Digital marketing is an exciting yet challenging field that calls for techs, creatives, analysts and business minds alike. In this new “Marketer Spotlight” series, we offer a peek into a marketer’s day to day life. We interview professionals within eCommerce marketing to learn more about the path they’ve taken, their inspirations, challenges and goals, and their tips to success in this demanding profession.
We are proud to kick off the series with Thanasis Paraskevopoulos, currently marketing director at Celestino, a long established Greek fashion house.
In the Marketer Spotlight:
Thanasis Paraskevopoulos 
Don’t be deceived by his youthful look. Thanasis is a renowned veteran in the eCommerce and performance marketing space, with 10+ years of hands-experience building up online presences for brands. He has experiences working both from agencies (OgilvyOne) and brands ( Travelplant24, Tripsta). Currently, he is heading up marketing for Celestino.
Celestino is a Greek fashion brand engaged in Women’s clothing since 1974. With 40+ retail store and a strong online presence, Celestino aims to deliver a unique style and approachable image of Fast Fashion with the value and quality of a Luxury Brand.
How did you get into eCommerce marketing?
The seed was planted while I was studying in the UK for my bachelor’s degree in the early 2000s. We had super fast internet connectivity then, so I spend a lot of time exploring the online world. One aspect that really amazed me was how effective it made dealing with everyday activity – from online chatting, researching deals, shopping, to booking tickets. It was then that I began to realize the unlimited market potential eCommerce offers.
At that time, the university I was studying at – University of Sunderland – created a new masters program in eCommerce. I jumped at the opportunity at once. The rest is history…
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received in your career? And what advice would you give to someone just starting out in his / her career?
The best advice I received is to “Set goals and be calm”. Working in digital and marketing space means that I encounter new ideas, concepts, and, more often than not, distractions every day. Having a clear end goal in mind helps me to stay focused on what I want to achieve. It also enables a clear mindset during decision making, by focusing on the outcome that matters the most.
[bctt tweet=”Don’t stop being a student, keep on learning.” username=”contactpigeon”]An advice I would give is “don’t stop being a student”. No matter where you are in your career or life, always be keen to learning. This is especially true in the field of eCommerce marketing where the technology is constantly evolving. There always something important out there that we don’t yet know.
How do you stay organized and keep track of what you have to work on?
For me, taking detailed notes are essential. You can use whatever system you like – notebook, post-it, tablets, etc – but keeping structured notes is key to staying organized.
Where do you get inspirations? What are you currently reading/listening/watching?
I get inspirations at night, right before I fall asleep. I have a habit to recall the most important issues of the day. Issues that are both professional and personal. At this point, I am much calmer to re-think and re-evaluate the issues from an objective angle. This helps me to better brainstorm solutions to tackle the issues next day.
I just finished reading Churchill by Ashely Jackson, and currently starting Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapien.
Favorite apps on your mobile?
I use twitter a lot on my mobile as a notification source. I have set it to receive new alerts from sources such as Search Engine Land (@sengineland), Marketing Land (@Marketingland), ppchero (@ppchero), WiderFunnel (@WiderFunnel), etc, to stay updated.
Aside from Twitter, the most used apps on my mobile are Google News, Google Map, Foursquare, Trivago, Messenger, Viber, Youtube.
The most surprising fact for most people is that I have not installed Facebook!
Would you like to be next in the Marketer Spotlight? Submit here for an interview.
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