interview with flaunt digital’s coo, chris hodgson

Starting out as Head of Paid Media and helping grow a digital agency to stepping up as Director and COO in February 2021, Chris Hodgson’s years of experience has truly helped mould everything Flaunt Digital has become today. From helping shape the business to ensuring staff morale is kept at an all time high, with a little help from his strong golfing look for the staff christmas party (inside joke??‍♂️), Chris has helped take Flaunt to the next level. 

As we sit down with Flaunt Digital’s COO, Chris Hodgson, we’re looking forward to chatting more about his career journey, his top tips for starting your paid media career and the touchy subject of who’s really the best Flaunt table tennis player?

What do you do at Flaunt Digital?

My job at Flaunt is extremely broad, delving into sales and marketing, sculpting the proposition and truly getting to focus on clients and the business as a whole. I get involved with day-to-day strategy, looking at the tone and sequence of pitches and presentations, joining up the gaps so Flaunt shines day in, day out. With the move from Head of Paid to COO I have more time to liaise with Lee, and more time to work on forecasting, events and improving staff benefits – one of the many parts I love about my role. I also help put together productivity initiatives, spearhead Flaunt’s IP and play an important role in boosting the agency’s profitability. 

Why did you want to work at Flaunt?

To be honest, I wasn’t going to make the move to Flaunt, but looking back I am so glad I did. Lee is super persuasive and is the reason why I decided to take the leap. I was happy in my previous role at another agency, going through a promotion as Senior Paid Media Manager. However, we had had lengthy discussions in the past about starting an agency and even though I couldn’t really see the light at the end of the tunnel, Lee pushed me through and we have been able to grow a 27-strong team – something I am proud of. 

Why did you decide to move from Head of Paid to COO?

It just made sense, it was a natural move and something we needed here at Flaunt. I felt my experience wasn’t being leveraged in the best way and was previously doing a dual role that needed to be split. When Adam joined as Head of Paid, I had the chance to put more energy into the COO role and since doing so the business has begun to expand – I think things have changed for the better as a result. 

Tell us about your career journey

I first started out as an Operations Manager for a car parts distributor. It was a role truly led by my passion for cars but really not the career path for me. Once I found  a love for statistics in uni I knew what I wanted to do. I stumbled across digital marketing and my attention was drawn towards paid media, mainly due to the numbers. I began working at a marketing agency, the same one as Lee and Jamie, but our paths didn’t really cross. I then moved to another agency before deciding to explore my options and considered the move to Flaunt – the best decision I’ve made in my career so far! 

What top tips would you give someone looking to get into PPC?

A hard question – my top tip is to make sure you have a huge passion for attention to detail, especially when it comes to data. You want to be overly obsessed with numbers, always wanting to figure out a pattern and paint a picture from the data you are looking at, as well as having an interest in unwinding consumer behaviour – a key trait to have if you want to strive in the world of PPC. 

What advice would you give someone looking to work in a digital agency?

Another question that has no definite answer. The digital agency world is forever changing and adapting. When I first started in the digital agency world, the sector was more corporate but this has vastly developed since. My key tip now is to not go in expecting a corporate environment – digital agencies are a more relaxed working environment, a place to have fun and be creative. 

What is your favourite type of client? 

Someone who just gets it. A client where you don’t have to over justify why you are proposing something to help improve their website or paid media. They may not have any experience working with digital agencies or they may have years of experience, but a client who appreciates the work we put in and really wants to help get jobs done is a client I love. 

Where do you see Flaunt Digital in the future?

Currently we as a business – and the rest of the country – are facing a very turbulent period economically, but we always put our staff first which helps us to continue to grow as a business even through these tough times. I hope to see Flaunt grow whilst keeping the same culture and work ethic – something we base our whole company around. 

So now for the real nitty gritty… who’s top of the Flaunt table tennis league? 

Obviously me…  (straight to the point?) 

Five Keywords With Chris

In our ‘5 keywords with’ section, we ask our brave interviewee to answer our quick-fire questions with just one word. Sounds simple? Let’s go! 

• What makes a great digital agency?

Culture

• Why is PPC important to an agency?

Targeted Exposure 

• What is the best way to measure success

Depends… (*inserts shaking head emoji*)

• What matters to you most?

Job satisfaction

• And in one word, where do you see Flaunt in 5 years time? 

Leeds ? 

Meet The Rest Of Our Team

We’ll be sharing stories from many of Flaunt Digital’s beloved colleagues. Keep an eye out on our company blog or follow us on Instagram for some behind-the-scenes sneak peeks.