Hey there,

Thanks for stopping by.

Probably the hardest thing to do is write about yourself. The marketing stuff is easy. You can read all about that at My LinkedIn Profile.

Now if you’re wondering why the banner is a Maverick Marketer, here is the story.

During my tenure at Telstra, someone told my MD that I was a maverick. They didn’t like my strategies (they weren’t a marketer) or what I said (ok, I talk a lot). My MD stuck up for me, he liked my work.

So, according to the dictionary, a “maverick” is someone who has their own mind, thus avoids blindly following goats up the side of the mountain. Hey! What a compliment. (And it was a great name for my blog.) So I know I’m a little late in saying it, and you know who you are, but thanks for the insult. I really appreciate it.

My biggest influences in marketing have been Al Ries and Jack Trout, who wrote my all-time favourite marketing texts Marketing Warfare, Positioning and the 22 Immutable Laws of Branding.

I am also a fan of Gary Hamel, who co-wrote Competing for the Future but whose more recent paper Leading the Revolution is one of my favourite reads on why all companies, whatever their size, are compelled to innovate.

My grandfather tinkered about with inventions, like his own wind-up washing line, so I guess I can blame genetics for my love of breaking tradition and doing something different.

My Internet involvement started about 5 years ago. Like most people, I was trained as a bricks-and-mortar world marketer. I love the Internet – and all its possibilities – so set about stretching my knowledge over the emerging online world. I’m glad I did. Today the Internet is more important than ever, and having the understanding of it has proven immensely valuable.

Outside of my work, I have a whole life that doesn’t relate to marketing. Firstly, I’m a mother, and like most parents I get bossed around by my daughter who is nine years old. Parenting adds a whole new, rewarding dimension to my life. It’s fun to watch someone you love collect so many triumphs along their journey.

Of course, she’s not the only member of my household. My elderly mother lives with us, as do Licorice, a stupid but good-natured black cocker spaniel and Lucy, our rescue kitty. In fact, you can learn more about Lucy and Licorice at PeoplePets.

So, we live in Melbourne, Australia, in an old red double-brick place on the city fringes. Its on Port Phillip Bay, about 4 kms from the city centre. I’m guessing our place is about 100 years old, and it was built to stay cool in summer and warm in winter.

And if you’ve never been to Melbourne, I highly recommend it. Melbourne is a lovely city (check out the movie above). It has internationally-recognised surf beaches that are less than an hour away. Trams rattle around the city every few minutes. The restaurants and eateries, as well as the clothes stores, are famous throughout Australia.

And it’s sport mad. The Formula 1 Grand Prix comes along every year. The Melbourne Cup… the Australian Tennis Open… the cricket at the MCG… the football… Honestly, if there were international ant racing competitions, they’d be held in Melbourne.