Marjan Goyens is still on maternity leave when we ‘meet’ her via Zoom, together with her stepdaughter Anna (7) and baby Ben who is happily babbling in his bouncer. By the way, Ben is the result of a love story that started at Mediabrands. “I met my partner at work,” says a happy Marjan, “and now we have a family together. I can’t believe my luck.
”The only thing missing is childcare at the office. That would be fantastic.”
Marjan studied marketing and advertising in England and started her career there at UM’s UK division. But after 10 years of living in Britain, the call of her homeland began to sound louder and louder. “I wanted something different and started to miss my family,” she explains. “The time was right to return to Belgium.” She told her HR manager, who in turn contacted Clio Bellon, HR director in Belgium. The timing was perfect, apparently there was a vacancy.
Marjan has now been with UM in Belgium for six years and is happy she has been able to witness the company’s evolution firsthand. “I started as a digital planner. Later, I became responsible for a team of digital planners whom I get to coach and train.” Marjan is clearly proud of her team, “It gives me great satisfaction to see them evolve in their jobs.” she says.
Friends for life
She describes the fact that she was allowed to work for Colruyt from the beginning as one of the highlights of her career. “I have worked for a number of clients, but Colruyt was one of my first and biggest. We’ve created some great campaigns for them and even though it is often hard work, I am extremely grateful that I can still work with Colruyt.”
There is no doubt that Marjan enjoys her job. What she likes best is the contact with clients. “I’m very social by nature and love advising clients, explaining to them what they can do with their budgets, how they can best achieve their goals.” However, she regrets that she can’t always satisfy all their requirements or guarantee that they will meet the pre-established deadlines. “Unfortunately, we can’t always offer good news,” she continues, “and that creates frustration, on both sides. Fortunately, I can count on my colleagues’ support. Or I drop in on the men in the trafficking department for a fix of candy as consolation,” she laughs. For Marjan, it is not only the clients, but also her colleagues and the work atmosphere that make Mediabrands a great place to work. “I’ve made friends for life here,” she continues. “My colleagues are the source of my energy. Thanks to them, I find the strength to keep going and continue to enjoy my job, no matter how stressful it can be.” After work, you will regularly find her in a bar with her colleagues. “Enjoying a white wine, preferably a Pouilly-Fumé,” she says. And yet she wishes she found it easier to separate work from play. “I’m too preoccupied with my job and find it hard to draw a line between work and my private life. The two are constantly intertwined for me.” Marjan is envious of people who are 100% available for their families when they get home. “It’s something I really need to work on,” she says.
As for the future of media agencies, Marjan believes they will increasingly evolve into consulting.
“I believe that we will take our expertise to the client and implement things there instead of doing it here, with us. Undoubtedly new platforms will emerge. It’s a sector that changes at a rapid pace. That’s why it’s important to keep a close eye on all the changes and to evolve alongside them.”
Apart from marketing and communication, Marjan has an unusual dream. “Later on, I’d like to own a dog walking agency,” she continues without hesitation. “Being able to exercise outdoors with animals every day, now that sounds fantastic to me.” Marjan used to have a dog, but with her current lifestyle, that’s not feasible for the time being. “I do miss having a pet, but you can’t have it all. I have a good job and am surrounded by people I like, and that’s quite something.”