The multidimensional marketer with a passion for youth development, enjoying the Blue Mountains with friends recently. Contributed
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Jody-Anne Lawrence, Lifestyle Reporter
When you think of [size=14]marketing, branding a product or finding a nichemarket for it may be the first thing that comes to mind. But Michelle Cunningham is more than a marketing executive. She is using her skills to help young people find their place in society.
Cunningham's fascination with marketing began with her interest in consumer behaviour. Delving into her courses while studying for her degree at the University of the West Indies, she became acutely curious about the psychology of marketing. She wanted to know more about what motivates consumers and how this drives their decisions, and, most importantly, how marketing pieces these elements together.
The St Andrew High School old girl who claims to have been 'born an Andrew's Girl' received a Bachelors of Science in Management Studies and Marketing with honours. She then moved on to the Mona School ofBusiness and Management (MSBM) three years later to pursue a masters in business administration with a concentration on marketing, where she was the youngest student in her class at 25 years old.
Now at the age of 27, she is a marketing executive at MC and Associates. However, Cunningham emphasises that marketing is not as glamorous as many might think.
impressive tactics
"Most people think marketing is only about parties, glamour and fun, but it's serious hard work. All those campaigns, events, press releases and impressive tactics don't just appear out of thin air. With clients' uncompromising expectations comes the need to consistently and successfully guide every project, campaign, brand development and promotion plan with effective strategic marketing, coupled with efficient formulation and implementation, to achieve growth and sustained competitiveness. Clients demand and expect results, and deliver we must," she told Flair, adding that one thing that she admires about the field is that you never stop learning.
And her hard work has not gone unnoticed by her co-workers. "Michelle is an unflappable and objective member of the team who is motivated, methodical, efficient and highly customer driven. She is truly a team player and a hard worker who pays keen attention to details," notes her director, Melody Cammock-Gayle.
For Cunningham, her rewarding periods come from jobs that allow her to interact with, help and touch people's lives, especially children and youth. She was recently one of the driving forces behind the successful staging of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce's Jamaica Logistics Hub Symposium, a national affair, and played an integral role in the merger of Churches and GSB credit unions, two years ago, the largest credit union merger at the time.[/size]