Tim White, chief marketing officer of 28 Group, is a seasoned marketing leader with over two decades of experience driving business growth globally. Known for his unique blend of traditional and digital marketing expertise, White has a passion for building high-performing, creative teams that harness data and technology to deliver exceptional results.
But outside of work, White has a deep passion for sport that he is now getting to share with his children. B&T sat down with White to discuss everything from personal passions to industry challenges, including the evolving landscape of social media, the importance of storytelling in brand marketing, and his proudest career moments.
B&T: What three things would you take to a desert island?
White: Torch; My pillow; Sunscreen
B&T: Favourite album, movie and book?
White: Michael Franti/Spearhead’s Stay Human; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; Andre Agassi’s Open
B&T: What is your passion outside of work?
White: I’ve always loved sport – my playing days have largely ended (aside from a high intensity/lowly-skilled night tennis comp) but I’m loving witnessing my children on the journey of learning/playing the sports I loved when I was younger.
B&T: If you weren’t a CMO, what would you be doing?
White: I wanted to be a lawyer when I was younger… I’m glad I ended up where I did!
B&T: What was your favourite campaign of all time?
White: I loved the original collaboration between Nike and Apple around Nike+iPod. The tech feels dated now but at the time it was an innovative and meaningful way of solving for a customer need (‘motivation to go for a run/get fit’) which had been historically so hard to solve for.
… Now let’s talk shop.
B&T: What is your brand’s top priority for the next 12 months?
White: More storytelling; we’re fortunate enough to see life-changing stories from our customers on a daily basis – these stories not only help inspire others using our product but can be a really effective way to communicate the benefits of our product to a new audience
B&T: What channel is exciting you the most and how do you split your marketing budgets between long/short and channels mix?
White: The evolution of social channels like Meta and TikTok is fascinating and is providing many brands (including us!) with opportunities to acquire customers and build equity at scale… you have to be willing to experiment though and break some of the rules many marketers grew up with.
B&T: What is the biggest challenge you currently face in the marketplace?
White: The pace of change in a high-performing marketing team is so much quicker than it used to be. Growing a team that has the capability (and culture) to evolve quickly/effectively is something I think about every day.
B&T: What campaign are you most proud of?
White: Less so a ‘campaign’ and more a period in our history: competition in our category post-COVID was intense, with increased presence from local and international players and a population that was itching to get back to their pre-COVID lives in gyms and restaurants. I am extremely proud of the way we evolved our strategy, our product and our messaging to continue our growth in these challenging conditions.
B&T: Where do you see yourself in five years time?
White: By daytime: Working in a team that truly loves working together and is inspired to achieve great things for it’s customers and the business. Having fun and doing great work is what it is all about.
By night-time: still running around a tennis court, albeit more slowly, still thinking I’m Stefan Edberg.
Check out the other instalments in the CMOs To Watch series here:
- CMOs To Watch: Meet Zach Kitschke, Full Time Canva CMO, Part Time Snowboarding Superstar
- CMOs To Watch: Meet Peita Golden, Telco Marketing Boss, Footy Fanatic & Future Pub Owner
- CMOs To Watch: Peter Chapman On Driving Reflections Holidays’ Brand Transformation & Reimagining Camping
- CMOs To Watch: Gardening & Dinner Parties, How Vinyl Group’s Alli Galloway Finds Peace Outside Of The Roaring Live Music Scene
- CMO’s To Watch: The Little Joys Behind Michelle Rowling’s Thrilling Life At Luna Park
- CMOs To Watch: Hawthorn FC’s Dan Hamer’s Next Big Partnership
- CMOs To Watch: DrinkWise’s Part Time Builder, Part Time Marketer, Nathan Kent
- CMOs To Watch: Mountain Culture’s Out Of This World Bradley Firth
