Welcome to the next episode of our ‘Under the Hood’ blog series, where we meet the amazing people who make New Zealand’s IT industry tick.
In this edition, we sit down with marketing expert, social media guru, and AI entrepreneur, Justin Flitter. Justin has been at the forefront of supporting New Zealand businesses to navigate changes to marketing and customer service, particularly around the advent of digital marketing, social media and employer branding. Justin provides a brief overview of his marketing career and some excellent career advice for up-and-coming Marketers.
Justin’s Career
Like many graduates, Justin struggled to find a job that interested him coming out of University. After trying a different approach, Justin’s determination paid off and he, alongside a few others, founded one of the first business incubators; the NRG Charitable Trust.
After that, Justin built a successful career in customer service until the GFC hit in 2008, and then moved into Business Development Manager role with Zendesk. At this point, social media marketing was just starting to make headway and Justin focused his efforts on developing Zendesk’s social profiles. It was through his work with Zendesk’s Marketing team that led to the creation of a Social Media Manager role and his first step towards digital marketing.
Justin’s Advice for Marketers
When Justin gave his advice for Marketing professionals looking towards the future, he coined a phrase “participation economy”. Artificial Intelligence will change the customer service and marketing industries significantly, just as social media did nearly a decade ago and to stay ahead, Justin advises that Marketers participate as much as they can. The more you participate in events such as AIHappyHour, the more you’ll learn about how things work, and find the people working on interesting projects and importantly, increase your chances of getting noticed and hired.
For more insight into Justin’s career, the extent the Marketing industry has changed in the last ten years, and some excellent advice for Marketers looking to take their careers to the next level, watch Justin’s video.
Keen to See More?
This is just one video in a comprehensive series where we follow individuals who are making a stamp on the IT Industry. For more insights and advice on various roles in the IT Industry from thought leaders and experts in the field, check out more of our Under the Hood series below:
