Liberal Arts to Marketing: An Interview

“It's not what you sell that matters as much as how you sell it!” — Brian Halligan, CEO & Co-Founder, HubSpot

There came a point in undergrad where I dreaded the question, "What is your major?" It is a simple question famous for prompting small talk. It is also an easy conversation starter. Still, I can't help but feel anxious for the response to come after I say, "I'm an English major."

Unsurprisingly, this prompts the usual questions:

"Are you going to be a teacher?"

"What are you going to do with that?"

"You're going to be unemployed."

"Are you going to law school?"

Or more unique ones like, "So, do you just vibe and write papers?"

It is hard to get taken seriously as an English major or any liberal arts major in a STEM-heavy school like UCLA. Not only this, but liberal arts degrees seem to come with a, "More schooling required," social stamp to be considered applicable or employable in the real world. Graduate school is certainly a useful asset, but lately, as I skim through potential summer jobs I have reflected upon how liberal arts degrees possess the ability to thrive in the world of marketing.

Therefore, I turned to a marketing connection I knew through my family: Andrea Eaken the Director of Marketing, Americas & EMEA, at Graid Technology Inc.

Andrea Eaken has a background in Liberal Arts with a Focus in Linguistic Anthropology.

I reached out to her with questions about the field of marketing and her Liberal Arts background.

How did you get into marketing?

Not via the typical path, that's for sure. I got my degree in Liberal Arts (thought I'd be a teacher) and added linguistics as my emphasis, with a focus on sociolinguistics and ethical social research methods, because I was deeply interested in the subjects. After college I worked in the financial services industry and learned graphic design and some coding on the side, as hobbies (we're talking MySpace era here--that's how I learned HTML ). In 2006 I went back to work after my son was born, in an Exec Assistant role at a Big-4 consulting firm called Resources Global Professionals (an offshoot of Deloitte). There I was exposed to the C-suite's internal struggle to effectively align and manage the corporate brand across 4,000 consultants worldwide -- and note, back in 2006 the concept of a corporate brand was still vague, but gaining importance and shifting dramatically as social media became more prevalent. At the time, leadership was still reluctant to put budget or effort toward initiatives that didn't draw a direct line to revenue. Due to my sociolinguistics studies, I was able to provide some insight on how to solve these brand alignment problems, and my graphic design and web coding experience meant I was able to execute the vision internally without the need for extra budget to hire agency assistance. That opportunity allowed me to transition to a Brand Development Consultant role at RGP for two years, then I branched out on my own as an independent brand consultant, bringing in clients across Finance, Tech, and Legal industries, while keeping RGP as a main client. The exposure to a variety of industries proved valuable experience and later opened up professional opportunities in cutting-edge tech, which has been fun. So 23 years after graduation, here I am.

What does a typical day at your job look like?

Each day is different. My days vary between writing PR, or building social and digital campaigns to drive brand awareness and qualified leads to our site, or sometimes I'm coding new website pages, or working with our global sales team to develop sales enablement content/collateral for our various global channel partners. I often work with leadership to ensure our brand and product messaging is consistent and clear, as well as working closely with technical/engineering to ensure our messaging is true, correct, and properly extolls the value of the product to the audience we are communicating to. And sometimes I'm planning exhibitions at large events like SuperCompute (North America), CloudExpo (Europe), or Computex (APAC/Taiwan). The job is never boring and requires the willingness to wear a lot of hats!

What had you wished you’d known before entering the field of marketing?

Honestly, I knew only a little about marketing before going into the field but was well-versed in the branding side because of my natural inclination toward the subject. I'd guest-lectured for my former Anthropology/Linguistics professor, whose wife was in marketing at Mattel, so the crossover between language studies, the value of social listening, and the value of clear graphic communication (like globally recognized symbols) was very apparent to me. The transition from brand consulting to marketing director was mostly seamless, although I had to Google a LOT over the last two years, as I'd never written a press release prior to this role. Two years and 20+ press releases later, I'd encourage anyone to just learn as much as they can in any job and be willing to fail forward -- that's a key part of learning and growing, especially in a creative role.

As an English major, how will I be able to use my skills and what I’ve learned in marketing?

The ability to translate loads of complicated information into consumable and relatable content is a marketable skill. Use your command of language, as well as active empathy, to understand your audience and tell them a story that matters to them. That's what sells. To be impactful in 7-10 words is much more powerful than a soliloquy resulting from someone's (or brand's) inability to communicate their message clearly. That's how you lose your audience, haha. So, yes your English degree can be very valuable! It's all in how you choose to apply it. But make sure you find something you enjoy doing because at the end of the day, you'll do your best work when you like what you're doing and who you're working with.

Do you feel like your own major granted you the tools and skills required for a job in marketing?

Oh, for sure--eventually. I regretted it for a few years because I didn't end up wanting to teach elementary school, but the exposure to all the arts (Liberal Arts has its upside) was good. Several years later it was the linguistics/sociolinguistics and cross-cultural studies that proved invaluable, especially in global business roles.

What is your advice for those interested in pursuing marketing?

1. Google everything. Use the tools available to you, and if you get stuck search for clues because someone else has probably gotten stuck there before too. Forums are your friend!

2. Build a network and leverage it. That's the most valuable thing you can invest in for your professional future.

3. Get familiar with graphic design, how websites work on front and back end, how social media impacts brand, make connections with media in your professional space. You don't need to be the expert on these, but having an idea of how they work and how much effort each takes will make it much easier to build relationships on your teams (by appreciating the work your fellow teammates are doing), and will help you scope projects, manage budget, and manage leadership expectations more effectively.

4. Don't be afraid to fail. Try new things, take measured risks, prepare contingency plans, and take responsibility for the results! Each fail or win is a learning opportunity.

5. Keep your sense of humor -- it's already work, we might as well have fun while we're doing it. That's my team philosophy anyway.

Don’t be afraid to be underestimated, and be willing to listen to everything. When you first start out in business, it can be hard to feel like you’re at the bottom of the ranks, but listening to everything around you is the best educational experience you can get. And if people underestimate you in the room, sometimes you hear (learn) more so don't sweat it, use it to your strategic advantage.

And an addendum to the part about building and leveraging your network: become known for being trustworthy, consistent, and one who strives to do their best work. Nobody’s perfect, of course, but the effort makes an impact! Aim to make connections with professionals you trust and who demonstrate integrity and empathy in their work, no matter their title. Those can become lifelong connections. I still talk to my mentor from back in 2006, mass respect for her as a professional and as a woman, and mother.

I am grateful Andrea reached back to me in such a tight time frame with such thoughtful answers. As I near my undergrad career, my talk with her eased a lot of the worries and anxieties I had surrounding my major. I resonate with her comments about passion and drive, as I do not believe I would have succeeded in a major I resented.