“I often felt I had to work ten times harder to prove myself and to be taken seriously.”

– Chanelle Zackey Prinsloo

 

Meet Chanelle- Zackey Prinsloo who plays a significant role as the National Marketing Director at Ferrari South Africa. She was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, who’s family is of Lebanese descent.

Chanelle studied for a BA in Corporate Communications at the University of Johannesburg. She loves spending time with family, reading, cooking, and traveling. Chanelle is passionate about many pursuits, especially marketing and empowering the youth of this generation!

 

How did you get into social media and digital marketing? 

Marketing is about perpetual motion and is constantly evolving. Social media and digital marketing became an integral part of our holistic marketing function in early 2013/2014. Since then, I have made a conscious effort to learn and understand digital marketing and how it can be used to leverage one’s business and personal brand.

Being a marketing director comes with great responsibility, what does your day-to-day look like?

Contrary to popular belief, my day-to-day does not always include attending glamorous events, entertaining clients and excessively spending the company’s marketing budget. It’s a lot different than the way social media portrays it at times.  

 

A typical day would consist of a 5 am wake-up with a brief gym or meditation session before heading to work. I was never much of a morning person until I started working in corporate and realized the importance of a strong start to the day. My first port of call as I get to the office is to make a cup of coffee, call a meeting with my team and respond to emails. For the most part, my day usually consists of strategizing, planning and reporting, while overseeing all Marketing, PR and CRM-related functions across our dealership network in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.  I also work closely with Ferrari SpA in Italy, to ensure global alignment of local and international events and campaigns.

  • How do you balance your personal brand and corporate identity?  You make it look effortless!

Thank you, but good social media content and planning is often very deliberate and not so effortless at all.

I often tell my teams that social media is your personal billboard to the world. What you put out there may build or break your reputation and credibility.

 

Combining personal brands and corporate identities is a lot more intricate, as you need to show a certain level of consistency and authenticity between the two. I think the key is finding niches that complement each other and expressing what one’s interests and passions in an amenable way.

 

Do you believe having online personal branding is a must if you work in social media marketing?

Absolutely! In fact I think it’s imperative for all marketers to have a personal brand and presence on social media.

In order to keep up with the trends and to create new benchmarks in the industry, you have to be invested in creating a digital presence.

 

It’s a powerful form of networking and can support your credibility in the field.

  • As a women what has biggest challenges you’ve overcome within the motor industry?

There are many challenges in every industry, but I think the most prominent one for me was overcoming a sense of disparagement as a young, inexperienced woman starting out in a male dominant industry. I often felt I had to work ten times harder to prove myself and to be taken seriously. Thankfully, I have had a great support system throughout my journey. Both my COO and my CEO have given me an equal opportunity to grow in the business without compromising my skills and values as a female employee.

 

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

It would have to be my appointment to the Board of Directors at Scuderia South Africa in 2019, and prior to that, receiving the Global Ferrari Testa Rossa Award in 2018 for the Top Marketing Manager, by Ferrari SpA.

  • What’s the best approach for influencers/personal brands looking to collaborate or work with luxury brands like Ferrari? 

The best approach would be to connect via social media or get in contact with my team and I at Ferrari South Africa via call or email. We will then be able to set up a meeting and discuss potential collaborations in more detail from there.

Which social media account inspires you? Can be any platform.

@FerrariStyle

@StevenBartlett

@LinkedInMarketing

 

What are your 3 top tips on curating content for any luxury brands on social media?

Do your research. Know your audience and your products well enough so that you create content that is valuable and captivating to them! Quality over quantity. Invest in high-quality content. You don’t want to do your brand an injustice by creating substandard content. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Be innovative and experiment with your content. Try new techniques and platforms to see what works for your brand.

 

Which 3 phone apps can you not live without? 

WhatsApp, my banking app and probably Instagram!

This Women’s Month, do you have any words of encouragement for women who want a career in social media? 

Daniel Murray reminds us that, “every marketer is beginner level at some form of marketing”

Social media marketing is very much a matter of trial and error. You will only know how to improve once you start.

Be persistent and continuously seek ways to create new benchmarks.