10 Questions on Marketing with James Eaton

James Eaton - 10 Questions

Founder of Eaton on Marketing & Head of Agency at Four4 Creatives

Marketing is noisy. Platforms shift, trends come and go, and buzzwords often outweigh actual value. But at its core, good marketing is about clear thinking, creativity with purpose, and staying close to what actually moves people.

In this edition of Eaton on Marketing, I’m taking a step back and answering 10 personal questions about how I got into the industry, what I’ve learned along the way, and where I believe the work is headed.

1. What was your first job in marketing?
My first real role was with Leeds Rugby, working in the marketing team. We were responsible for everything from matchday activations, paid META campaigns, email campaigns to managing sponsor assets and fan engagement. It was hands-on and relentless, and I quickly learned how to balance the expectations of fans, partners, and internal teams.

One week I’d be planning a community outreach campaign, the next I’d be backstage with players at a stadium activation. That intensity taught me to be flexible, strategic, and scrappy all at once. It laid the groundwork for everything that’s come since.

2. What’s the best marketing campaign you’ve seen recently?
The F1 × LEGO partnership really caught my eye. It wasn’t just co-branded merch, it was immersive and multi layered. LEGO trophies at the British Grand Prix, drivable LEGO F1 cars at Miami, and a full product range that let fans participate from home. That’s how you merge physical and digital, passion and play.

It’s a campaign that understands its audience, younger fans, families, collectors and meets them where they are. It also generated brilliant social content without trying too hard. Everything about it felt earned, not forced.

3. What’s a career highlight you’re proud of?
Working on the F&B strategy during COP28 at Expo City Dubai. It was a massive, global event with incredibly high stakes and we were tasked with ensuring the restaurants across Expo didn’t just look good, but drove meaningful footfall and aligned with sustainability goals.

I collaborated closely with the TGP International team, the Expo leadership, and even UN partners, crafting a campaign that respected the integrity of the event while still driving commercial performance. It was a great test of how to manage multiple stakeholders, stay agile, and execute with purpose.

4. What’s something people misunderstand about marketing?
That it’s just “making things look nice” or “posting on social media.” Good marketing is rooted in strategy including audience insights, positioning, data, timing. Creative is essential, but it’s not the start, it’s the output of a much bigger process.

Too many businesses still treat marketing as reactive. In reality, the best results come when it’s embedded in the business, working closely with product, sales, and operations. That’s when marketing drives growth.

5. Who or what inspires your work?
I’m inspired by good execution. Campaigns or brands that aren’t just clever, but consistent. I love when I see a brand nail tone of voice, creative, and timing all in sync.

A great example is Liquid Death. Their branding is unapologetically different, but it’s not just quirky for the sake of it. Their campaigns are strategically aligned, content is always on-brand, and they’ve built a cult following by staying relentlessly true to their positioning.

6. What’s your biggest challenge right now?
Balancing speed with structure. At Four4 Creatives, we’re growing fast onboarding new clients, scaling teams, producing content across multiple markets and the challenge is to keep quality high without burning people out.

That’s where automation and internal systems come in. We’re investing heavily in process from editorial calendars to Zapier/Make workflows so we can move quickly, but with clarity. The goal is to build a creative agency that’s nimble and sustainable.

7. What advice would you give your younger self?
Say yes early. Say no often. Trust your pace.

In your 20s, experience is everything so take on as much as you can. But as you grow, the real skill becomes knowing what to walk away from. Not every project is worth the energy. And not every client fits your vision. The quicker you learn that, the faster you find your rhythm.

8. What’s a trend marketers should pay more attention to?
Back-end clarity. Everyone’s talking about AI, content, and creators which matters, but what often gets ignored is operational efficiency. Tools like Asana, Airtable, and automation stacks can free up 20–30% of your team’s time. That’s huge.

I’m a big believer in building repeatable systems behind the creativity. If you’re producing 50+ assets a month for different clients, having the right structure in place isn’t optional, it’s how you scale without losing your edge.

9. What do you wish more clients understood?
That good content takes planning. We live in a world where everyone wants fast turnaround, but the best campaigns are the ones with thought behind them where goals, creative direction, and platform strategy align.

Some of our best-performing work at Four4 Creatives came not from rushing to post, but from taking an extra 24 hours to properly brief, align, and refine. It’s always worth it.

10. What’s next for you?
Growing Eaton on Marketing into a platform that gives marketers, founders, and creatives real value. I want to cut through the noise no fluff, no theory for theory’s sake. Just practical insights, campaign breakdowns, and advice from the actual trenches.

At the same time, we’re expanding Four4 Creatives with a sharper focus on performance led content. More global clients, more clarity on process, and more talent joining the team especially in Egypt and the UAE.

It’s an exciting chapter.