There is no such thing as a typical day for Susanne Dam. She is the marketing manager for the women’s weekly ALT for damerne and the monthly home interior design magazine RUM. ˝My phone starts ringing at about 8 am as I drive to work. My days are full with lots of interruptions, and no matter how well I prepare, I’m always interrupted by customers or new projects to consider. There isn’t much time for inner reflection or concept and product development, which have to wait till after 5 o’clock,˝ says Susanne with a wry smile.

Bring on the challenges!
Susanne has worked for Egmont since 1993 and held seven different jobs in that time. She has worked as management assistant and commercial director and helped to develop a VOD service for Nordisk Film. She has tried her hand at many things, enjoying a career typified by her willingness to seize challenges.

˝I’m very keen on bringing novelty and innovation to the table in the areas I work with. I’m a glutton for knowledge so I can make well-informed decisions. But I’m not afraid of leaping into the unknown without a safety net,˝ says Susanne.

So Susanne did not hesitate for a second when she was offered the job of marketing manager for ALT for Damerne three years ago.

Run woman, run
As marketing manager, one of Susanne’s tasks is managing the ALT for damerne brand. Meeting readers through the printed magazine is not enough, they have to be reached through other channels as well. To this end, ALT for damerne organises a range of recurring annual events, one being the ALT for damerne women’s run held in several Danish cities.

˝Our editorial brief focuses mainly on articles, health and fashion for women aged 25 to 45. So health and exercise are strategically important areas for ALT for damerne, and an event like a fitness run gives us an opportunity to generate synergy through the printed magazine, the website, our advertisers as well as in the public arena. Our presence on all four platforms ensures that we have our customers’ full attention,˝ explains Susanne.

This year the run once again spurred women of all ages to put on their trainers, and, more importantly, ALT for damerne’s website played a bigger role than in past years.

˝My job also involves catering to and integrating digital interests. The women’s run persuaded 37,000 entrants to sign up via www.altfordamerne.dk. Afterwards they could view their finish line photos, download their diploma, join in a running community and try out lots of other features. Last year altfordamerne.dk recorded 800,000 hits in connection with the run – this year the figure more than doubled, to 2 million, with the site recording 267,000 visitors,˝ says Susanne, who concludes: ˝The digital media are the way forward, and while we have to develop this further to meet the needs of our existing customers and readers, it’s also imperative to attract new interested buyers to the world of ALT for damerne.˝