Resolutions 2007: In Conversation with Nathan Rosenberg, Chief Marketing Officer of Virgin Mobile Canada

Posted by Jyotika Malhotra, Marketing & Communications Consultant & AIMS Blog Correspondent

The air is clean (relatively speaking – climate change and all that), crisp (actually, somewhat spring-like) and a New Year is upon us (can’t argue with that one). As many of us return to our desks today to pour over the mountain of emails, BlackBerry messages, blog feeds and general administrivia, we resolve that this year will be different, somehow.

Many of us have made personal resolutions to start the year off right but I thought it would be interesting to ask key business leaders in the marketing, communications and web communities about their professional resolutions.

The question put to them? What are three professional resolutions, goals, to dos or things you’d like to try in 2007?

I’ll post the answers as I get them over the next couple of weeks to give AIMS readers a sense of what is top of mind for many thought leaders at the start of this year. Compare them with your own professional to do list.

Nathan Rosenberg, Chief Marketing Officer of Virgin Mobile Canada starts things off with a handful of things that he’s working on for 2007:

1.    My biggest and most serious commitment/goal/resolution is to work at making myself and my place of work (Virgin Mobile) carbon neutral. The Virgin Group of Companies is now more focused than ever on doing what we can to minimise our impact on the world we live in. Richard Branson’s $3B commitment to fund the development of alternative no impact fuels was such an inspiration. By the way if you haven’t done it yet see An Inconvenient Truth!!!!

[Ed Note: BBC News Story: Branson makes $3bn climate pledge. An Inconvenient Truth documentary site: http://www.climatecrisis.net/.)

2.    We have a very good business running in Quebec and this year I want to be able to use more than just the three phrases of French I have memorised. I have a tutor booked to teach me conversational French, so later in 2007 when I head outside of Montreal I plan to be able to say more than ‘desole’. Mind you if you listen to anyone from the UK they will tell you that having grown up in Australia, learning English would be a second language for me (they are so funny aren’t they).

3.    I want Virgin Mobile to make sure that every one of Canada’s 17 million cell phone users (or mobile if you are from my part of the world) realises that on March 14 you will be able to switch companies and take your mobile phone number with you. Right now less than 20% of Canucks know that Wireless Number Portability is just around the corner and the ‘big guys’ are doing a wonderful job of calling their customers and flashing new phones in front of their eyes so they can lock them up for three years. We are working right now on a public information campaign to launch in January so people don’t miss the chance to switch when the big day gets here.

4.    I’m going to do what I can with my CEO to convince Richard [Branson] it’s the right time to bring more Virgin businesses to Canada. Virgin Mobile has been received so well by customers here and we had a really great 2006. It has proven that a consumer advocate brand can make a difference here because we are focused on our customers and we put them in the driving seat. While Virgin operates in every continent, there are a core group of businesses that form the backbone of our operations in any market we are in.  There seems to me to be a match between what we do and industries here where consumers aren’t getting what they deserve. So I think we might be able to help shake that up.

[Ed Note: Since Nathan sent in more than the requisite three, I also allowed a personal one in the mix (which might have some business implications after all).]

5.    Finally I want to learn to cook so - I might take a class or two. I’m a fussy vegetarian but I have this really amazing stove (natural gas) in my place and I love looking at it. I just wish I knew how to turn it on. I found a drawer in it that has pans for cooking in so that must be a sign. The only thing I am wary about is the impact to the local business community I might have by not eating out every night.

Sounds like both Nathan and Virgin have a lot cooking this year. What do you have on the burner for 2007? Be part of the dialogue – share your thoughts for 2007 with AIMS readers.

Comments

[Judy Gombita]

If Nathan was impressed (and inspired on the environmental front) by An Inconvenient Truth, I'd recommend he also check out (CanCon) Jennifer Baichwal's wonderfully terrifying (and strangely beautiful) Manufactured Landscapes (www.imdb.com/title/tt0832903/). It's about acclaimed photographer, Edward Burtynsky, travelling to other parts of the world (mainly China) to observe changes in natural landscapes due to industrial work and manufacturing. (I don't think cell phones factor into the documentary, but definitely the impact of discarded computers receives a lot of screen time.)

I understand that Manufactured Landscapes will be shown at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival, where likely it will receive even more recognition as a modern-day masterpiece and influential documentary.

[N Jones]

Nathan, I love your fourth resolution and look forward to the day when Virgin Airlines flies in and out of Toronto!

[WEL]

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