Women In Marketing 2021 Edition ft. Lorenna Eunapio

For this segment of Women In Marketing, we chat with Lorenna who is a Digital Marketing Manager. Originally from Brazil, Lorenna relocated to Canada in 2018. She is a professional dancer and hopes to one day bridge her passion with marketing. Let’s learn more about her

LET’S GET PERSONAL

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR WOMEN IN MARKETING SERIES, LORENNA. LET’S START ON A LIGHTER NOTE. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR MEMORIES GROWING UP?

I was born in Niterói, a city in the Rio de Janeiro Estate, in Brazil, and moved to Toronto, Canada, in 2018. One of the most vivid memories I have of growing up is when I would play in my grandmother’s house – which seemed enormous to me when I was a little kid. 

I would play with my Barbies – and I remember very well that I could spend hours just “setting up the stage” to play with the dolls, but when it was time to play with the Barbies, I was already tired; and to dance ballet every time I could – if I had to go from one point to another in my house, I would do so in pirouettes.  

WHAT WERE YOU LIKE IN YOUR HIGH SCHOOL/COLLEGE YEARS? 

Well, in High School, I wasn’t really the best student as all I wanted to do was finish school so that I could go to my dance classes. I’ve been dancing since I was five years old. It is one of the great passions I have in my life. 

I was also very distracted as a kid. I wanted to spend the time at school to socialize with other kids. However, when I went to university to pursue my Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, I was a completely different person. I was much more centred, focused on studies and career development. I was very curious about everything I studied at university and wanted to be the best student in the class (still very social, as I think this is my essence). 

IF YOU COULD BE ANY ANIMAL, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY? 

I could answer a lion. 

It’s the forest’s leader or an eagle because it flies high. However, the more I observe my dog, the more I’d like to be one. Firstly, they are born with a PhD in loving others and in having a sixth sense when figuring out who they should trust or not. Also, they teach me every day about self-love. The first thing they do in the morning is to give a big and long stretch to get their body ready for the day (no wonder why one of the first poses you learn in yoga is “downward-facing dog”). 

Then they drink a lot of water and go find a place where they can lie under the Sun to catch some vitamin D. So simple, but yet so smart. 

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE MEAL? THAT ONE MEAL YOU WOULD FEEL NO SHAME FOR NOT SHARING!

Japanese food or my mom’s food – I can get wild about sharing my mom’s food. 

IMAGINE WAKING UP $10 MILLION RICHER TOMORROW, WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH YOUR FORTUNE? 

First of all, I would help people and institutes fighting hunger in the world. The rest I would use to invest in my dream business. This would be anything that I could create to connect my two biggest passions: Marketing and Dance. 

WHAT IS THE ONE INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOU THAT WE WOULDN’T FIND ON YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE? ANY HIDDEN TALENTS PERHAPS? PREVIOUS WOMEN IN MARKETING CANDIDATE, DR. LIEZEL BYGATE SAID THAT SHE IS AN EXPERT HULA-HOOPER!

Well, as I said above, one of my passions is dance – more specifically, Flamenco. I’ve never put that on my resumé or my Linkedin profile, but I’m also a professional dancer. I started at the age of 5 with classical ballet, moving onto tap dance, street dance and Flamenco when I was around ten years old. Then, I had to leave tap and street dances because of school but never could get rid of Flamenco, my true passion. 

I got a professional title when I was 19 years old. My dance career spans from 2003 to 2018. I was dancing for different companies, teaching at dance schools and running my projects in Rio de Janeiro – always in parallel with my Marketing career – I was really, really busy. 

I’ve paused this to move to Canada, and I am still finding my way in dance here in Toronto, getting involved with the community. 

CAREER AND WORKPLACE

WHAT ENCOURAGED YOU TO PURSUE A CAREER IN MARKETING? AFTER ALL, MOST OF US GREW UP WANTING TO BE DOCTORS, RIGHT?

That’s a funny story. I’ve always wanted to be a dancer and live out of it. However, as an only child, and in Brazil – unfortunately, not a prosperous country for artists – I had to have a “serious” career. I have always been a very social person, talkative and curious. 

After being in doubt among Geography, Law, Civil Engineering (I know, right?) and Maths, I finally decided to study Journalism. I found that I could specialize in Art Critics to combine a “serious” career with something that I love or be a war photojournalist (don’t ask me why). But life has a funny way to unveil our real talents, and it turned out that my first job was as a Communication Analyst in the Oil & Gas industry. 

I got involved with press assistance, events organization, advertising, the early stages of digital marketing, etc. I got passionate about all of that and the corporate environment as well. I understood that, not only was marketing directly aligned to the organization’s business strategy but at the same time, it had such an impact on the customers and the employees (with endomarketing and internal communications, for example). 

I don’t remember exactly when, but I just loved the world I was discovering at the time and decided that I wanted to do it forever.

GIVE US A SNEAK PEEK OF HOW YOU TYPICALLY START YOUR DAY. ARE YOU #TEAMCOFFEE OR #TEAMTEA? OR BOTH? YOU BEAUTIFUL REBEL!

I’m totally #teamcoffee – I am no one without a big mug of coffee in the morning. Well, I’m an early bird, and I usually start my day between 5:30 and 6 am. After having my coffee, I do a quick yoga session, followed by some minutes of meditation. 

Then, if I have time, I read some news, check my Linkedin feed (this is my very favourite social media network, by the way), and I take some time to organize the podcasts that I’m going to listen to on my way to the office or do some more readings. 

It depends if I’m going to the office on that day or not. At work, I always use the first 30 minutes to check my emails, tasks and prioritize the activities I will have for the day, which helps me a lot with my productivity. 

HOW BEST DO YOU MAINTAIN A WORK-LIFE BALANCE?

I have to dance or to do yoga every day – one or another. 

I try hard to disconnect from work during weekends – although sometimes this is a hard thing to do, mostly if you work in Digital Marketing. I also enjoy a good read, hang out with friends (or, during the pandemic, do some video chats with friends and family back home), go to the beach, and be in contact with nature.

But I can be a workaholic, so I have to have discipline about all of the above.   

YOU HAVE A GREAT RESUME. YOU’VE WORKED FOR COMPANIES SUCH AS NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO, MAYER BROWN AS WELL AS MAV BEAUTY BRANDS. HOW IMPORTANT HAS LINKEDIN BEEN FOR YOU AND WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUNG WOMEN LOOKING TO ESTABLISH THEIR PROFESSIONAL BRAND FOR NETWORKING PURPOSES?

First of all, thanks for the compliment on my resumé! 🙂

Regarding Linkedin, I can’t stress enough how I love this platform. I know that many people out there see Linkedin as just a job-hunting tool, while it has a lot more to offer! This tool has helped me in many different ways, and I will list them all below:

1. Networking – I see this as the primary purpose of Linkedin, and I’m a huge fan of that. I worked for many international companies throughout my career and Linkedin has helped me either to put a face to people’s names, getting to know a little bit more about my international colleagues and interact with them “out of the office.” Or to keep in touch with them after leaving the companies. I still talk to people from my very first job and learn from their posts online. LinkedIn is also an incredible way to meet new people (why not? I met you there!) and get to know other countries and businesses’ cultures.

2. Learning – and when I say “learning”, I am not referring only through the course’s platform but from other people’s experiences. When they share their latest challenge at work or something new that they have just found out, or when they ask for help and recommendations online, and everyone gets to know a new tool or service. There is a lot we can learn from that!
3. Getting inspired – I usually get inspired by other people’s experiences or accomplishments, and Linkedin is a great way to be informed about that. 

4. Being updated – I follow the companies that I like, magazines, institutes etc. – so I can get informed every time they post new content. It’s such an easy way to be up to date. 

With regards to building and establishing professional brands for networking purposes, I would recommend following and sharing other women whose thoughts align with yours; writing posts and articles that showcase your values, beliefs, and superpowers; and connecting with people who share the same interests as you do.

Finally, when you are in a position to help, never say no – I strongly believe that we are also empowering ourselves when we empower someone else. 

SABRA MWAURA WAS A FEATURE FOR OUR WOMEN IN MARKETING SERIES. SHE MADE A FEW GOOD POINTS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTORSHIP FOR WOMEN. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON MENTORSHIP?

I love it! 

I firmly believe that mentorship should be an established program in any company that wants to retain its talents. In my opinion, just because someone is a mentor does not mean this person is a know-it-all or a professional coach. It simply means that this person has something to offer to the mentee and has more experience in specific ways. 

However, I see mentorship as a two-way learning/development process. The more we learn and try to help the mentees with their challenges, the more we learn and develop ourselves. The mentor has more experience seeing the big picture as well as to help with a strategic plan for the mentees to accomplish their goals.

WHAT’S YOUR SMARTEST WORK-RELATED SHORTCUT OR PRODUCTIVITY HACK?

Well, I would say, “learn your own SWOT”! Lol. 

For me, it’s essential to learn what type of task requires more attention or energy. I usually feel more concentrated in the morning than in the afternoon, so I try to organize important functions that require full attention to detail in the morning and try to put brainstorming meetings, for example, or mechanical tasks in the afternoon when my energy tends to be lower. 

JOB HOPPING IS A COMMON PHENOMENA ESPECIALLY IN THE DYNAMIC WORLD OF ADVERTISING AND MARKETING. WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ON JOB HOPPING? DOES IT HURT OR AID ONE’S CAREER?

I think it depends. It might be good because it is always constructive to mix different experiences on the resumé. Still, it also hurts as many times the professional does not have time to develop something great to have results. 

They will also not take full advantage of the learning opportunity within that specific company. However, I also believe that professionals are becoming more exigent about the work environment and their organization’s values and culture. If they don’t feel respected and trusted or feel that there will be no growth, they will probably leave. 

FOR IT’S 2019 MOST INFLUENTIAL CMO’S REPORT, FORBES LISTED 31 WOMEN OUT OF 50 CANDIDATES (19 MEN). IT APPEARS THAT MORE WOMEN OCCUPY CMO ROLES COMPARED TO OTHER C-SUITE ROLES. WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS THE CASE?

I think women are starting to get their deserved space little by little, yet with a long way ahead. 

Many studies show that women have a more human leadership style, are better mentors, have more empathy, inspire people, and care and fight for their team. Rarely do they need to work harder than men to prove themselves and cannot afford to make mistakes in their career, so they usually pay more attention to details, put more effort and bring better results to the organization. 

Also, in male-dominated industries, they often need to be really bold for women to succeed, even more than men. 

REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN MARKETING, PARTICULARLY, IN SENIOR ROLES IS ON THE UP. IN YOUR OWN OPINION, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WOMEN STILL FACE DESPITE THESE CHANGES AND HOW BEST SHOULD THESE BE ADDRESSED?

To get their voices heard, to diminish the gender pay gap and improve gender equality, to get the same chances of promotion… 

Unfortunately, in some cultures, women are still undervalued compared to men, and quite often need to “scream” (figuratively) to make their point and be respected as professionals. I believe we’ve conquered a lot already, but there is still a long way ahead.

ONE OF THE LEARNING CURVES FOR MOST ORGANISATIONS SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC, IS THE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURES TO FACILITATE REMOTE WORK. FOR TECH PLAYERS IN SILICON VALLEY THE TRANSITION WAS RELATIVELY SMOOTH WITH THE LIKES OF FACEBOOK AND TWITTER DESIGNING A FUTURE WHERE THEIR STAFF MAY POTENTIALLY WORK REMOTELY FOREVER.  THE ARGUMENT THOUGH, IS THAT THIS IS LONG OVERDUE. IN YOUR OPINION, WHY HAVE COMPANIES TAKEN SO LONG TO IMPLEMENT REMOTE WORK OPPORTUNITIES? 

I believe that this is because they never had to question the status quo before. You know that person in the organization that will ask, “why are we changing this? It has always been done that way, and it has always worked”? 

That’s the situation we saw in 2020. The pandemic gave conservative companies no choice but to send their employees home. And guess what? It worked (even better than before)!

WORKING FROM HOME IS AWESOME! MOST OF US CAN AGREE. HOWEVER, IT IS NOT WITHOUT IT’S SET OF CHALLENGES. EMPLOYEE WELLNESS HAS TAKEN A SIGNIFICANT STRAIN WITH PEOPLE WORKING LONGER HOURS AS A RESULT OF EMPLOYEES BEING ‘ALWAYS ON’ AND NOT BEING ABLE TO SWITCH OFF. HOW CAN EMPLOYERS GUARD AGAINST EMPLOYEE BURNOUT OR IN THE WORST EVENT, LOSING THEIR BEST TALENT?

I’ve seen a lot of great initiatives from many companies out there. Many of them set up mental health care preventive programs, such as offering free access to psychologists. 

I saw one company that helped employees set up a proper home office station at home to prevent back or other body pains. Lots of physical health programs, such as ensuring employees are exercising at home. Some companies also organized flexible working hours for those who have kids and have to deal with homeschooling.

Any initiative that shows the employee that they have the company’s support in such an adverse scenario like this one helps retain talent and prevent their people from burnouts or other mental disorders.  

A LOT OF COMPANIES GLOBALLY HAVE BEEN FORCED TO PAUSE ADVERTISING SPEND. AS A DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER, HOW CAN MARKETERS UTILISE DIGITAL CHANNELS WITH MINIMAL TO NO SPEND AND YIELD POSITIVE RESULTS?

Content Marketing! 

Which is, by the way, my favourite topic. I believe a well-done content marketing strategy, with great content pieces, infographics, videos, texts, and very well-aligned to buyers’ journey can achieve excellent results and cost way less than advertising. 

Not only that, but a good content marketing strategy tied to a powerful SEO can save tons of money in advertising and bring more clicks to the website. I truly believe in this strategy, and I love using that at the companies I work for. 

BCG PUBLISHED ITS INNOVATION REPORT FOR 2020 AND AT THE CORE OF ITS SELECTION CRITERIA ARE COMPANIES THAT HAVE SUCCESSFULLY MARRIED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THEIR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES. ACCORDING TO YOU, WHAT MAKES SOMETHING INNOVATIVE? 

Well, I think that innovation relies on a simple idea brilliantly executed and that disrupts the way people live or do things in their daily lives – and then, after using/consuming it, they cannot see their life without it. 

It doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive or fancy. But, in my opinion, it needs to be disruptive. 

HEMAL THAKKAR, BRAND MANAGER FOR BURGER KING INDIA IS A RECENT WOMEN IN MARKETING FEATURE. ONE OF THE KEY AREAS SHE IDENTIFIED FOR CONTINUED GROWTH IS THAT OF INFLUENCER MARKETING. WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF MARKETING LOOK LIKE ACCORDING TO YOU?

I love influencer marketing as long as it’s authentic. 

Of course, brands need to put their product in front of the consumer. A great way of doing that is through influencer marketing (and this is true for both B2C or B2B, no matter if the channel is YouTube, Instagram or LinkedIn). However, every time I have to look for influencers for the companies I work for, I tend to investigate the influencer’s analytics and metrics (which is important), but also their values, beliefs, and lifestyle. 

If they naturally like the brand, it’s even better, so we know that they would be happy to promote it in a very genuine way. 

2020 AND BEYOND

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF?

“Don’t be afraid and don’t listen to what other people say. You can”. 

WHAT CHALLENGE IS ON YOUR PLATE? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PAIN POINTS YOU ARE TRYING TO OVERCOME IN YOUR LIFE WHETHER PROFESSIONALLY, PERSONALLY OR BOTH?

Even though I try to have a good work-life balance, I still struggle to succeed with that. I often lose sleep thinking about work, which I’m trying to overcome in 2021. 

ANY BUCKET LIST ITEMS?

Travel more (always!) as soon as Covid allows, and enroll in a PhD program (I love studying). 

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR SHEROES?

Malala Yousafzai for her impressive courage and boldness to go against her culture and fight for the right to study. And Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, for her amazing leadership and crisis management abilities with the Covid-19 situation. 

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING? 

I’m currently reading ‘Becoming‘ by Michelle Obama – it’s such an inspiring reading! I read a lot of Marketing related stuff, but I’m trying to diversify a little more, mixing up some philosophy, biographies and literature. 

As much as I try eReaders, I still love a paperback book – I love the smell and texture of it. Audiobooks are definitely not for me – I get too distracted. 

WHAT WOULD YOU COME BACK AS IN THE NEXT LIFETIME CAREER-WISE? DO YOU THINK YOU MISSED A CALLING?

I’d probably be an artist (only this, without a dual-career), or I would give another chance to my Journalist-persona as I love writing.  

WHAT IS ON YOUR NETFLIX WATCHLIST?

I’m currently watching “Tiny Pretty Things” – the story is not exceptional, but there is a lot of lovely dance there. Nothing on my list after that: anything to recommend?

WHO HAVEN’T YOU SEEN OR TALKED TO IN A LONG TIME AND HOPE THEY ARE DOING OKAY?

That’s easy, many of my friends and family back in Brazil. I still talk to my parents every day, but it’s not the same.

WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR AMAZING WOMEN IN MARKETING TO PROFILE. WHO WOULD YOU LIKE US TO GET IN TOUCH WITH?

I have two friends who are outstanding Marketers and incredible people: Laís Tavares and Manuella Abelha. 

A UNIQUE MESSAGE FOR ALL YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN THE MARKETING INDUSTRY

Keep learning and up to date – Marketing may change overnight!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME LORENNA. WE HOPE THIS INTERVIEW WILL INSPIRE FUTURE LEADERS AND OTHER WOMEN IN MARKETING. HOW CAN PEOPLE FOLLOW YOU AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

It was my pleasure! 

I had a lot of fun answering the interview, and I love the job you do with the blog!

You can follow me on Linkedin and Twitter, where my handle is @lorennaeunapio; on Instagram as @lorennaeunapio.marketing, and I’m on YouTube as well (just type Lorenna Eunapio), but that’s for dance! 🙂 

My website is www.lorennaeunapio.com (but I’m not doing a great job in keeping it updated lately – my bad!).