Three years ago, Marnie Hanssens joined Mediabrands as a trainee. During this period, she was given the chance to try out several departments and was then hired at UM. After six months, she moved to Initiative, where she currently works as a Digital Account Executive. “I work with colleagues who are in direct contact with the client, although sometimes I also have that direct contact. I take care of the campaigns, especially the reporting, which allows us to see what worked and what didn’t. We use these learnings to launch new campaigns.”
One aspect that Marnie really enjoys is the teamwork: “It’s rewarding to learn from other people. It helps me to improve and contribute to good teamwork. And to achieve a result the client is happy with, because that’s the end goal after all.”
Marnie is very happy to have chosen Mediabrands: “I really appreciate the mindset here. We’re all equals, there are no differences. The atmosphere is great. When we have a question or a specific request regarding our well-being at work, it’s always well received. They really listen to and trust us, and allow us a lot of flexibility in our working hours. That has a really positive effect on our morale.”
Appreciative clients and colleagues also fill her with pride and motivate her: “We receive regular feedback from our clients. At one point, we scored 8 and a half, even 9 out of 10. I found that very stimulating. I also love to see clients grow. I want to step out of my comfort zone, to get as involved as possible and hone my skills. Likewise, when someone gives me positive feedback, for example, that something has gone well thanks to my reporting,
I feel really proud.”
A social animal
However, Marnie struggled during lockdown, as she found it hard to not be around her colleagues: ”My work suffered when I was home. I lost motivation and couldn’t strike a balance. It’s much better now that we can go back to the office more often.” Indeed, Marnie is a self-declared “chatterbox”. Although she admits to being impulsive with her words and a bit stubborn, Marnie easily adapts and she’s very sociable: “When I’m asked to help, I will rarely say no and always make sure that everyone can work as a team. But sometimes I go too fast, only because I want to do well and help everyone.”
What Marnie really excels in is organization: “I have managed to set up procedures to follow so that I can do things properly, one step at a time. I take notes all the time, and I also create documents so that my colleagues have access to all the information they need and everything is clear. Administration and invoicing, however, are not my thing.” But Marnie is a champion with visuals: “I really need something visual. For example, when I prepare a PowerPoint presentation for a client, I’m very fussy about it. In the end, don’t we all like it to be attractive? You would think a report is nothing but numbers, but it’s much more pleasant when you add graphics or even just a colored visual. It’s also easier for clients to understand. They’re able to recognize themselves in it and they enjoy seeing this kind of reporting rather than just staring at an Excel spreadsheet with numbers.”
Outside of work, as colleagues will know, Marnie spends a lot of time in her kitchen, whipping up delicious and especially beautiful dishes: “Cooking is my passion. I love to add a personal touch to my dishes, a little secret ingredient that gives them that something extra. What I like most is the plating. I always draw a picture of the plating I’m after on my tablet.” Her tablet is also a very useful tool and faithful companion for her other passion: interior design. Clearly, her visual creative spirit gives her little respite: “Whether it’s day or night, whether I’m at work or at home, my brain never switches off!”