An Exclusive Q&A with the Head of Marketing at Next Chapter

We are back with another exclusive Q&A session with the Head of Marketing, Daniel Swepson at Next Chapter, where we delve into the world of digital marketing, agency life, and personal insights. In this interview, our co-founder candidly shares the story of their journey entering the digital world, the inception of the agency, and their thoughts on the industry.  

From valuable insights into his experiences, challenges, and aspirations, both in Daniel’s professional life and personal interests, to his favourite thing about leading a diverse team, dream dinner guests, and even some tips for aspiring marketers, this interview offers a glimpse into the dynamic world of digital marketing.  

A running theme in the Next Chapter team so far seems to be stumbling into the digital marketing world, so let’s dive in and learn from his expertise and unique perspective on the ever-evolving landscape of the digital marketing industry.  

Q: What made you want to go into the digital world of marketing?  

A: Initially I didn’t really want to. I started out working in PR, and really loved doing that. The agency where I was working started getting increasingly more clients asking to become digital, so I was carefully guided into that realm. Looking back now, they clearly knew more than I did about the direction marketing was heading and did the right thing.  

Q: How did Next Chapter come about, and what is your link to the process?  

A: Next Chapter was the reason myself & Charlie originally began talking. I was toying with the idea of moving on to my “next big thing”, and one day I got a message on LinkedIn from Charlie. We had a few conversations, and it became clear that his vision was something I was really interested in. I joined and a few months later we launched Next Chapter to the world. I was really drawn into the idea of doing something a bit different and doing it with someone who had already launched and run a successful agency – Next Chapter’s sister agency brand, Impression Studio.  

Q: Did you always want to run / work in an agency, and either answer – why?  

A: Ever since I worked in an agency, I’ve always wanted to run my own. I’ve always been attracted to the pace of an agency, the speed at which things can change & adapt to a changing climate in some way. I went through phases of thinking I’d like to try working in-house at a brand but have never been able to put my finger on the type of brand I’d want it to be. It would have to be a brand that I was really passionate about and felt a personal connection with. Ultimately, working in agencies is about working with people, understanding people, their challenges, motivations, and drives – and that’s what I’ve always loved.  

Q: What is your favourite thing about leading the Next Chapter team? Least favourite?  

A: My least favourite would be how comfortable the team are at taking the piss out of me – but this is also one of my favourite things. It shows how well we all get on together as a team. We all come from different walks of life and are quite different personalities, so I think we ground each other quite a bit, but support each other as well. No one ever feels like they’re riding solo or on their own, we ask each other questions all day long, and when someone needs a hand with something we’re all more than happy to pitch in and figure whatever it is out together.  

Q: Is there a marketing tactic you would love to try, but haven’t found the right opportunity to yet?  

A: I’ve never done TV or OOH (out-of-home) advertising. I think there’s something pretty cool about watching TV or walking through town and seeing an ad campaign that you’ve played a role in making. If I were ever going to do it though there would have to be some kind of digital cross-over, something that grabs the audience’s attention so much they can’t resist continuing that journey with a brand online.  

Q: What industries are you personally interested in? And is there any you would like to work with which you don’t already?  

A: I’ve worked with clients from many various sectors and for me it’s less about the sector the product or service is in, but rather the audience they’re targeting. I’ve never worked on a brand or campaign where the main audience was LGBTQIA+ people, but I’d really love to.  

Q: What do you enjoy doing the most in your free time?  

A: Aside from the usual activities like napping, drinking and eating – I’ve taken up swimming recently and really enjoy my evenings swims. It’s less stressful physically than going to the gym, whilst still being a great exercise, and I enjoy that you can’t do anything other than swim. Often in the gym, I tend to watch something on my phone and read articles whilst on the treadmill, whereas in the pool, you can’t have any devices and I can really switch off. It’s when I do my best thinking.  

Q: What is your favourite thing about the Digital Agency industry?  

A: The fact you can see whether something is working or not pretty much in real time – we send out an email and we can see within minutes how much money in sales it generated, or we put some content out on TikTok, and we can see exactly how many people are watching or commenting. There’s no guess work in digital, the results are either there or they aren’t.  

Q: What tips would you give someone who is wanting to set up their own agency?  

A: Figure out what you’re not very good at, or have no interest in doing, and outsource it as soon as you can. The impact you make across your business will be so much stronger if it’s in the areas you’re good at or enjoy doing the most.  

Q: Where is your favourite place to go on holiday? (UK and abroad)  

A: New York – there’s just something about it, the food, the shopping, the convenience, the fact there’s somewhere to go or something to do at all hours of the day.  

Q: Working in an agency with a lot of diverse clients can be a challenge, what would you say is key to achieve success?  

A: Relationships. I’ve said this before but as an agency, you’re not a business providing a service to another business, you’re a group of people providing services to other people. Get to know your clients, find the common ground, get to know what their challenges are in their role, what’s important to them and their colleagues or bosses, and figure out how you can make their life easier, not harder. Don’t be a self-checkout.  

Q: Just for fun – which 3 people would you invite to your fantasy dinner and why? (Dead or alive, celeb or not, anything goes really)  

A: Great question – my answer to this question changes every now and then. Right now, I would say George Michael, because I think he would have great stories to tell, and he could sing for us all. Victoria Wood, because she’s always made me laugh even since I was a kid. Dinner Ladies is an amazing piece of comedy writing. And then the third guest would have to be my husband, Andrew. He’s an amazing cook and I know he’d really appreciate the guest list as well and I wouldn’t want him to miss out.  

Q: What tips would you give someone who is interested in working for an agency or in marketing?  

A: Knock on some doors. Everyone sends emails these days, and the best written email can go completely unseen if it lands in an inbox on the wrong day or at the wrong time. Go knocking on some doors and have something you can leave behind, make yourself stand out.  

Q: What are some of your proudest achievements / memories since working at Next Chapter?  

A: While some people may perceive this as a small thing. A proud memory would be sitting in a client meeting & not doing all the work, other than listening & participating. It was great to sit in the meeting & see a team of people all leading & owning their stuff. It was nice to see that & see the vision of a talented team working together & delivering amazing work for our clients coming together.      

Q: Biggest challenge you’ve faced while working at Next Chapter or since working in marketing?  

A: Finding the right talent. There’s a lot of talent out there, but it’s about finding the right talent for us, the team & our clients. We’re looking for people “with a very particular set of skills” – as Liam Neeson would say.  

Q: AI is the talk of the town – do you think we are all about to lose our jobs?  

A: I doubt it. Digital marketers by nature are adaptors & agile, what we spend our time doing day to day may change slightly, but I think we’re already showing how we can live in harmony with AI, & actually use it to our advantage.  

Q: If you could meet yourself in 50 years and ask yourself one question, what would it be?  

A: What are the lottery numbers for next week?  

Q: What would your specialist subject be if you were on Mastermind?  

A: RuPaul’s Drag Race, US or UK. I’ve spent a lot of time revising so I’d be well prepared.