Jason Howley – Philomedia
Owner / Managing Director at Philomedia
TUS Class of 2019.
What was the highlight of your time studying at TUS?
My time in college was memorable and something I will always remember. It was my second attempt at college after deciding that engineering wasn’t for me. I was older than other first-year students, but it was really simple to blend in with the staff and students, and the smaller class sizes benefited me much better because you never felt like a “number”. Our training captivated our interest in the digital world and taught us the essentials of being the new brand of marketers, digital marketers. I particularly liked the idea of having both the content and strategy in one preliminary course; it’s only now that you grasp how crucial it is to comprehend both. During my studies, I also recall my college sports days fondly. In my last year, I joined the TUS rugby team, which reached the All-Ireland championship final that year. To this day, all of our teammates stay in touch on a regular basis.
What did you learn at TUS that has helped you in your current role?
During my time in college, I worked at a marketing agency in Mullingar. While I was in college, I was able to use theory-based skills at my work. When conducting advertising, it was critical to understand the foundations of digital marketing. Business maths and digital strategy became very useful in the year I started my studies. Along with marketing strategies this offered a deeper grasp of your target demographic, which has developed marketing as a whole during my time in studies. The fundamentals of legality in advertising was embedded throughout the course. The adoption of GDPR in 2017 was seen during my studies. This altered the digital spectrum for tailored advertisements for customers. We were fortunate to have an HR module that helped us to grasp what was and was not permitted.
Tell us about your Passion for Digital
One of the many reasons I fell in awe of digital marketing is that the field continues to advance as new platforms/strategies are introduced. I’m always on the lookout for trends and how they affect key performance indicators. As digital marketers, our job is to utilise digital channels to reach customers, boost awareness, promote products and services, and generate leads or sales. Because of the unique combination of creating, posting, and updating content, monitoring or managing social interactions and campaigns, and performing other tasks, digital marketers wear many hats on a daily basis, which drives my passion for digital. Most importantly, digital marketing provides fantastic learning opportunities, and there isn’t a single day that I don’t learn something new. Every day, I am met with new and emerging topics about which I am eager to learn more. After all, there is no crystal ball, so we must actively do our research while advancing our knowledge.
What are your Career Aims for the Future?
My self-founded digital marketing company, ‘Philomedia,’ is over two years old. I have proudly and successfully worked for a number of businesses, both nationally and internationally. We understand the difficulty business owners have in collaborating with multiple service providers for a mix of digital needs. From the beginning, one of my company’s goals was to become a single-source location for all needs, which include digital development, digital content, digital strategy, and many others. We aim to be the future solution to these challenges. We aim to help customers succeed online with omni channel marketing that is data-driven and results-driven. Each of our partner companies receive a specialised marketing team as well as real-time reporting software packed full of the KPI’s that matter. Last year, we won best emerging businesses 2022 and something we will drive further into the next chapter of Philomedia. However, Ireland has a very small market. I am passionate about expanding Philomedia into the international market. This is a long-term goal and have already signed contracts with American companies.
What is your advice for a Prospective Student?
Advice for prospective students would be to create an excellent digital presence for their own personal brand. This is imperative for communication and brand building. Students can use different online platforms to start with, for example, Linkedin is a great starting point for building your professional network. Secondly, as previously mentioned, knowledge is the key to success. Digital marketing students should emphasise learning new skills. Google has multiple training platforms, Meta has their blueprint training; and TikTok has their own training academy, and these are all free. Lastly, I would try these digital marketing techniques and get real life experience, even if it’s with a small business in town, you can get a wealth of knowledge and experience from running small campaigns, using your phone for videography/photography and within a short amount of time, you will find yourself more confident in taking on bigger projects!