The Holy Triad of Experience

The Holy Triad of Experience:My Steps Towards a Three-Dimensional Perspective in Marketing„The Holy Triad“ – It sounds epic, but for me, it perfectly captures my experience working in three different business models, shaping my holistic view of the marketing industry. I’ve worked in an agency, in both national and global marketing departments, and as a freelancer. I’d like to share the advantages and opportunities this journey presented and to use this occasion to tell a little bit more about myself.

Next to having experienced different work environments and working my ladder up to better coffee within offices, I am thankful to have experienced different sides of the three dimensional coin. While being self-employed might not be for everyone, I can only encourage to step out once in a while to get a better understanding of the mechanics in the businesses – be it in marketing or other industries. To name the three top skills or understandings I have gained for myself besides the obvious wins:

• Enhanced human interaction and collaboration skills
• Ability to maintain the lens wide and avoid tunnel vision
• And last but definitely not least: fulfilment and happiness

Starting the Agency Life, or the Jump into the Deep EndAfter my assistant job at a national B2B and B2C company during university, my first real industry insight came from a full-service agency in Düsseldorf called 4DD Communication. Fresh from uni, I was eager to learn and get my hands dirty. I began as a copywriter—since what else do you do with a degree in English and German Literature, right? Initially, I wrote copy for clients‘ social media channels (mostly Instagram and Facebook) and occasionally for websites.The team was small, and we soon had to diversify our services to keep up with the industry, venturing into full-on social media management, SEO, and SEA. My first full-time job was a crash course in real-world experience—being thrown into the deep end was invaluable and motivated me to learn and teach myself constantly.

We had a diverse range of clients (very diverse in fact), both B2C and B2B, from small to mid-sized national and international brands. This required us to tailor our marketing strategies to vastly different target audiences. What further fueled my growth was the flat hierarchy and freedom across teams which allowed me to experiment with new trends and ideas (with client approval and within resource limits of course).

Without project managers for most clients, I handled projects from start to finish: receiving briefs, implementing campaigns, managing ongoing communication, and tracking and reporting results. This hands-on experience taught me project management skills on a larger scale, managing multiple client projects simultaneously. I learned to ensure timely and satisfactory project completion while anticipating potential challenges, especially those involving manual work. It is one thing to manage a project where you have to keep the team on track actually working on it, but another story if the majority of the tasks are also handled by yourself.

What I valued most, and in fact still miss, was the fantastic creative collaboration across teams. As part of the Communications Team (covering Social Media and copywriting projects), I worked closely with the Graphics department. Our collaboration was dynamic—brainstorming and developing strong copy or campaign ideas almost simultaneously, shouting across tables to align with the graphics team. We supported each other with out-of-the-box ideas and kept the fun alive. Not everyone can say a colleague wrote a rap song about them and had the whole team perform it at the office. Creativity permeated every fiber of the agency.Going Corporate: The Next Level of Dedication & ConsistencyThe headline says it all. I loved the diversity of clients, topics, and target audiences at the agency, but I wanted deeper insight and the chance to see the whole picture of one brand. I wanted to focus on a single business rather than juggling up to 20 clients simultaneously. So, I joined Nikon as a Web Content Marketing Specialist, later becoming a Content Specialist—a perfect fit given my passion for photography and creative processes.

Everyone can imagine the workload in the agency field, and honestly, I didn’t mind having less on my plate for a change—or so I thought. It didn’t take long to notice the incredible talent and dedication of the Nikon team. I always cared about clients‘ performance and success, but being part of the Nikon Family showed me dedication on a new level. After starting at Nikon Germany, I was honored to join the marketing team at the European headquarters in Amsterdam.

There’s not enough space to detail everything I learned in my 4.5 years at Nikon, but I’ll highlight a few key points. The first major change for me was to learn and understand to maintain brand consistency for a company with over 100 years of heritage and reputation. Despite the structured processes within a corporation, I had opportunities to try new and exciting projects.

Among my proudest achievements are two large-scale campaigns that I was lucky to lead: First, I initiated and implemented Nikon Female Facets, a project empowering female photographers in an up until then predominantly male industry. My superior trusted me to implement this idea, targeting a group we hadn’t addressed before – with success.

Second, I led Nikon Europe onto TikTok. With internal support and collaboration with (I can say it loudly:) the top TikTok agency in Germany, we won the Greatest TikTok Award DACH in 2023. These projects were not only a huge step out of the comfort zone but advanced my project management skills, market research, and data analysis, showing me the global impact of marketing.The teams were significantly larger than at the agency, and with my promotion to the European team, they became more international. Working with cross-functional teams (sales, service, etc.) and skilled local subsidiaries from countries like France and the UK enriched my experience. Collaborating with external agencies and content partners also brought my teamwork to the next level. My colleagues provided me with not just skills but also support, kindness, and inspiration.

Yes, bigger teams can make consensus harder to reach, but they can also teach you valuable skills: pragmatic decision-making and finding the best compromises while considering resources and all team’s perspectives.All (But Not Completely) by Myself… The Next Logical StepAfter my assistant job at a national B2B and B2C company during university, my first real industry insight came from a full-service agency in Düsseldorf called 4DD Communication. Fresh from uni, I was eager to learn and get my hands dirty. I began as a copywriter—since what else do you do with a degree in English and German Literature, right? Initially, I wrote copy for clients‘ social media channels (mostly Instagram and Facebook) and occasionally for websites.After managing numerous projects for amazing brands, I am now embarking on project “me” in the form of FRUIT.ful. I am super proud of where I am right now.

While freelancing isn’t new to me (I’ve freelanced alongside my agency work), being self-employed and building my own brand is a new adventure—one I am very excited about. Over the years, I’ve not only optimized my skill set but also learned a lot about myself and how I work most efficiently.

I am proud to be a creative person, but creativity isn’t a 24/7 trait. It requires a complex mix of components and conditions. While cognitive processes, intrinsic motivation, and emotional state are less controllable, other factors can be influenced: knowledge and expertise, environment, and physical and most of all mental health.

To shape the conditions for creativity and match my individual creativity levels, I decided to take the next step and start my own business. I look forward to further developing an entrepreneurial mindset, taking ownership of all aspects of a business, and approaching holistic marketing from strategy to execution—all while maintaining the spirit of partnership and great collaboration.Embrace Diversity: Culminating My Three-Dimensional Marketing JourneyThroughout my career, each stage has provided immense learning and inspiration, broadening my horizon. As I mentioned in the introduction, it’s not just the individual lessons but the combined experiences from various jobs, projects, perspectives, situations, and the incredible people I’ve worked with that truly matter.

My communication and collaboration skills have evolved significantly, and my understanding of human interaction has deepened, positively impacting both my professional and personal life. I encourage everyone to work with diverse people to gain a broader perspective and understand why and how people act and interact as they do. This understanding enhances marketing by better grasping audiences and improves collaboration in all aspects of life, fostering respect and mutual understanding.

Engaging with different people, teams, and brands prevents tunnel vision. Focusing only on what is familiar and what has worked in the past can hinder progress in both business and personal life. Always respect and involve others, their ideas, and perspectives, and stay open to trying and testing new approaches. Be brave to fail because, as cheesy as it sounds, failure is success in progress.

These are great words to end my journey toward a three-dimensional perspective in marketing and in life. I am extremely happy and motivated to start something new and exciting, and I am grateful for all the experiences, skills, and perspectives I can take with me and develop on the next leg of my journey.