The Journey to Marketing Leadership
Victoria Sweeney's path to becoming Head of Marketing and Operations at Hotel Champ began with what she calls a "fortunate failure." After being rejected from a patisserie program at university, she pursued marketing as her backup plan—a decision that would shape her entire career trajectory. Her journey from New Zealand to Amsterdam opened new opportunities, starting in customer success before transitioning into marketing.
"When I moved to the Netherlands, I was working in a customer success role at Hotel Champs," Victoria explains. "Throughout my journey there, I was able to transition my role into a marketing role, starting with a split of product marketing and customer success, before eventually moving into a full-time marketing position."
This non-traditional path, combined with her passion for side projects—including a gardening micro-influencer account in New Zealand—helped her develop a unique perspective on marketing that combines customer insights with creative experimentation.
Blending Data with "Vibes": A Modern Marketing Philosophy
One of Victoria's most compelling insights is her approach to combining analytical rigor with creative intuition—what she calls "marketing off vibes."
"I love to combine data with vibes," she explains. "If you go fully vibes, you kind of miss the business objectives. At the end of the day, I work for a B2B business—we have revenue goals, and my team's responsibility is to help drive pipeline for our sales team. But if you go fully data, you miss the nuance."
This balanced approach manifests through thoughtful integration of customer conversations to supplement quantitative data. Victoria's team regularly tests creative hypotheses through controlled experimentation while maintaining authenticity in pursuit of business objectives. They've found success by embracing new platforms and formats, always measuring impact while remaining open to creative possibilities.
The Power of Customer-Centric Marketing
Victoria's background in customer success has profoundly influenced her marketing approach. She emphasizes that while many marketing leaders talk about customer centricity, few truly practice it.
"When you're working so closely with customers, especially in an account management or customer success role, you hear their frustration and see their challenges in a way that you can't get from just reading notes or listening to recorded calls," she explains.
This deep customer understanding enables marketers to create more relevant content and messaging that resonates with their audience. By identifying genuine pain points and opportunities through direct customer interaction, Victoria's team builds authentic connections that translate into effective solutions. She extends this philosophy throughout her organization, ensuring every team member maintains direct customer contact.
"Even for our team members in rev ops and operations, I want them to join calls with the customer success team so they can hear what our customers are actually facing day to day."
Building Personal Brand Through Content Creation
Victoria's approach to personal branding, particularly through her "Super Fun Marketing Podcast" and LinkedIn presence, emphasizes authenticity and value-sharing. Her content strategy revolves around genuine connection and consistent messaging across platforms.
"What you see on LinkedIn, when you meet me in real life, you're not going to be like, 'Oh my gosh, she's so different from what she's like online,'" she shares. "I really try to be who I am on LinkedIn is who I am in real life as well."
The success of her personal brand stems from her willingness to share both triumphs and challenges. Through storytelling and consistent value delivery, she's built a following that appreciates her authentic approach to marketing leadership.
Leveraging New Platforms for B2B Marketing
Victoria challenges the traditional B2B marketing mindset by advocating for presence on platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Her controversial opinion? "Marketers should be chronically online."
"You need to be in those spaces and see what messages your customers are being exposed to, not to copy competitors, but to understand the context of your marketing," she explains.
Success on these platforms requires a nuanced understanding of each channel's unique characteristics. Victoria emphasizes the importance of creating platform-appropriate content while maintaining a consistent brand voice. Strategic use of hashtags and cross-platform promotion helps maximize visibility, while regular performance analysis guides content strategy refinement.
The Evolution of Marketing Operations
Victoria's dual role as head of both marketing and operations at Hotel Champ provides unique insights into the integration of these crucial functions. Her perspective challenges the common notion that operations can wait until systems break down.
"Whether you know that you need it or not, everybody kind of needs it," she explains. "It doesn't always have to be that there's a person whose role is literally just that one thing. If you're a smaller company, like we're 25 people at Hotel Champ, you don't need a full team of ops people."
The key, according to Victoria, lies in starting with fundamental process documentation and addressing real problems as they emerge. Rather than investing heavily in technology from the outset, she advocates for a gradual build-up of operational capabilities that align with business growth. This approach ensures sustainable development while maintaining team buy-in and ownership of processes.
"If you're starting out with it, think about the processes. You don't need to invest in heaps of tech to get started with. You can start small and then start adding stuff as the business grows."
Creating Marketing Team Culture
The heart of Victoria's leadership philosophy lies in fostering a culture of continuous learning and experimental thinking. Her approach to team development emphasizes the importance of creating space for growth, even when resources are limited.
"If you don't necessarily have the budget to hire a person, what I always really encourage my team to do is set aside time for learning and development," she says. "I want them to feel like they can prioritize in their weeks that they can actually set aside time just to learn the skills about where they want to go."
This commitment to learning extends beyond traditional skill development. Victoria encourages team members to explore new technologies, platforms, and approaches to marketing. She understands that maintaining a customer focus while embracing creative experimentation requires dedicated time and space for professional growth.
"For example, we have team members working on the rev ops side of things who aren't super confident with Salesforce. I want them to feel or know that they can set aside time in their week to go through those training certificates without feeling like they're going to get really behind in their work."
The Future of B2B Marketing
Throughout our conversation, Victoria repeatedly emphasizes the importance of breaking free from traditional B2B marketing constraints. Her success with the Super Fun Marketing Podcast demonstrates that business content doesn't have to be dry or boring to be effective.
"To be marketer shouldn't be boring. It doesn't have to be boring just because you're selling to a business. It can still be fun. It can still be exciting," she insists.
This philosophy extends to her approach to content experimentation and platform adoption. When discussing podcast promotion, she shares valuable insights about the importance of persistence: "For example, like a podcast like in my experience, like it takes time for the momentum to build up, but if you only do like five episodes and then like stop, like you haven't even let those vibes like get to a point where you have enough data."
Conclusion
Victoria Sweeney's journey from customer success to marketing leadership illustrates the value of combining diverse experiences with authentic communication and data-driven decision-making. Her approach to marketing operations and team culture demonstrates that successful modern marketing requires both systematic thinking and creative freedom.
Through her emphasis on continuous learning, customer understanding, and strategic experimentation, Victoria provides a blueprint for marketing leaders looking to build effective, adaptable teams in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape. Her success shows that by balancing data with "vibes," marketers can create compelling campaigns that drive business results while maintaining authentic connections with their audience.
