For over 20 years, Gareth Evans has worked in the world of marketing, across numerous agencies and businesses.
In 2015 he joined Cogent to lead business development as Growth Director, moving to Group Managing Director in 2021. Gareth is also the IPA (Institute of Practitioners In Advertising) City Head for Birmingham and the Midlands, as well as sitting on the IPA’s New Business and Marketing committee.
Gareth was on hand at The Fold to deliver a talk to our students as part of their Induction week at our Leamington Spa campus, discussing the creative industries and potential career paths.
If you’d like to join a course at Leamington Spa or our other campuses, then contact our team now.
Can you tell us about how you started in the industry?
I’m the Managing Director at the Cogent Group.
I’ve been in and around the advertising and marketing industry for about 20 years. I’ve worked in various roles across advertising, digital, PR, and sales promotion agencies, from small independent agencies to large global ones.
I came to Cogent about eight or nine years ago, and most of my work has been in business development roles, which gives me a broad view across clients, sectors, and disciplines.
What are some of your proudest projects or achievements in your career?
One early highlight in my career was when I worked at an agency that specialised in interactive TV advertising.
We saw that it wasn’t going to be around much longer, so we had to transition the agency into broader digital media. I was involved in pitching for and winning a piece of work with Cadbury’s, which set that agency on a new path.
Another highlight is being the City Head for Birmingham and the Midlands for the IPA, where I represent our trade body and connect with local agencies.
On a personal note, working in the music industry and getting backstage passes to a David Bowie gig was pretty memorable!
What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned that could be transferred to students entering the industry?
A piece of advice I still carry with me comes from one of my university lecturers: It doesn’t matter what you say; it’s what the other person hears that counts.
It’s critical in communication to focus on what the other person understands rather than what you’re saying.
Another lesson is to ask questions. In my career, I’ve often hesitated to ask questions for fear of sounding stupid, but I’ve learned that there’s no such thing as a stupid question. Being inquisitive is highly valued in our industry, and chances are, if you don’t understand something, someone else in the room doesn’t either.
What do you think are the most valuable skills students should develop to enter the industry confidently?
Understanding people is critical – knowing how people think, behave, trust, and believe will help you create effective marketing communications.
Another important quality is a sleeves-rolled-up attitude. Be the person who raises their hand to try something new and always be inquisitive.
Lastly, know the industry. Stay curious and learn as much as you can from podcasts, reports, events, and networking opportunities. Understanding the broader context of the industry will be invaluable.
What do you think is one of the most common misconceptions or challenges within the marketing industry?
There are a few. A recent one would be ‘AI is taking all our jobs’.
No-one can deny the rise of GenAI has given the industry pause for thought and it’s an ongoing consideration given the pace of change in that world.
So dive in and embrace it – don’t be scared of it. And the truth is yes, it’s changed a lot of things. Yes it can help us do some things more quickly or with less resource. Let’s embrace that and work out how we can build it into our workflows to make things better. Think of it as a multiplier, not a diminisher. It’s only an existential threat if we believe our role as marketeers is just to make stuff efficiently. Really our job is to solve business challenges effectively, and you still need humans for that!
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