Tom Sword on building the brand that Careem deserves
Thank you Campaign Middle East for recognizing Tom Sword, our Global Head of Brand & Creative, as a 2023 Marketing Game Changer!
This accolade stands as a testament to Tom’s leadership and passion for crafting an authentic brand identity that resonates deeply with Careem’s purpose and values. His relentless pursuit of excellence has fueled our brand’s evolution into the Careem Everything App, along with some of our most exciting and creative campaigns to date.
Check out the interview with Campaign Middle East below:
What is your objective in your current role?
Building the brand that Careem deserves.
What is your guiding principle?
Take what you do seriously. Not yourself.
How do you make agency relationships work?
We built our own. Over the last two years, our in-house agency – The Creative Studio – has gone from a pipedream to a powerhouse. We knew that if we could get the right talent, sitting in the heart of the business, we could match the pace and complexity of Careem, and produce world class work. What started as 2 people sharing a desk, is now a 27 strong collective of heavyweight talent. Without a single resignation along the way.
Who inspires you professionally?
I got outrageously lucky throughout my career – learning from the absolute best mentors I could ever have. But today my main inspiration comes from my own team. People like Glaucco Martines, who leads our design department, and Habiba Allam, who leads copy. They are teaching me all over again what unbelievable talent can do when it is paired with an unwavering commitment to craft. You’ll often find me just sitting in my little corner, in awe of each and every one of the 26 people I’m lucky enough to call my team. Wondering when they’ll inevitably take my job.
What is the biggest challenge in marketing at the moment?
On my first day at Havas I was shown a slide that said for every 1000 adverts someone sees, they remember one. All these years later, that’s still the thing that keeps us honest.
What is the next big opportunity?
It feels very March 2023 to say it – but the explosion of AI in our daily work has torn up the textbook on what we thought was possible. Every time we build a case study on what we have done, it’s outdated 2 weeks later.
What can we expect to see from you and your brand in the next year?
For Careem, I believe we are seeing stronger work with every campaign. The 2024 pipeline is going to turn some heads. For the Creative Studio, we get approached every week with external briefs. Maybe 2024 is the year we answer the call. If we haven’t already.
RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS
Who are you following?
The Arsenal
Favourite podcast?
Anything with Rory Sutherland
What was your last binge-watch?
The Wire. Again.
Who/what are you listening to?
Whoever comes on the Studio spotify. And my wife.
What are you reading?
Mostly briefs
Favourite hobby?
Reading briefs.
Best film of all time?
Ferris Bueller’s Day Offa
Favourite motivational quote?
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look around once in a while you could miss it.
Join us on our journey to build the region’s leading Everything App
Are you passionate about driving impact in the region? Consider joining our Creative Studio team or exploring similar roles at Careem! We’re always on the lookout for passionate individuals eager to contribute, learn and grow with us.
Check out some more of our amazing campaign videos here:
- Careem Documentary ‘A Decade in Motion’
- Careem Food ‘Dirhams for Delays’
- Careem Quik ‘As quick as Quik’
- Careem Plus ‘Save on everything’
If you’re ready to take your career to new heights, check out open roles at Careem on our website.
