Convincing a traditionally retail-driven brand to invest in emerging digital and influencer channels before they became mainstream.
One of the main challenges was proving the value of digital marketing at a time when the brand was still heavily focused on traditional salon distribution. Social media and influencer marketing were still new territory. One of the most interesting parts was that influencer marketing was still completely unstructured at the time. Most creators had never collaborated with brands before, budgets were extremely low, and there were no agencies managing them yet. Many of the creators I worked with, who later became some of the biggest influencers in Italy, did their very first brand collaboration with ghd. Most partnerships were built directly through short calls, Instagram DMs and WhatsApp conversations, creating a much more authentic and early stage creator ecosystem.
I was responsible for everything related to digital within a small three-person marketing team.
While the rest of the team focused on PR and trade marketing, I managed social media content, Meta advertising, content production and influencer collaborations end-to-end, from outreach and negotiation to creative concepts and campaign execution.
Case study
The Rise of Creator Marketing
How creator marketing and digital performance helped reshape a legacy beauty brand.
Key Result
Transition from traditional trade marketing to digital-first growth.
Market Impact
Pioneered some of ghd Italy’s first influencer collaborations.
Ecosystem
Digital campaigns, content & social activations
Leadership Scope
ghd was one of the experiences that shaped the way I see marketing today.
It was an early example of how digital, creators and performance marketing could fundamentally change the growth trajectory of a brand. Being part of that transition taught me that some of the biggest opportunities come from recognizing cultural and platform shifts before the market fully catches up.
Next selected work.
(2016-25©)
