Wise Wolf. Not only is the bottle visually so different to those that currently exist in wine, but it is also made from post-consumer recycled glass and really lends itself to being upcycled once you’re done with the wine.
And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? I don’t think consumers ever really understand the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes when it comes to marketing, and how competitive of a market BWS is. I also think it’s completely underestimated how we must be constantly thinking ahead to ensure we are industry leading in what we do.
What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? Do it! The industry has so much to offer in terms of progression and getting experience in different departments. Whilst the work can be hard and high-pressured, the culture and people are great, not to forget the great sense of reward and achievement when you see your brands in market.
What’s your ultimate career dream? I’m very much a ‘here and now’ person. I want to focus on increasing my knowledge and exposure, and continue to work on new projects, brands and products. I love what I do and I’m looking forward to seeing what my future holds here at Accolade Wines.
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