Mediaboss Marketing

I wanted to share with you the wisdom of one of the recent guests on my podcast,All The Social Ladies. Tricia Nichols is the Global Lead, Senior Director Consumer Engagement, Media & Brand Partnerships at Gap. She has had a passion for marketing beyond advertising and a love for Gap even before she started her career. She is an amazing role model for anyone wanting to get into the social arenahere are just a few of her brilliant insights that I wanted to share with you.

Social Evolution

Tricia started her career in traditional marketing. She sensed a change with the advent of social and raised her hand as an early adopter to embrace it for her brand. She fell in love with what social could do for communication and consumer interaction, and by fearlessly testing some of the early networks like Foursquare, she recognized these as loyalty platforms before people really knew what they could become. At Gap, each social channel is seen as having its own personality. Understanding each channels key uses and ways for interaction is part of the learning process. For Gap, social is embraced as a way to not only tell product stories and talk about brand heritage but also social good. The brand has a visible role in empowering women and its campaign One Stitch Closer celebrates women by sharing inspiring stories of women everywhere, who by improving their own lives, bring us one stitch closer to a brightertomorrow. Launched on International Womens Day, the brands goal was more than just engagement Gap wanted to share the stories of these incredible women.

Growth

Tricias extensive background has positioned her as an experienced leader. This is something which she finds extremely rewarding and strives to help others achieve too. She is a strong believer in keeping inspiration alive. With that in mind, here are four of the key areas she values for growth in social media and within an organization:

Innovation

Gap is renowned for being first on new social channels. For Tricia, there is value in being first, as she loves finding new ways to communicate. More important though, she says it has to be done right, as the very first movers onto a platform can really shape what it becomes in the future. The best intention as a person or a brand using a new platform for the first time is the desire to understand it and use it to move into a bigger and better place. So how does Gap stay at the forefront? For Tricia, its all about the people. Her staff is naturally curious, has a love for social, fashion, and music, and most important, has a deep understanding of the channels and respect for the power of communication. Gaps heritage leads the brand to new places naturally, but its the individuals who are committed to looking for new ways to communicate and innovate that allow for further elevation and public love for the brand. A great example: With the recent split of Adult and Baby Gap on separate channels, the brand is now learning about these new personalities and embracing the task of communicating with moms 1:1.

As Tricia emphasizes, change will always happen. The greatest lesson I learned from her: Surround yourself with people who believe change is inevitable and growth is optional.

What skill set do you think is needed for a career in social media? How do you stay innovative for your brand? Please leave your comments in the section below!

See more here:
Tricia Nichols on Growth, Change, and Social Media