Getting to know the Online Product Marketing Team

Spanning the Atlantic from New York to Oxford, the Global Online Product Marketing team is a motley bunch with a love for all things digital. As custodians of a diverse portfolio of online offerings, they definitely know what’s what on the web. Read on for some literary and digital favourites from the team, and a glimpse into the minds of our online gurus here at Oxford University Press.

What is your favourite blog or podcast and why?

“This American Life and The New Yorker fiction podcast.”
—Sam Zimbler, Marketing Associate

“I am obsessed with the Invisibilia podcast from NPR. Read the description from their site and just try not to listen: “Invisibilia (Latin for all the invisible things) is about the invisible forces that control human behavior—ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions. Co-hosted by Lulu Miller and Alix Spiegel, Invisibilia interweaves narrative storytelling with scientific research that will ultimately make you see your own life differently.”
—Erin Fegely, Assistant Marketing Manager

Erin Fegely. Used with permission.

“I love Desert Island Discs on Radio 4, it’s perfect listening when cooking or doing the mind-numbing chore of ironing my work shirts. My life goal is to be on it, so Kirsty Young, if you’re reading this…”
—Barney Cox, Senior Marketing Executive

“Clutch Magazine is one of my favorite blogs. It’s for women of color like myself. The blog reports on beauty, health, love, sex, fashion, and politics in a fun tone while expertly addressing serious matters that affect young African-American women in today’s society.”
—Miki N. Onwudinjo, Junior Level Marketing Coordinator

“Brain Pickings. The images and quotations paired together are really inspiring.”
—Georgia Brodsky, Assistant Marketing Manager

If you had to be trapped in an elevator for ten hours with any famous person living or dead, who would it be?

“I’m extremely claustrophobic and I’m having a mini panic attack just imagining this scenario; given that fact, I am going to have to pick Thich Nhat Hanh who I am sure could calm me down.”
—Erin Fegely, Global Assistant Product Marketing Manager

“Agatha Christie! I love crime fiction (some may say I’m a little bit obsessed)—especially the novels of the Golden Era of crime, with Christie being the Queen of Crime. I bet she would be able to while away the hours coming up with stories of murder and intrigue, and I’d love to ask her about her writing style, inspirations, and what she was doing in Yorkshire when she disappeared.”
—Hannah Charters, Associate Marketing Manager

“Firstly, ten hours, that’s a long time! I don’t think I’d want to be trapped in an elevator with anyone for ten hours, at least not without prior warning, so I could bring snacks. I’d pick somebody fascinating from history so they could tell me all about their life to pass the time. Let’s go with Cleopatra VII, the last Pharaoh of Egypt.”
—Barney Cox, Senior Marketing Executive

Barney Cox. Used with permission.

“Michael Pollan, so we could spend ten hours talking about food and then exit the elevator to gorge ourselves on local eats.”
—Georgia Brodsky, Assistant Marketing Manager

Which fictional literary world would you most like to inhabit and why?

“Lyra’s world in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy—I would love to know what animal my dæmon would be!”
—Hannah Charters, Associate Marketing Manager

“I’d live in Dorne in Game of Thrones, preferably in the Water Gardens, whilst steering clear of all the beheadings, poisonings, and massacres. The buildings are beautiful, everyone dresses stylishly, and I bet the food would be good too (although I’d pass on the grilled snake). Plus, winter is coming and I want to be somewhere warm.”
—Barney Cox, Senior Marketing Executive

“I would inhabit the fictional literary world of Alice in Wonderland because I think abstractly and have an avant-garde mind suited for that distorted realm.”
—Miki N. Onwudinjo, Junior Level Marketing Coordinator

“Gatsby’s home and grounds, right at the beginning of a cocktail party, when everyone still has their wits together. I can’t imagine anything more glamorous.”
—Georgia Brodsky, Assistant Marketing Manager

What website do you visit most often in your spare time and why?

“Colossal. It is an art and design blog that always inspires me (and I want to own everything in their store).”
—Erin Fegely, Assistant Marketing Manager

“Does Netflix count? I choose Netflix. I don’t know what I did before Netflix, I probably just stared at my living room wall.”
—Barney Cox, Senior Marketing Executive

“I visit Reddit too much in my spare time for the AMA’s and NoSleep scary stories. Reddit has the weirdest and most interesting stories and first-person accounts.”
—Miki N. Onwudinjo, Junior Level Marketing Coordinator

“New York Times Most E-mailed articles. To see what people are talking about!”
—Georgia Brodsky, Assistant Marketing Manager

What was the last book you read?

“The Story of B by Daniel Quinn.”
—Sam Zimbler, Marketing Associate

Samantha Zimbler. Used with permission.

“The Lowlands by Jhumpa Lahiri. It’s beautifully written.”
—Victoria Davis, Assistant Marketing Manager

“The Dinner by Herman Koch. Sold as “the European Gone Girl” and set in one of my favourite cities, Amsterdam, this book is a dark and suspenseful summer read.”
—Erin Fegely, Assistant Marketing Manager

“American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I bought this a few years ago and it had been sitting on my bookshelf in all its black-and-gold glory until a few weeks past when I finally decided to give it a go. I really enjoyed it! I love the concept of old gods wondering around America, driving taxis and running funeral homes because nobody believes in them anymore. Also, fun fact, Neil Gaiman once signed my copy of Coraline with a picture of an angry mouse.”
—Barney Cox, Senior Marketing Executive

“120 Days of Sodom by Marquis de Sade.”
—Miki N. Onwudinjo, Junior Level Marketing Coordinator

“The Whole World Over by Julia Glass.”
—Georgia Brodsky, Assistant Marketing Manager

Image Credit: “Power Cut” by Graham Holliday. CC BY NC 2.0 via Flickr.

Getting to know the Online Product Marketing Team

Getting Started with Mobile Marketing

It doesn’t take another blog post from me on the importance of mobile to convince you that it’s a topic critical to your marketing strategy. I hope not, at least.

But for most people, the concept of mobile marketing is still a confusing one. It’s vague and broad. And even though I know that I need to be thinking mobile, I’m not totally sure what that means.

When people talk about mobile marketing, they could be talking about any number of things. So let’s list them all here:

1. Mobile websites – you should have a mobile version of your website, or build your website in a responsive design template, to attract and keep more people who are searching and browsing on their mobile devices.


2. Email – email marketing is essentially a form of mobile marketing today. That’s because so many people are using their phones as their primary email consumption method. So you should make sure your emails are optimized for viewing on smartphones.


3. Text messages – many companies now allow prospects and customers the ability to sign up for text message alerts. It’s referred to often as SMS marketing.


4. Search marketing – search is more and more becoming a mobile activity. And if you’re advertising through Google or Bing, you need to be thinking about how your ads are targeting people searching on their phones and tablets.


5. Native apps – companies are creating apps to reach people on tablets and smartphones in a more effective way. If your products or services lend themselves to an app, think about investing in one.


6. Third Party apps – you can leverage popular apps that are already out there, like Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook to attract people on their phones to your brand via advertising or organic participation.


7. In-app ads – iAds is Apple’s advertising platform for iPhones and iPads and there are others like it for all devices. You can create banners that pop up while people are using apps to promote your brand.


8. Location management – smart companies with brick and mortar locations are actively managing their locations on Google Maps, Yelp and other popular location-based sites to attract more people who are using their mobile devices to find places or products on the go.


9. Telemarketing – there are specific rules around calling cell phones vs. landlines and if you’re in the telemarketing business, you need to know what they are.

Every company needs a mobile strategy. But that does not mean that every company needs to do all of the above. Pick the areas that are most important, that offer the biggest opportunity, and move forward. Do not let a lack of understanding hold you back any longer.

Author: Zach Heller

My name is Zach Heller.  I am a marketing professional with years of experience in branding, digital marketing, direct response and marketing communications.  I have entrepreneurial and consulting experience, and love working with small and medium sized companies to help direct marketing efforts toward growth. I am the sole operator… View full profile ›

Getting Started with Mobile Marketing