Cobbledick started her marketing career as a brand manager for Red Bull before joining The Jupiter Drawing Room. After becoming managing director, a position she held for five years, she joined South Africa's largest online classifieds site as their head of marketing.
Her experience in both sides of online marketing allows her to judge the success of a
Bookmark entry from both an agency and brand perspective – something that is critical in driving integrated campaigns across the digital industry in South Africa.
“I love challenging thinking and ideas. Digital awards like The Bookmarks play a central role in motivating the industry both through recognition and functioning as a yardstick for digital excellence. These entries represent the unexplored frontier for trend-setting marketing ideas,’’ says Claire.
While online classifieds is not strictly e-commerce, Gumtree’s entire revenue comes from users who believe in the power of digital marketing.
“Companies like Gumtree thrive if the digital ecosystem is thriving. Collaborative organisations like the IAB SA ensure that the digital ecosystem is constantly evolving and innovating.’’
Online classifieds also happen to be one of the most contested spaces in today’s digital landscape. Everything hangs on effective digital marketing, and the winner takes all. Drawing inspiration from the wonderfully interesting mix of people she meets, Cobbledick is firm believer that to be an exceptional modern marketer it’s important to be able to both wrangle and interpret data. “There are many people who can do one or the other but doing both is a rare skill,” she says.
When Claire is not judging Bookmark entries or working on one of South Africa’s most diverse and interesting brands, she is busy being a mother to two energetic boys and the latest addition to the family Mr Scruff, a West Highland Terrier. Together with her family she loves to explore the beautiful Western Cape.