Climbing the ladder differently: My path to head of marketing

Stacie Price, head of marketing at Urban, has built a successful career through hands-on experience, curiosity and a genuine interest in connecting with people.

Growing up on a council estate in Old Kent Road, she reflects: “University wasn’t something that was expected of me; it wasn’t part of the path my immediate family or their peers had taken”.

Instead, she jumped straight into the world of work, starting out as a retail sales assistant and later moving into marketing.

We sat down with her to learn more about her journey – from those early days on the shop floor to leading nationwide marketing campaigns at Urban. She shares the pivotal moments, the lessons learned and her top tips for breaking into the industry.

When you were little, what did you dream of becoming?

When I was a kid, I was completely fascinated by dry cleaners. I found something magical in the chaos – mountains of clothes somehow transformed, crisp, clean, perfectly pressed and neatly packaged in those clear plastic bags.

I was totally mesmerised by the enormous washing machines and the endless rows of clothing waiting patiently to be reunited with their owners. 

I would try to recreate that feeling of joy in my bedroom. I'd unpack my mum’s ironing basket, assigning each item to an imaginary customer with handwritten labels. Unfortunately for her, I was a bit young to help with the actual ironing.

To this day a small part of me still dreams of owning a dry cleaners. Maybe one day!

What was your very first job? How did this shape who you are today? 

My first job was a part-time role as a sales assistant at Jane Norman – a shop every girl born in the 80s and early 90s remembers. Jane Norman carrier bags were the tote bags of our day. By that time, I'd moved on from my childhood dream of owning a dry cleaners, but my love for clothes remained.

I found real joy working with fashion – whether it was styling outfits for customers or dressing the window mannequins. I was lucky enough to help the visual merchandising team on occasion, it was something I genuinely loved.

What made my first couple of jobs even more special were the friendships I made. Many of my closest friends today are people I met during those early retail jobs in the early 2000s. It was a time filled with great memories – both on the shop floor and during our weekly nights out in central London.

That role also helped me realise how much I enjoyed working. I discovered a real passion for customer service and a strong drive to do well. I worked my way up from sales assistant to senior sales assistant, which not only came with a small pay rise, but much to my 17-year-old self’s excitement, meant I was trusted to use the till.

It was a small but meaningful milestone that showed me how rewarding responsibility and progression could be.

You didn’t follow the traditional university route – did that ever feel like a risk?

I grew up on a council estate on the Old Kent Road in South East London. My mum was a postwoman and so was my stepdad, who still works for Royal Mail today. University wasn’t something that was expected of me; it wasn’t part of the path my immediate family or their peers had taken. 

When I left school, going to university just wasn’t on my radar – not because I didn’t think I was capable, but because working and earning a living felt more immediate and necessary. I simply hadn’t seen the value of university play out in real life around me, so it didn’t feel like a risk not to go.

Looking back, I don’t regret that decision. For me, choosing not to go to university was absolutely the right call. While I really value education and love the idea of formal learning, I’ve found that self-directed learning works best for me. It allows me to dive deeper into subjects that truly interest me, apply them to real-life situations, and make sense of them in my own way.

I’m also a big fan of hands-on, focused learning – whether that’s through workshops or short courses. You’ll often find me at a weekend craft session or skills-based event. That style of learning, especially in smaller groups and centred around something I’m passionate about, brings me real joy and keeps me continuously curious.

What made you realise that marketing was the right fit for you?

I’ve always been a creative person, and from a young age, I found myself naturally drawn to things like advertising. Growing up in London, even in an offline-era, it was hard not to see adverts everywhere you went – remember when Piccadilly Circus was the Times Square of the UK? 

I would catch myself analysing the visuals, the copy, the tagline and imagining how I might have approached it differently. That curiosity and critical eye for creative work was always there.

At the same time, my early retail jobs gave me a real appreciation for connecting with people. I genuinely enjoyed speaking to customers, understanding what they needed and helping them find something that made them feel good.

When I started to think about what kind of career would bring those two sides of me together – creativity and communication – marketing felt like a perfect fit. It’s a space where I can channel ideas, connect with audiences, and build something that resonates with people on both a visual and emotional level.

Was there a moment you took a risk in your career that really paid off, or taught you something important?

I’m an introvert at heart so I’m not usually the loudest voice in the room, and even now, I sometimes find myself hesitating to share my opinions or ideas in more public settings. But early in my career, I realised the importance of pushing past that.

As they say in my adopted hometown of Newcastle, “shy bairns get nowt.” If I wanted to grow, I had to take what, at the time, felt like huge personal risks – speaking up, offering feedback, sharing ideas and being open to challenge.

It still doesn’t always come naturally to me, and putting myself in uncomfortable situations can feel like a daily stretch. But I do it, consistently, because I’ve seen the impact it has – not just on professional development, but on personal confidence too.

Stepping outside of my comfort zone has helped me grow in ways I never expected.

What’s one skill you learned outside of work that’s made you better at your job?

Working in marketing, where you're constantly surrounded by content, trends and advertising – even during something as simple as a TikTok doom scroll – it can feel like you're always "on". Inspiration is everywhere, but so is the temptation to never fully disconnect.

That’s why I’ve made a conscious effort to create real boundaries. On weekends, I often leave my phone in another room while watching TV or reading.

I’ve set time limits on my personal Instagram account – 30 minutes a day max – and turned off social notifications to avoid the constant pull to check in and I truly believe that getting to a point where I can do this (most of the time!) is a skill. It’s not easy to train your brain into not doing things that’ve become such a compulsion over the years. 

It’s not always easy, especially as head of marketing where I’m responsible for social media. The fear of missing something important is real. To manage that, I build in small windows where I can check in if needed, outside of my usual limit.

Most of the time, everything’s fine – and when it’s not, I can deal with it quickly, knowing I’ve kept a balance that allows me to return to my downtime with peace of mind.

Making space to properly rest and recharge has helped me show up with more focus, energy and creativity during the working week.

What’s something people assume about marketing careers that you’d love to challenge?

A lot of marketing, especially top-of-funnel awareness, is content we encounter constantly in our daily lives.

Because we’re exposed to so much of it, and because social media has become such a personal and accessible space, there’s a common assumption that marketing is “easy” or that anyone can do it. 

Unlike something technical like coding or the craft of making a dress, marketing doesn’t always appear complex on the surface. People often assume that because they get good engagement on their personal posts, they could run a brand’s social media account too.

And while there are definitely people with natural talent, professional marketing requires much more than that.

In most businesses, marketing teams are responsible not just for visibility but for driving results. Whether you're selling a product or a service, it’s our job to create demand – to make people believe they need what we're offering, often in competitive markets or tough economic conditions. 

Just saying “buy this, it’s great” doesn’t cut it. You need fresh, engaging ways to tell the story, and that can be particularly challenging when there’s nothing new to sell. It forces you to constantly evolve, challenge your own assumptions and stay in tune with shifting consumer behaviour.

There’s a misconception that marketers are all naturally creative or social media pros, or that we’re all comfortable in front of a camera doing TikTok choreography or street interviews.

The reality is, marketing roles, especially generalist ones like a marketing assistant, marketing executive or even head of marketing require a broad skill set, and it’s rare to excel at everything. 

One person might be brilliant at campaign ideation, while another might thrive in performance marketing, data analysis or pricing strategy. Success in marketing is often about collaboration, knowing your strengths and building a team that complements them.

If someone told you they weren’t sure they were “qualified enough” to succeed, what would you say?

I think that if you genuinely want to succeed at something, you can. In marketing, it’s all about finding the learning path that works best for you. For some people, that might be university or formal qualifications.

For others, it could be hands-on experience, online workshops, industry podcasts or simply spending time looking at how other brands communicate and engage with their audiences. There’s no single route in and what matters most is curiosity, initiative and a willingness to keep learning.

When it comes to being “qualified enough,” I think that’s often just a matter of perception. It depends entirely on who’s making that judgment.

I’ve hired people – both in my current role and previous ones – who didn’t necessarily have traditional qualifications or a huge amount of professional experience in that field, but they stood out because they were sharp, motivated and incredibly driven. 

In my experience, those qualities are often more valuable than what’s written on a CV. If you’re ambitious, eager to learn and proactive, you’re already well on your way – if not more than halfway there.

What’re your 3 top tips for someone trying to break into the marketing world? 

1. Study a brand you love

If you want to work in marketing, my best advice is to fully immerse yourself in it. Choose a brand you really love and study everything they do. 

Dissect their campaigns, look at their taglines and their promos, and think critically about what they’re trying to achieve and who they’re targeting. Understanding the strategy behind the execution is key.

2. Remember that you don’t have to be great at everything

Don’t be discouraged if you’re not a natural content creator or copywriter. While it’s super useful to have a good eye for what looks great visually and an understanding of what makes good copywriting, most marketing teams have specialists in those areas. 

If your goal is to be in a generalist role, what matters more is your ability to think strategically, understand audiences and spot brilliant opportunities.

3. Take opportunities that are in front of you

If you're already working, ask if you can spend time with your company's marketing team. Ask to shadow them or sit in on planning sessions. I might be biased, but in my experience, most people love talking about their work and are usually more than happy to share their knowledge.

Learning in a business you already know gives you a huge advantage because you’ll have context for how marketing fits into the bigger picture, and how your new skills can be applied right where you are.