#4: "Don't Be Afraid To Change Gears" | Lauren Aitchison (Cineplex)

We recently chatted with Lauren Aitchison who is the Director of Marketing Operations at Cineplex. Cineplex needs no introduction - they’re synonymous with movies in Canada & many of us have found ourselves enjoying buttery popcorn at one of their 160 theatres across the country. Interestingly enough, their business actually extends beyond movies. They have a digital media arm, entertainment hubs (i.e. Rec Room), and much more. Before joining Cineplex, Lauren spent ~10 years between Telus and two of Toronto’s leading ad agencies. When Lauren isn’t helping to transport movie viewers to new worlds, she can be found travelling to new countries (32 and counting)! In this episode, we chat with Lauren about joining the movie industry during the pandemic, a peek into how Cineplex is thinking about the future, how she’s approached the pivot from agency to client-side, and which actress would play her on the big screen. More specifically, Lauren shared her thoughts on the following questions: How would you describe what you do to a first year business student? (6:43)How big is the marketing team at Cineplex & how important is it to have a connector? (7:57)What inspired you to pursue a career in marketing? (9:09) How did you scratch that itch & explore marketing further?  (10:41)Can you walk us through your career journey? (12:44) What advice would you have for someone thinking through making the jump from agency to client-side? (16:30)How has your view on marketing evolved? (19:00) What was your experience like making the transition to CIneplex during the pandemic? (20:45) Can you give the listeners a feel for Cineplex beyond just their movie business? (25:27) How does Cineplex continue to differentiate its offering? (30:49)What was your experience like within film marketing? (34:35)What are some of the problems that your current team is working to solve? (36:28)How are you measured for success? (37:51) Can you talk us through the challenges of trying to unite different teams? (39:30)What are the types of skills that individuals need to thrive in this space? (42:10) How is Cineplex thinking through the next wave of Gen Z consumers? (43:45) Rapid fire - we put her in the hot seat! (47:05)