Taking life's chances

Fate is described as ‘a force outside your control that makes things happen’. While many people may not believe in it, it is the word that could be used to describe the ‘sliding doors’ moment which took Martin from sitting in the lecture theatres of Manchester Met’s Business School, to working with some of the biggest brands in sport.

From David Beckham and Wayne Rooney, to adidas, Coca-Cola and the New Zealand All Blacks, global sports and entertainment marketing expert Martin has worked with them all. But it all started with the decision to flee the nest from his hometown in Belfast to study on a Business and Marketing degree in Manchester.

It was the final exam of his second year at Manchester Met when the sliding doors moment happened. Walking past a careers adviser, he overheard a conversation about interviews for an internship at adidas. Although he’d already secured his own internship – with Coca-Cola in Atlanta – as a sports brand enthusiast, his interest was piqued.

He asked if he could be involved, only to be told he was too late – the deadline had passed. But the persistent and determined character he was, Martin convinced the careers adviser to call adidas and he was offered a job in the buying department.

But his luck didn’t stop there.

He explained: “I flew home to Belfast after securing the internship with adidas, but a week after arriving home, I received another phone call to tell me that there had been a change – my heart sank.

“But they were actually letting me know that the role was now going to be in the PR department – the best news in the world for me – my dream job.”

And little did he know that this would be the job that would change his life.

Stand-out moment

After graduation in 1992, Martin went on to work in the PR team for golf’s Ryder Cup before being offered the chance to pitch to adidas Worldwide to launch the famous Predator football boots. After a successful pitch in Germany, Martin worked with England and Manchester United football legend David Beckham.

“It’s definitely a stand-out moment in my career,” he said.

“David Beckham’s manager came to us as and pitched him as a ‘rising star’. We went to watch one of his matches and we were obviously impressed. We gave him a pair of the boots to wear at his match that weekend and he scored a goal from the halfway line – and that changed everything. It’s been amazing to see his career develop.”

After working with the agency for four years, Martin then went on to head up adidas’ PR department for another nine years before eventually, in 2004, making one of the biggest calls of his career. Martin was given the opportunity to launch the world-renowned sports marketing agency, M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment.

“I thought I’d be at adidas for life,” said Martin.

“If you could write down your ideal job on a piece of paper – that was it – I had that. I put so much energy behind it and it never felt like work.

“Moving to agency life was a big call – it was six months living on my wits – it was quite scary.

“I had been approached by M&C Saatchi a couple of times – they had no sports arm and asked me to set that up and run it. I really would have been happy at adidas forever, but M&C Saatchi are the most incredible ad agency in the world, so I just thought why not? When will I ever get the opportunity to set up my own agency and have my name above a big door like that again?”

The agency started as just one London office, but now has seven offices across the world.

Martin said: “It’s hard to imagine that if I had been only two seconds earlier or later out of my exam, then I could have completely missed that conversation and that opportunity to work with adidas and my whole career could have been completely different. But even while I was there, working with all of the top Olympic athletes, top football clubs and sports stars, and launching new products, I don’t think I ever truly knew what impact the internship would have.”

Ever-changing landscape

Having worked in the sports industry for many years, Martin says the ever-changing landscape of the industry is what has kept him there for so long.

“Working in the sports industry is so challenging – you never get a rest,” said Martin.

“There are so many brands with so much talent around them. When you see the amount of money spent from all of these brands, who are all wanting to be around sport and wanting to use sport as a communication tool, it’s mad.

“The sports industry is so dynamic, it’s so connected to popular culture, it keeps you young and keeps you on your toes.

“We’ve actually had some of our best years during the financial crisis because people will always spend money on their passions in times of crisis, whether that be sport, music, film, TV. And when you think of COVID-19 – the world went mad for sport and entertainment once it opened up again.”

Lasting impression

But even after such a successful career, working with the best of the best and traveling the world, Martin still brings it all back to his four years at Manchester Met.

He said: “The University really gave me focus on what I wanted to do. My course was just so good, it was so practical and wasn’t so broad that it was meaningless – it had purpose.

“I’ve always been really interested in big brands and the course allowed me to focus on that – and I thank god that it did because I’ve been in the industry for so long now and that has helped me so much.”

 But university offered more than just the skills and experience he needed to succeed. Like many people who spend time in Manchester, the city left a lasting impression on Martin.

“Manchester was really on the up while I was there. The city has always had a bit of swagger, but during this time it had really turbocharged – the city was literally changing in front of our eyes. We saw loads of new bands coming through, the fusing of sport and music – it was such an exciting and dynamic place to be. I still talk about it today.

“The course itself gave me the skills and focus but being in and around the city gave me that positive energy and motivation. Manchester was on the up and it felt like that was part of you too – you were on the up.

“Your time at university is actually only a really short period of time, but it left such a dent that’s transcended for years. Those four years of my life will never be beaten, and I didn’t even know it at the time.”

Reflecting on his career and thinking about what he knows now, Martin says he would recommend the university life to anyone, but his advice is clear: “Have a plan, have belief, back yourself, be confident but avoid arrogance. Always have a go and don’t be scared. Show humility, be honest, and treat people well on your way up.”