Jennifer Bairos Hofer is featured in the second instalment of our new editorial feature “Getting to know…” in which we’re taking a different approach to profiling new hires in Canadian marketing and advertising by providing a look at their life outside their job (see our first participant, Maura Hanley, here).
Bairos Hofer is the new head of marketing for Twitter Canada, succeeding Laura Pearce. She spent the past six years at Rogers Sports & Media, where she worked on brands including TSC, Chatelaine, Today’s Parent and Maclean’s. Her career also includes stops at CBC, Corus Entertainment, the former Alliance Atlantis, and Indigo.
Twitter has grown to more than 180 employees in Canada, with an office in Toronto and remote employees across Ontario, B.C., Alberta and Nova Scotia.
About that photo: It’s Bairos Hofer with her husband Andreas and her children Joshua and Audrey at her uncle’s cottage on Lake Huron.
Favourite TV show of all time, and why: Friday Night Lights. People think it’s a show about football, but it’s more than that. It tackles so many universal themes and issues in such an honest way. It’s also famous for one of the best TV lines in history: “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.”
Do you have kids: what are their names? I have two teenagers. Their names are Audrey and Joshua, and they both play rep basketball. They are both great students who thankfully no longer need my help with homework.
Favourite thing about weekends? More one-on-one time with my husband and kids. Everyone is busy with work and school during the week, weekends are for longer dinners and lazy mornings. Teenagers are notoriously tight-lipped, but mine tend to chat my ear off when we’re in the car driving to a weekend basketball practice.
Most important person in your life outside work? That’s easy—my husband Andreas. We’ve been married 19 years, and he’s my biggest cheerleader.
Favourite thing about this industry? Least favourite thing about this industry? I love that marketing is a true balance of art and science. If you get that right, and tell a compelling story through a campaign, the impact is usually greater than what you anticipated. My least favourite thing is the tendency to view marketing as strictly advertising and promotion. Marketing teams should be viewed as strategic business partners who speak on behalf of the consumer.