Gareth Turner is founder and director of Leeds-based marketing consultancy Big Black Door.
With over 23 years’ experience working for household brands like John Smith’s, Bulmers, Lurpak, and Arla in regional and global roles, he is also the former head of marketing at Weetabix, where he was tasked with overseeing the long-term brand strategy.
Fentimans is one of the latest brands to work with Big Black Door to get its range into the hands of more consumers, partnering on in-store strategy and media.
From lucky breaks at Heineken to failures with a coat made entirely of human chest hair (yes, you read that right), Turner shares all the lessons he’s learnt…
Which single daily habit or practice could you not do without?
Aside from guzzling a bucket of black coffee (because let’s be honest, without it, I’d be a pair of jeans and a lumberjack shirt with a pulse), I start by looking at my diary for the next couple of days. Then I stare into the middle distance and try to carve out some time for proper thinking, which feels increasingly scarce.
What’s been your luckiest break?
Mark Given (now CMO at Sainsbury’s) giving me a break to become a marketer. I didn’t realise how little I knew about the job at the time, but thankfully, he stuck with me and gave me a chance on the John Smith’s brand with a motivating “nobody could f*** that brand up.” He invested time and money in coaching and training me – and I will be eternally grateful.
What’s your best failure?
If you’re not failing occasionally, are you even trying? My biggest failures have been when I got over-excited by an execution that I thought was fun, but ultimately didn’t deliver on the brand strategy. I’ve done that a few times in my career but learned from all of them. Perhaps my ‘finest’ moment of ‘what the actual f*** were you thinking?’ was a PR stunt featuring a coat made entirely of human chest hair. Spoiler: it wasn’t a great idea. But it did get coverage – Metro’s readers are still recovering. You need to see this to believe it.
What is the best investment you’ve ever made, either financial or time?
Hiring ninja-level marketers who are smarter than me. Big Black Door is less about me and more about the Avengers I’ve been lucky enough to assemble. They’ve made my job infinitely easier (and me look infinitely better) and do incredible work for our clients.
Which podcast or book would you recommend others to read/listen to, and why?
“How Not to Plan – 66 Ways to Screw It Up” is a book by Sarah Carter and Les Binet. When I get that knot in my stomach at the start of a brand strategy project, it’s my go-to manual. Brilliant and useful in equal measure.
What one piece of advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
Relax, it’s all going to be OK in the end. I wasted way too much time stressing about whether I was progressing fast enough. Turns out life’s not a competition: for me to win, you don’t need to lose. Except in a pub quiz, where I *will* take you down.
Who or what has had the single biggest influence on your working life?
Starting my marketing career at Heineken. It was like being handed the keys to the Ferrari of brand marketing: all the tools, good budgets and the training to learn how to do it properly. Oh, and beer. Beer was definitely part of it.
Tell us something about you that would surprise people.
Apart from convincing someone that a chest-hair coat was a good idea? I’m a solid introvert who has learned how to operate in an extrovert’s world. Work wise I generally try to dissuade people from packaging redesign – it’s the thing most marketers want to change straight away but it’s very rarely worth it and can do more damage than good. I normally encourage them to save their money.
If there was one thing you could change about your career, what would it be and why?
I’d stop obsessing over everyone else’s, highly curated career ‘success.’ Comparing yourself to someone else’s highlight reel is like measuring your fitness by looking at a photoshopped Christiano Ronaldo.
What does success look like to you?
Being happy.
And playing for Crystal Palace. (It’s not too late, right? I’d even do a 10-minute cameo as a sub!)
