We have asked some of the many women working in motoring to share their Working Week with us. This week we catch up with Emma Toner, Marketing and Communications Manager of Peugeot Ireland
Monday – 6.50am: Get up, get ready, get going! Drop son to childminder. Monday is press day for me. I arrive in the office at 8.45am and boot up the pc, with a coffee in hand. I check what press cars are going out that day, send a text or email to each journalist picking up that day and get the press packs ready. We’re very hands on at Peugeot, so getting the cars cleaned through a local Dealer and fuelled is part of every Monday morning. Once the press cars are organised, I hold a half hour department meeting and tasks arising from a weekly department meeting are assigned for the week. No two days or hours are the same at work, so preparation for the week is key to control. Monday is usually press release day – sending a release on a Monday guarantees better exposure as the Irish Times, Evening Herald and Irish Independent motoring columns come out on a Wednesday. The Sunday papers also get the release in advance of their deadlines. This week’s release was about a Galway man who has become head of the new Peugeot Design Lab! A great Irish news story! Monday is when I have the most energy and usually I stay late in the office. Tonight I left at 7.30pm – at times I feel that I could stay in the office 24-hours a day for a month and still not get through the mountain I have to do. With a lively 4-year old at home, I rush home at that stage, play lego and read bed-time stories. I try to be super organised on a Sunday night and have Monday’s dinner pre-prepared. Usually I am in bed unconscious by 10am. The last thing I do before I sleep is check Facebook, Twitter and my email.
Tuesday – 6.50am: Get up, get ready, get going! Drop son to childminder. Last Tuesday I spent time organising our annual Dealer Conference. That meant phone calls to hotels, negotiating daily delegate rates, looking at menus, drawing up an invitation list, working on a presentation format and speakers list, creating a powerpoint template and sending an invite to Dealers. I started work on my own presentation that I will give to the Dealers – the Dealer Conference is when we announce what our marketing plan is to ensure customers come into their showrooms with deposits before Christmas. That means media must be booked and creatives must be finalised ahead of the big day. And even before that, I have to have budgets forecasted and agreed with my Directors, material must be requested from Paris and RTE / Sky must have approved everything. It can be quite pressurised putting all the finishing touches to a campaign. That’s why I don’t have any nails left at the moment! My husband plays football on a Tuesday night, so usually I am home reasonably early at 6pm, play lego, read stories, throw on a wash and then bed.
Wednesday – 6.50am: Get up, get ready, get going! Drop son to childminder. Last Wednesday I paid a visit to our new Dealer in Limerick to meet the team, view their showroom, make a list of POS and branding requirements, agree new signalisation and work on a marketing plan for their growth in Limerick. I got back to the office at 2.30pm and followed up each action that was agreed. The Dealer is holding a Family Fun Day this weekend and we worked on an agreed radio script, a radio sponsorship package, a press advert, decals for their demos, a press release and POS materials.
Thursday – 6.50am: Hit snooze. Get up, get ready, get going! Drop son to childminder. By Thursday morning I know what tasks are remaining for the week and the department has a quick catch up to action any outstanding tasks. A couple of weeks ago we were preparing to go to the National Ploughing Championships in Wexford, which being a little down the country meant even more preparation than usual. I created a check list of items we needed at the Peugeot stand: brochures & spec sheets were printed, a dealer list and price list were printed, POS materials for the Peugeot marquee were created, furniture was ordered, I instructed the transporter when to deliver and when to collect vehicles, vehicle decals were agreed, a staff rota created, tickets ordered, hotel booked, customer contact forms composed and our brand ambassador, George Hook booked. That week was definitely the toughest in a while – one day of set up, two days of Ploughing (in the rain) and then I returned home, packed another bag and headed to the Paris Motor Show with our Sales Challenge 2012 winners. From wellies to heels in 24 hours!
Friday – 6.50am: Hit snooze, twice. Get up, get ready, get going! Drop son to childminder. Friday morning usually means a Sales & Marketing Department meeting. Actions and activities are reviewed and tasks are set for the following week. By Friday at 5pm I am ready to hit the road and, so long as there isn’t a Dealer promotion on that weekend, I look forward to lego, crayons, trampolining, fun and some (just a little) me time!
30th October, 2012
