A BELFAST marketing manager is about to embark on a new Stateside role working at Coca-Cola’s headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
Belfast integrated marketing agency ASG’s head of media, Kieran McNicholl, was selected for the job through the US-NI Mentorship Programme, run through the Northern Ireland Science Park and supported by the American-Ireland Fund.
Kieran will be working with Coca-Cola’s Bottling Investments Group (BIG) in a digital marketing and e-commerce role.
He will be involved in international media planning and also managing a new project which is still being kept under wraps by the soft drinks giant.
Kieran has been with ASG since joining the company in 2011 as a university student on his placement year.
He has enjoyed a fast-track career at the Belfast agency, which saw him postpone his final year studies at Ulster University to take up a full-time job there.
In September 2012, about to enter his final year, Kieran was offered the chance to stay on at ASG to cover his line manager’s maternity leave.
Putting university life on hold, Kieran rose to the opportunity and planned advertising campaigns, and managing multi-thousand-pound media budgets for a range of public and private sector clients.
The ambitious student graduated a year later than his classmates with a First Class Honours degree, also scooping the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s Advertising Graduate of the Year award.
Valerie Ludlow, ASG’s Director of Strategy, said: “Right from the moment he was interviewed for his placement, we could see that Kieran was passionate about advertising and he was hungry for success.
“It can be a demanding industry and it’s not for everyone. Kieran worked really hard and he earned every ounce of the responsibility he was given.
“When a full-time position became available last year, we were delighted to employ him as media manager and he has since been promoted to head of media.
Although we’re sorry to see Kieran go, we’re equally excited for him with this fantastic opportunity at Coca-Cola.”
Commenting on the exciting new opportunity, Kieran said: “When I was a teenager, I said to my friends, ‘I’m going to work in advertising and I want to work in America for a big brand like Coca-Cola’.
They probably took it as one of those throwaway lines, but they also know I’m pretty determined.
“I have been incredibly lucky to have had so many opportunities at ASG, but I couldn’t let something like this pass me by.
“It’s my dream job — what an amazing chance to learn from, and be part of the marketing team for one of the biggest brands in the world.”