Neil Flannery

SENIOR BRAND MANAGER, AUSTRALIA, DCU GRADUATE

My time on the Jameson graduate programme began after graduating from DCU in 2016. I was lucky enough to spend my first year in Warsaw, Poland. My time in Poland was invaluable and I learnt a huge amount both personally & professionally. My first year on the programme was more of a field-based role (70:30 field vs office) where I focused on educating bartenders & consumers and organising Jameson events with lifestyle influencers/brands. The team consisted of myself as a Brand Ambassador, an Assistant Brand Manager (ABM) and a Brand Manager. Working closely with our sales team, I supported the sell-in/launch of new Jameson products such as Jameson Caskmates. Poland taught me to be resourceful and the need to adapt quickly to changing market conditions. An amazing experience.

After completing Year 1 in Poland I was given an opportunity to move to Sydney, Australia. Here I worked directly with the brand team day-to-day. I was the sole Brand Ambassador in Australia meaning I covered all major cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide & Perth! Year 1 in Australia was more field based (70:30 field Vs office). I covered a huge amount of ground supporting the local sales teams and organising Jameson activations across the country. Year 2 gave me the opportunity to understand the inner workings of a brand team. This was more of a traditional marketing role giving me a deeper understanding of the brand planning process i.e. social, digital, advocacy, education etc.

I worked closely with the ABM at the time – Lexie O’Toole. Lexie herself is also an alumni member of the grad programme. This was a definite advantage as Lexie understood the BA role inside and out. She was inspiring as a manager and prepared me for the next step in my career. Lexie is now the Senior Brand Manager for Scotch Whisky & Gin in Australia. My final year was spent in Sydney again where I developed my commercial skills in order to ready myself for an ABM role which I secured midway through my 3rd year.

I now work as an ABM on the Jameson team working across both Australia & New Zealand. As an ABM I’m learning more about the media landscape, taking the lead on our social/digital strategy. As part of the brand team, I manage our on-premise activation and experiential platforms such as Jameson House of Rounds. Jameson also sponsors Laneway festival in Australia, I’ve managed this sponsorship and the relationship with the festival for two years. I work closely with our PR agency to ensure we amplify the Jameson message with the right media partners. Jameson is on fire here in Australia (+26% Vs last year) making it an amazing time to work on the brand.

Check out our socials to get an understanding of the brand in ANZ – Instagram: @jameson_au.