My Biggest Lesson: Ellie Farrer

Ellie Farrer joined ICONIC in October 2022, spearheading brand marketing and the production of the agency’s print magazine ICONIC MAG, which focuses on influential cultural figures and personalities. Alongside this, she also leads all client projects within the business, and looks after the ICONIC Network of cultural talent.

Having previously worked at COPA90 as account manager rising to client partner, she oversaw a global portfolio of brands and partners including Gatorade, Manchester City, FC Barcelona, PepsiCo, PUMA, Visa, Sports Direct and PayPal. With overall responsibility for delivering high quality content across a multitude of channels, growing and retaining clients, Ellie managed teams across a range of disciplines, including strategy, creative, project management, production, and media.

In her time there, she took the lead on a YouTube documentary charting Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir’s nine-month journey, where the Icelandic professional footballer gave birth to her first child and returned to elite-level sport - the first of its kind from a media publisher in the football industry. Other standout campaigns include PayPal x The FA Euro 2020, PUMA Women’s Euro x Liberty Collection campaign and Gatorade ‘Next Level’ global football partner2022 campaign with FC Barcelona and Manchester City.

At ZAK agency, Ellie delivered global social and retail campaigns for New Balance Football, most notably the kit launch projects for teams including Liverpool FC, Celtic and Porto. As an intern working within adidas’ global sports marketing football team, Farrer relocated to the brand’s German headquarters for 6 months, using her initiative to make the most of their rule that any junior staff member could ask a senior member for a coffee, providing they had a reason for it, and thereby gaining an expert grounding in sports marketing.

In her spare time, Ellie is an avid fan of women’s football, having been obsessed with it from when she could first walk, and having played for her first club from the tender age of seven.

Always check in, support and lift up the team around you.

I was 22, it was my first ‘big girl’ job in an agency. I was an account exec at Zak. I must have only been there a few months or so and I was loving every second of learning, as well as being in London.

This happened six years ago so I’ll do my best to recount it, but it was coming to the end of the day and I was getting ready to leave. I packed up my stuff, said ‘bye’ quickly and headed out.

Then I got a text… It basically said something along the lines of, “if you still have people in the office working for you on your brief, make sure you check in with them and see if there’s anything they need or that you can do before you head off”.

I know that seems really obvious to anyone now, and it did to me straight after but at the time in my green-ness it slipped. Honestly, it made me feel awful and has genuinely stuck with me ever since.

This piece of advice had come from Lloyd in my team. He was a senior account manager at the time and just class at his job. Always so on it. Obviously, I took the advice on.

 I think it struck a chord because it was something so basic. It’s just about being a good team member. And I absolutely hate doing something wrong or feeling like I’ve let someone down. At the time the only thing I can put it down to is that I just assumed everyone was fine with what they were doing, because they were great, and soon to be heading off themselves. But we learn from these things.

It genuinely changed me as, from that point onwards, I would always check in with my teams. I’d always want to make sure they felt like they were supported, that they got ‘bigged up’ and received credit for their work. It’s stuck with me throughout my whole career. Whether the quickest and supposedly simplest of jobs, to mega pitches, people I’d worked with for years to people I’d only just met, crews on shoots to talent, internal staff to clients, it always applies.

I actually think it could be one of the most important pieces of advice I’ve ever received, as it impacts your everyday career no matter the level you’re at. From Zak to today at ICONIC, I work with people daily. Ultimately, the people around you and the relationships you build are what leads to success.

This is not something I’ve had to share a lot, but it is still something I’ve looked to pass onto any new starters or juniors, before they do what I did, and to a few people who are new to working with bigger teams. Sometimes the most basic advice has the greatest impact.