INTERVIEW with Nicky McKenna – CEO of WSI Digital Advisors

Introduction and Background

WIDD: You’ve built a career helping businesses grow their visibility and attract customers online. What led you from your early career in merchandising and communications to founding WSI Digital Advisors? What were some of the key lessons from those early days?

NICKY: My background is in Retail – so I am at heart, a people person. I kept coming across digital service providers who just wanted to talk about the tech, whereas to me, marketing is all about people and behaviour.

When we started up, we learned quickly that most people don’t care that much about the technology – they have a business problem that they want someone they trust to help them to solve.

WIDD: As a woman leading in the digital marketing space, what have been some of the more difficult obstacles you’ve encountered, and how did you work through them to build a thriving consultancy?

NICKY: I work with my husband, and sometimes yes, clients would prefer to talk to him than me. However, similarly, there are others who prefer my interpersonal style.

Peter comes from a more technical background than me, so he can answer questions that I can’t, which can knock my confidence from time to time. However, my organisation and project management skills are much stronger, so Peter does need to come to me for status updates and reminders of priorities!

We recognise that the power of working with WSI Digital Advisors is that Peter and I bring different things to the party, and so we expect all of our clients to work with both of us – they are not allowed to pick and choose!

WIDD: You’re recognised for building trust with clients and delivering long-term results. What leadership principles or approaches have guided you in establishing strong relationships and driving impact?

NICKY: Before setting up our business, I held a number of leadership roles in large Retail organisations, so I am lucky to have had good training. However my personal values are what guides my decisions.

My personal style is to lead from the middle, not from the front. I recognise that I can’t deliver everything on my own and that I can’t be on my A-game without an A-class team. Empathy, with clear, frequent and honest communication is at the heart of bringing your team with you.

What I’ve just said might sound at odds with driving impact, but I am also both a planner, and results focused. Being organised, maintaining high standards and focusing on delivering what clients value helps drive lasting and impactful change.

WIDD: In your view, why is diversity important in digital marketing today? How has fostering diverse teams shaped the way you approach strategy and growth for your clients? 

NICKY: Who wants to work in an echo chamber?

Definitely not me!

As a people person, I love to hear different opinions, bounce ideas around and to learn from those around me. If everyone is the same as me I won’t be stretched or challenged and my decisions will be safe.

Vive la difference!

WIDD: What are some of the most exciting or disruptive trends you see shaping the future of digital marketing? How can businesses and particularly women in the field position themselves to stay ahead?

NICKY: AI will continue to be the main disrupter for a good number of years yet. Many processes which are essentially repeatable will eventually be done by machine. I’ve spoken to several copy writers who’ve already been laid off in preference of quick fixes from ChatGPT.

AI isn’t going away, but we need to reframe it as a tool that people can use, as opposed to a tool that replaces people. In a world where AI allows us to produce more, more quickly, we are in danger of creating digital overwhelm, and so creativity, uniqueness and authenticity will be needed to cut through with online street-shout.

 There is currently a school of thought that the educational blog is going to fall by the wayside as the LLMs get better and better at fact checking and answering “How do I” and “What is” types of questions. I suspect this prediction will become true, and that content marketers will need to dig deep to create content more accurately tailored to their audience, rather than generic industry wide copy. Gamification, Calculators and other types of Interactive Content will become more prevalent as businesses use them to demonstrate their unique perspectives.

WIDD: From your perspective, what unique strengths do women bring to digital strategy and consultancy? How can these be better recognised and leveraged within the industry?

 NICKY: I believe that Marketing starts and ends with people, so the more feminine trait of empathy gives women a head start. Women tend to be good listeners, and often have a good sense of what is not being said which can be hugely valuable when running a strategy workshop!

That said, why can’t women crunch the numbers, produce fantastic data analysis, develop amazing apps, create the next great AI tool? There is nothing in the Marketing world that women can’t do.

WIDD: What advice would you offer to women who are aspiring to leadership roles in digital marketing but may be navigating self-doubt or structural barriers?

NICKY: It’s true that self doubt is a tendency that affects women more than men – I strongly recommend mentorship programmes like the one provided at WIDD to help provide perspective and confidence.

When it comes to structural barriers, you just need to decide whether they are movable or not. Your bosses are just people after all … some are open to persuasion and others have the “my way or the high way” mentality – work out what motivates your boss, and if that doesn’t align with your values, maybe it’s time to move on.

WIDD: Who has been a key role model in your journey and why?

NICKY: I have worked for some incredible leaders over time, but to mention a few – Yasmin Yusuf, Patrick Woodall and Pat Burnett. The thing they have in common is that they were all passionate about what the business was trying to achieve, and their enthusiasm effervesced through the company culture.

In my opinion, when a business is driven solely by the numbers, it loses heart.

WIDD: What’s your favourite quote or saying that keeps you motivated or grounded in your work?

“The road to success is always under construction” I like this because it says never give up and always keep learning – experience is a journey, not a result.