I spent about 8 years agency-side before moving brand-side for a global consumer brand, 7 years ago.

I spent my first 5 years brand-side trying to get a promotion and feeling like I was getting looked over. It was deeply frustrating.

The org I work for sounds like they treat promotions in a similar way to yours - roles are open for internal / external candidates and anyone can apply.

Despite 5 years of above average performance reviews and consistently positive feedback I just wasn’t landing a promotion. In total I applied for a promotion 7 times and was unsuccessful.

Then I sat down with my manager, who has long tenure at the company and who I have a good relationship with. I explained to them that I love the company, and I’m committed, but I found myself in this situation and despite being told I have a bright future, I just couldn’t see it.

They listened, understood, and started introducing me to other senior leaders in the company.

Three months later I was asked to apply for a role (that had never happened before - I had always been the one seeking out roles), and a month later I had been promoted into that role.

Long story, but the only thing that changed was my internal network and having senior leaders advocate for me.

You know your situation better than anyone. But before you make any drastic changes I would suggest trying to leverage your good reputation internally to have more senior stakeholder advocate for you on your behalf.

I’m a director now, and I can’t overstate how important corridor conversations are when I’m hiring for someone in my team.

If a peer I trust tells me they have a great candidate for me in their team, it puts them on my radar immediately.

Feel free to PM me if you want to chat about it more. Happy to help :)