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Jason Ifill describes himself as a “sales and marketing maverick. ” He has over fifteen years’ experience with various companies crossing the automobile, telecommunication and financial services sectors. But why sales and marketing? It all started with the realisation that life in the energy sector wasn’t for him. 

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I remember attending an ‘intercol’ game in Skinner’s Park with my father and witnessing the passion exhibited by the ‘Pres Boys’ as they supported their school. There was this very strong energy and enthusiasm that showed how much they loved the school. I admired that energy and wanted to be part of it. I would always look up at the stoned wall of the college whenever we drove by Coffee Street/Lord street and say to myself “I want to go to Pres” and I eventually did.

Attending ‘Pres’ was one of the best experiences of my life that still impacts who I am today. It fostered a brotherhood and provided a solid foundation for a well rounded good man. Brother Michael (the Principal) created a legacy that influenced many lives over generations. I am grateful to have benefited from this very rich educational experience. 

I was good at Mathematics and Physics and wanted to study engineering to follow in my father’s footsteps in the energy sector. However, after a stint working in the oil industry during the July/August vacation, I quickly realised this field was not for me. So I decided to study for the SATs and aim for a scholarship to study at a US university. It was in my freshman year, while at college, that I decided to study Marketing. Although I consider myself to be quite analytical, I have always preferred creativity and visuals to numbers.

To make some extra money to cover some of my living expenses, I worked part time as a Messenger with the Conde Nast publications (home of Vogue, GQ, Traveller, etc). This was the early 2000s and prior to the advent and active use of social media when hard-copy magazines were still very popular. I read a lot of them and absorbed the advertising in the pages of those magazines. 

My marketing journey

After I graduated from St Francis College NY in 2004, I returned to Trinidad in 2005 and in 2006, I got my first real marketing job as the Nissan Brand Specialist for Neal and Massy Motors (now Massy Motors). This was a tremendously valuable learning experience for me as a young marketer. The role exposed me to both business and marketing insights. As the Nissan Brand Specialist, I was responsible for the Nissan  brand within the dealership and was required to develop advertising and promotional campaigns to grow market share. It was also my first experience working closely with international brands and experiencing the nuances of Asian cultures – Japanese culture in particular. In 2009, I decided to make the move to bmobile when the telecoms “battle” was in high gear. At that time, there was a lot of investment in advertising and marketing campaigns to maintain market share and leave little room for the competition. During my tenure at bmobile, as the BlackBerry Product Manager, the marketing landscape started to change with the invention of social communication applications (Facebook, BBM/ Whatsapp). Those were very exciting times as social media facilitated a new wave of marketing that allowed you to communicate directly with your audience via these social channels once your content was good enough to grab attention.

From bmobile, I went to a big multinational and a giant in the technology industry. This was my toughest professional experience to date. The corporate culture was not very comfortable  and  the local organization structure for the Trinidad office was not as supportive as they could have been. I had a really tough time adapting to this work environment. I worked 12 hour days and weekends and wasn’t always appreciated for my efforts. However, I was able to learn a lot about my resilience and determination during this period and was able to develop invaluable industry contacts and business insights which facilitated my development.

In 2016, owing to my industry knowledge and experience in the sector, I was head hunted by another technology titan. That was a very interesting experience since I was able to execute some creative marketing ideas. When I first joined, the brand and the company were relatively unknown in Trinidad but they had (and I believe that they still do have) very advanced technological features in their phones so it was a great opportunity to promote the brand and build awareness of the mobile devices. I designed promotional campaigns that leveraged the use of Messi who was a global brand ambassador at the time (a customer even won a trip to Spain to see Messi play). Another highlight of this experience was hosting media personnel and clients at CES in Las Vegas where the company unveiled new products and plans for the future. I was able to navigate any challenges I experienced and succeed, while learning a lot about the Chinese culture and business mindset.

Now, I work in the financial services/banking sector where I manage the design and execution of all advertising campaigns to support various business lines.To be honest, I never thought I would end up in banking. However, I am thoroughly enjoying it as it’s very active and the scope of communication is wide. The nature of financial services does not always allow as much flexibility and creativity in marketing but I have welcomed the challenge to bring a new perspective and an ‘outsider’s’ view to the mark-comm efforts. The organisation has a strong affinity for local content and the community and we are working on building the brand around these attributes.

Each conglomerate and corporation that I worked  for, provided significant learnings through challenges, cultures, policies, people and leadership. However, one thing is certain, every chapter has helped prepare me for the next step and I use these experiences to pursue growth and development with the same passion.

The ‘high’ with marketing

I am usually excited to roll out a new campaign and gauge the reaction of consumers and internal stakeholders. A good integrated marketing campaign, blitzes the consumer from all angles. They are immersed in the message(s) which should result in sales/required behavior. When the campaign delivers the desired results, there is a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. A well executed campaign brings together creativity, strategic thinking, project management and ultimately results in ‘sales’ or changed behaviour . This provides a strong sense of achievement. In marketing, the output from your work is consumed by the public. Observing their reactions can be fulfilling at times.

I know I am in the right field as I enjoy my job every single day despite challenges, frustrations and the very long hours. I believe the field of marketing aligns with my personality, it fosters my strategic thinking while at the same time, engages my creativity in an industry that is social and behaviourial – a perfect mix! 

Guided by my mother’s teachings and certain philosophies

Growing up, my mother instilled a sense of pride and respect in my brother and me from a young age. In my early years in Mayaro, we were around a lot of expats so there was a lot of the expat vs local, white vs black dynamic. My mother ensured that we understood these social nuances, while always being black and proud and never accepting disrespect. I have always been very competitive and focused on being the best in school or sports which provided my validation rather than social acceptance by others based on color or wealth.

I continue to admire examples of black excellence both locally and abroad, male and female. I prefer not to name anyone but I try to absorb lessons and tidbits of experiences shared by others to inspire me to keep working towards my goals and dreams. I have also been heavily guided by certain philosophies like:

“Hard work pays off eventually”, “What God has for you, no man can stop” and “People see the fruits of your labour but not the sweat of your toil”.

I think successful black men don’t do enough to support younger black men trying to build their careers. Ever since my first corporate job, I have sought mentorship and career guidance from older, experienced successful black brothers but support is rarely provided. To be honest, the few instances of career support and help have been from non-blacks. This needs to change. We must do better!

To that teenager who may be confused about his career path, it is important to expose yourself to as many fields as possible and pursue the ones that you enjoy and have a deep passion for.

In any field you choose, success would not come easy. There may be overnight sensations but there is no short cut to  success. You must be willing to learn, grow, develop. Be patient!

For the young professionals interested in marketing and communications, you must understand that marketing is not just creativity, social events and parties (aka the fun aspects). There is  data analysis, business management, research etc that would be required to develop informed campaigns.

I have always been a very hard worker who spends long hours working. However, I try to ensure I spend some quality time each weekend with my family and every night at least one hour chatting with them, whether it is at dinner time or after. It’s definitely not ideal but the sacrifice is required.

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Jason is an alumnus of Presentation College, San Fernando, Trinidad; St Francis College, New York and the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, Trinidad. He holds an undergraduate degree in Management Studies with a specialisation in Marketing and an International Master of Business Administration (IMBA) degree.