Q&A WITH ZUZANA BROSNAN, MARKETING MANAGER

• About: Zuzana Brosnan, Marketing Manager at The Montenotte Hotel.

• Name: Zuzana Brosnan

• Age: 41

• Lives: Model Farm Road

• Job title: Marketing Manager

Salary Bracket: 

The current situation has provided me with a unique opportunity to spend more time with my husband and son who has just started primary school. Prior to the pandemic I was a full-time employee, now I work 20 hours per week.

Education background:

My formative education was completed in my home country of Slovakia. In 2008 I completed my primary degree in Marketing with The Marketing Institute of Ireland and graduated top of the class and started working in Sales & Marketing Department at what was then known as Clarion Hotel, Lapps Quay.

At the outset of my career digital marketing was almost non-existent, in stark contrast to current times when it has become an essential element. In recognition of this, last year I decided to make a concerted effort to improve my digital skills and completed an excellent course with the Digital Marketing Institute, a decision which continues to reap rewards.

We were absolutely thrilled for The Montenotte Hotel to be the winner of three digital marketing awards, winning the Best use of Instagram, Best Social Media Campaign and the overall Digital Marketing Titan 2020 at the Cork Chamber Digital Marketing Awards.

Hobbies:

I am a passionate gardener; I love plants and grow my own vegetables (including a big pumpkin for Halloween). I am a firm believer in pollination and grow many bee and butterfly friendly plants. The garden is a never-ending project which keeps giving joy year after year.

I also love baking; I often bake too much and have to drop off banana bread or cookies to my neighbour next door. Christmas baking is my favourite though, the tradition has started way back when I was small, my mum had me helping cut out the shapes of Christmas cookies - she is a great baker and we still swap recipes.

I took up running a year ago (starting with a couch to 5km), really enjoyed it and have been running ever since.

Describe your job in five words:

Creative, busy, fulfilling, analytical, project led

Describe yourself in five words:

Competitive, driven, passionate, organised, reliable

Personality needed for this kind of work?

I will go back to creativity; every campaign starts with idea generation and you need to be able to visualise the finished campaign before it exists. Think outside the box, use your assets creatively and do not be afraid to step outside of the norm.

How long are you doing this job?

12 years, I am working with the Montenotte Hotel just over 1 year

How did you get into Marketing?

I started off as a sales & marketing executive in the age when digital marketing did not matter as much as it does today, and most of the marketing activities took place offline. Sales took preference and I looked after corporate accounts for number of years which I truly enjoyed and still do. Many of the contacts I have in the business go back 10 years, and it gives me a great satisfaction and pride in my work when I get a call from someone who I used to deal with in the past calling, because they trust me and know my work ethic will deliver what they need.

The change came when our family relocated to Dublin in 2015 and I was lucky to work for a property on St. Stephen’s Green where PR and Marketing were of the upmost importance. This was the beginning of my realisation that marketing is exciting, and it is where I want to be.

Only last year, we returned to the real capital! I got a call with an opportunity to take a six months contract with the Montenotte Hotel and from my first show around, I have fallen in love with the hotel. It is the marketers dream – cool, funky, complex with multitude of opportunities for photographs and most certainly one of the most instagrammable hotels in Ireland!

Do you need particular qualifications or experience?

Hospitality is known for its excellence in developing people and giving them a chance to fulfil their potential. I will forever be grateful to a human resources manager who opened the door for me when I was at the crossroads. At the time, I was about to graduate from my marketing degree and had no experience in the field. I was given an opportunity and started at the bottom, as a sales & marketing executive and worked my self up, getting my first managerial role in 2014. Marketing has changed hugely and emphasis on the digital marketing is essential in any business, it is important to stay at the top of the game.

Describe a day at work

My days are really varied, but normally I would arrive at 9am, we have daily catch up meetings with the team, depending on the day of the week you may find me on a photoshoot, most of the time with air pods in my ears, on a zoom call or working at my desk before I depart at 1pm. Currently, we have been working from home more often than not to help contain the spread of the virus.

How many hours do you work a week?

I work 5 mornings, 4 hours each day.

What do you wear to work?

Mostly dresses, trousers with a blazer sometimes. I have an ankle injury at the moment and my physio is insisting on wearing trainers, so I am trying the trendy dress and the trainers look.

Is your industry male or female dominated?

Well balanced at The Montenotte Hotel, but I have worked for both male and female managers in the past.

Does this affect you in any particular way?

I would have to say no, I am confident and honest in my own capabilities. Our industry is generally 50:50 when it comes to gender and the key aspect is working as a Team with clear vision and same goals.

Is your job stressful? How? Rate it on a scale of 1-10:

It can vary between 5-9, depending on deadlines and the wider elements beyond my control, but generally I try not to get stressed about things I cannot influence.

Do you work with others or on your own?

I work in a wonderful team of 4, each of us with different strengths, great drive to make things happen and some amazing ideas.

When do you plan to retire or give up working?

Not for a while yet, I think I still have a lot to give.

Best bits:

My favourite part of the job is content creation, from the initial planning, to choosing the location to the actual day of the shoot where I can see my idea come to life. Worst bits: Multitasking comes easy to me, but sometimes it can be really challenging too.

Advice to those who want your job?

Make sure you have an interest in marketing, and you are not afraid of hard work. Hospitality marketing can be different to other industries, you need to get exposed to a daily life of the hotel operations and understand what other departments are about. And just go for it!

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