Meet the Compare the Market employee who went from Graduate to Senior Manager in just 4 years
My Duvet Flip by Jack Parsons
Jack Parsons
4.2 • 5 Ratings
🗓️ 26 May 2025
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Episode Guest
Barney Martin is a Senior Manager in Marketing at Compare the Market, where he leads brand planning and media strategy. With a strong background in paid media, SEO, CRM, and PR, he has held multiple senior roles focused on brand growth and effectiveness. Previously seconded internationally to Telesure Investment Holdings, Barney brings global experience in cross-functional leadership. His strategic focus includes marketing planning, customer acquisition, and managing omnichannel campaigns. He is a Durham University graduate and is based in the UK.
Episode Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction: Barney Martin & Compare the Market
01:10 – First Job at 14: Waiting Tables & Hating It
02:22 – Lessons From Work You Don’t Enjoy
03:44 – Finding What Fires You Up
05:03 – Saying Yes vs Saying No: Know Your Why
06:01 – Workplace Reality Check: Where’s the “Magic Sauce”?
07:56 – Courage Comes Before Confidence
09:13 – Trust & Psychological Safety at Compare the Market
10:23 – Great People, Value & Trust: The Culture Formula
11:40 – Defining Great Culture Through Real Values
12:58 – Earning Trust: Six Months in South Africa
14:20 – Living Abroad: What Barney Learned About Himself
15:54 – What He’d Do Differently Next Time
17:14 – Balancing Confidence With Listening
18:31 – How to Make Impact Early in a New Role
19:44 – Learning at Work Starts With People
20:46 – Learning Opportunities at Compare the Market
21:57 – The Power of Asking for Opportunities
23:05 – Squiggly Careers: Embracing Uncertainty
24:38 – Staying Curious Through Role Models & Mentors
26:00 – Mentors vs Mentoring: What’s the Difference?
27:33 – One-Off Mentoring Conversations That Matter
28:31 – How to Get the Most Out of a Mentor Session
29:06 – Joining Compare the Market as a Graduate
30:08 – Discovering Brand Planning During a Pandemic
31:20 – Why He Wanted to Stay After Just One Rotation
32:34 – The Value of Rotation: Broaden Before You Specialize
33:11 – Current Role: Brand Planning & Strategy
34:00 – Understanding Gen Z & Future Customer Needs
35:22 – Long Life Learning: Find Your Thread
36:05 – Learning Spanish: Habits & Accountability
36:58 – Invisible Success: Emotional Intelligence
38:04 – Final Question: What’s Your Duvet Flip?
38:46 – Wrap-Up: It All Comes Back to People
Episode Partners
📊 Compare the MarketDiscover how you can make a difference at Compare the Market, the company behind one of the UK’s most popular comparison sites. From tech and data to marketing and operations, they’re on a mission to simplify decisions for millions.
https://bit.ly/4i53Svj
Disclaimer:
The content provided on Duvet Flip is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. The views expressed by hosts, guests, brands or contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the show's producers, sponsors, or affiliates. The information shared is not a substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to career counseling, financial guidance, legal consultation, or mental health support.
Listeners and viewers are responsible for their own decisions and actions based on the content provided, and Duvet Flip assumes no liability for any outcomes resulting from reliance on the information shared. By engaging with the show, you acknowledge and agree to this disclaimer.
If you’re struggling with debt, trusted advice and free support can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/debt-adviceIf you’re struggling with mental health of any kind, you can find free support here: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello, my name is Barney Martin. |
| 0:02.0 | I'm a senior marketing manager at Compare the Market and this is my do-lay flip. |
| 0:06.0 | I think courage comes before confidence. |
| 0:09.0 | What did Compare the Market give you that gave you the confidence? |
| 0:12.0 | I think it's about having great people in the organisation that put trust in you. |
| 0:16.0 | You see people exhibiting that courage and trust in you. |
| 0:19.0 | I think it builds that confidence in you |
| 0:21.9 | over time. Three words, great people, value and trust. Yeah. Immediately kind of puts that sense |
| 0:28.3 | of empowerment and trust into as an individual. What's your dovet flip, what gives you out of bed |
| 0:32.7 | in the morning to flip the dovet? I think we've heard of spoke about it before a little bit, but it's... |
| 0:39.3 | So Barney, welcome to my dovet flip. How are we? |
| 0:42.3 | Thanks, chat. Yeah, I'm really good. Thanks a lot for having me. |
| 0:44.3 | You're in the sea. I mean... You're in the sea. I've been so excited because when I got your |
| 0:50.8 | kind of your profile over around your career, you've achieved so much in such a small |
| 0:55.8 | amount of time. It's amazing. That's very nicely to say, Jack, coming from you especially, so thank |
| 1:00.7 | you. You know what, today we're going to break it all down and we're going to learn so much. |
| 1:05.9 | I want to hear about your thinking. But before we get into a bit about compare the market and what you do at |
| 1:13.2 | compare the market, I want to talk a little bit about you. Like, where did it start? You're |
| 1:18.9 | obviously in marketing. Why marketing? There's so much I want to talk about and how that's kind of |
| 1:25.8 | who's been around there to support you but tell me a little bit |
| 1:28.2 | about your first job what like where was that and if and if barney was looking back at his |
| 1:32.9 | younger self just leaving uni now what would he be saying to him well that's my first job was |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jack Parsons, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Jack Parsons and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.