It's been a busy old month at EDNAEDNA HQ, so we're a little late with posting our March entry, but we promise it's worth the wait! We managed to pin down someone that we've had the pleasure of working with in the past and who has been extremely kind and supportive of us as we've grown, inviting us in to present to his department and always an inspiration to us...

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NAME:

Joel Midgley

JOB TITLE:

Head of global brand marketing

COMPANY:

The Guardian

BIO:

After brief stints in education and book publishing, Joel started working at the Guardian in 2015 and has risen through the marketing ranks in the 8 years since. Passionate about the role of creative marketing to cut through across digital and traditional channels, Joel has worked on some of the Guardian’s biggest campaigns of the last few years including the ‘Space for hope’ relaunch, ‘Hope is power’ brand platform and ‘Joy of print’ subscription campaigns.
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HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR TEA (OR COFFEE)...VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION!

I annoy the Guardian’s canteen staff on a daily basis with my order of an ‘oat flatte’ which I consider to be a flat white x latte hybrid but is (I am told) actually just a latte.

OK, IT’S NO SECRET TO YOU THAT WE ARE HUGE FANS OF THE GUARDIAN, BUT WHAT IT IS ABOUT WORKING FOR THEM THAT YOU LOVE?

Working for a global news brand means no 2 days are the same. Our brand marketing needs to adapt to an ever-changing landscape which can provide moments of both fun and stress. Needless to say, 2022 felt like a whirlwind! Over the years we’ve also run marketing for a broad range of products and sub-brands including puzzles, Guardian Jobs, virtual reality, our Soulmates dating site and more… it all keeps us firmly on our toes.

THE BRAND IS STEEPED IN A RICH HISTORY OF CREATIVE BRAND CAMPAIGNS…ANY PARTICULAR FAVOURITES THAT SPRING TO MIND FOR YOU?

I grew up amongst some fine Guardian ads! From the cheeky supplement-focused TV ads of the early noughties the Guardian always stood out as a paper that did things differently. Of course the Three Pigs ad really cemented the brand’s ambitions and creative DNA in my mind though, truly inspiring and one of the reasons I chose to enter the profession.

YOUR ROLE IS PRETTY ALL-ENCOMPASSING; YOU MUST HAVE TO OVERSEE AND GET INVOLVED IN A BROAD RANGE OF THINGS DAY TO DAY, BUT WHICH PART OF YOUR JOB DO YOU ENJOY THE MOST? AND ZERO JUDGEMENT HERE IF YOU SAY FILLING IN SPREADSHEETS…

We’re creatively ambitious and often need to punch above our media value, so the biggest kick I get is challenging agencies to produce bold work and challenging the business to bravely take it over the line.

SO WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE GUARDIAN BRAND GLOBALLY? WHAT AREAS ARE YOU FOCUSING ON AT THE MOMENT?

Our open model is quite unique and has given us an amazing opportunity to speak to readers across the world. As we do this, from a marketing perspective we are learning how to balance a consistent global tone with local nuance that ensures we show up in relevant, interesting and authentic ways - this is a priority goal at the moment.