Marketing Mavericks: Guzman Y Gomez’s Lara Thom

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Marketing Mavericks was a supplement in the latest mag, featuring some of Australia’s most daring and bold marketers. Today, we’re bringing you Guzman Y Gomez’s global CMO Lara Thom.

Gut-Driven Mother Of Five

A natural storyteller, Lara started her career as a journalist and photographer. Holding countless roles across her career, from journalist to sales exec, entrepreneur and CEO, Lara eventually rested on sales and marketing. Currently the global chief marketing officer at Guzman y Gomez, she embodies so many things that makes one a marketing maverick: smarts, personality, humility and a killer gut instinct, just to name a few.

I don’t have a typical background in marketing. I started my career as a photographer and journalist, so I’ve always been a storyteller. Knowing what a consumer will click on, read or purchase has always been in my DNA. Also, I think my experience in other roles has definitely set me up for success as I understand so many sides of the business and not just my own responsibilities.

While it’s a huge compliment to be seen as a marketing maverick, GYG’s success isn’t just me. I work with incredibly talented people who make our brand what it is. We’ve never focused on what anyone else is doing. Personally, I’ve always thought a little outside the box and creativity was at my core. I say yes way more than I say no. While I have a lot of experience behind me, I’m also a mother of five kids and my oldest kids are now teenagers, I’m able to see a lot through their eyes and how their generation is consuming products and media. These days, I’m guided by two things: data and my gut instinct. If they match up, the planets seem to align.

One of my proudest moments and best campaigns I’ve worked on at GYG is our ‘Clean Is The New Healthy’ campaign. It’s amazing how many things are added to food that we aren’t aware of. So the journey began. We wanted our food to taste the best it could but we didn’t really talk about it, it was all about the food. When the project was done, we felt we should let our guests know why they left our restaurants feeling so good and the response was incredible. It turns out that Australia agreed that fast food doesn’t have to be bad food. I felt like we were doing something good for the industry and for millions of people who eat fast food in Australia.

Best piece of advice you’ve received?

If you create a campaign, piece of creative or content and can easily put another brand’s logo on it, it’s not on-brand. The best campaigns are uniquely identifiable to your brand.

You’re summoned to the CEO’s office. Why?

He’s had an idea overnight and it needs to be executed tomorrow, preferably this afternoon… but he’ll settle on tomorrow.

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