Today’s guest is the fascinating Ellie Norman, Chief Communications Officer at Manchester United. This is a wonderful story of embracing challenges, from diving into the marketing world without prior experience to leading innovative branding strategies at big brands. Ellie has worked for Honda, which must have been a dream job for someone who grew up loving motorised vehicles and Ellie certainly made the most of it as you will hear. Ellie totally changed direction going to Virgin Media and then the call came to lead marketing at Formula One, where Ellie set up the first ever marketing structure and helped transform the perceptions of the sport, and yes we do talk about Drive to Survive. In a fascinating next step Ellie took over marketing at the glorious Manchester United, and what is fascinating is Ellie had no real love for football, so we talk about what attracted her to the role at the greatest football club in the world (can you sense the bias!). This episode sheds light on the power of curiosity, the significance of building relationships, and the impact of strategic marketing in the ever-evolving world of sports and entertainment.

01:12 From Farm Life to Marketing Maven

04:15 Foundational Years in Marketing

09:09 Agency Insights

13:02 The move to client side

21:56 Embracing Change at Virgin Media

28:54 A Surprising Call from Formula One

34:06 The Game-Changing Impact of 'Drive to Survive'

38:15 A New Arena

42:51 Fan Engagement and Strategy at Manchester United

50:34 Match Day Experience: Behind the Scenes

52:39 Reflecting on the Journey and Looking Ahead

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S3 Ep16: Curiosity United, with Ellie Norman