LONDON - Jerry Daykin, a marketing manager working for a charity in East London, is this week marking his 25th birthday on August 6th by launching a complete rebrand of his own image.
“We’ve grown a lot over the past 25 years and there comes a time when you need to rethink your position in the market place. From very small beginnings we’ve expanded to a soaring 6 foot 4 organisation but with size 14 shoes we’ve built it on strong foundations!” he added.
Looking to refresh his image means starting at the top with a haircut last week and a new name this week, but launching ‘Jeremy Daykin’ is just the start of things. “Some days opening my wardrobe can be a bit like walking into a Uni Qlo warehouse, I’ve got a polo shirt in every colour you can name – maybe it’s time I tried something new?”
Jerry’s passion for marketing began at a young age when he used to record radio jingles off the TV onto a battery powered cassette recorder. “I’ve always been captivated by a strong brand story whether that means collecting Coca-Cola merchandise, firmly believing in ‘The World’s Favourite Airline’ or blogging about new Mullerice flavours.”
Working for City Gateway, a charity in East London which trains disengaged women and NEET young people, allows him to live out his interests every day – the charity celebrated its own 10th anniversary this year by rolling out a new brand which clarifies their service offering. “It’s a labour of love but I don’t want to let it take its toll, hereditary baldness is definitely a worry so I try not to pull any of my current crop out. Right now I’m hoping to find a volunteer PR & Marketing Assistant to help share the load – someone passionate and keen to get a start in the industry like I was just a few years ago.”
Jerry first learnt his trade studying in Cambridge, a university he applied for because sticking with his best friend seemed easier than trying to find a new one. With a year in Economics and two in Social Psychology his Pick’n’Mix approach landed him with the closest to a marketing qualification the university provides but he’ll be the first to admit that study wasn’t always the first thing on his mind: “But who can blame me when the alternative was the marketing and design work I was doing in my spare time!” Whilst working for a sleep research company evening classes gained him the CIM qualification which really put the icing on the cake.
“I don’t like to be called a ‘jack of all trades’ but I know the brand’s diversified a lot and could do with some real focus.” When not working to publicise the charity, or as a marketing consultant for clients of its social enterprise Gateway Media, Jerry’s recently done his first stint as a wedding photographer and spent his last weekend putting up cabinets in the kitchen whilst baking a gluten free loaf of bread.
“Going on from here Facebook and Twitter are going to be a real focus in pushing the new brand out there. I set up a London fan page last year and now have 130,000 fans and the support of Visit London, so the pedigree’s there, but the internet can be a curse as well as a blessing. With 1,000 pictures of me on Facebook alone it’s going to take a while to get the old me forgotten. Perhaps that’s not a bad thing, I just reread my brief stint at blogging from back in 2007 and it really wasn’t too bad – brands like Abercrombie & Fitch make up their own histories, I’ve got a real story to tell.”
“Last year I got Sir Ian McKellen to rap Shakespeare with Ms Dynamite and Akala. With that under the belt it’s not easy to say where I can go next but as I wasted the first few years just learning to speak & walk I’ve got really high hopes for what I can achieve in the next 25!”
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