Our Industry Profile takes a weekly look at some of the professionals working across the advertising, ad tech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles and companies across the buzzing industry.
This week we head to Sydney to meet Quantium executive director and co-owner, Tony Davis.
Duration in current role/time at the company:
13 years.
In one sentence, how would you describe what the company does:
Quantium provides data, analytics and technology platforms to help leading organizations understand their audiences and realize their market potential
What does your role involve?:
As a board member I share responsibility for strategy, governance and growth / investment decisions... as one of the original owners I continue to help define and champion Quantium's unique and highly valued culture, purpose and overall proposition.
Within the last six months/year, what stands out as the company’s major milestones?
The incredible arrangements Quantium has implemented with media owners including News, Foxtel/MCN and Facebook, helping change the face of how advertisers can reach qualified audiences and attribute resulting sales more accurately is something we are pretty proud of.
This foundation will be expanded on in 2016 as the capabilities are tested and proven by more and more brands, and expanded upon as Quantium grows additional collaborations with other media owners and agency groups.
Best things about the industry you work in:
Marketing is simply everything we do in a connected world - personal, social, brand and corporate relationships - in the current period all being disrupted with the intelligent use of data and technology.
I love the 'can do' mentality of marketing people, and the ever broadening church of people 'doing marketing'. The marketing discipline now fully embraces wider skills in analytics, numeracy, insight and other technical skills required in this digital and information age.
This surely is the most amazing period in marketing, business and the widest range of human endeavour and advancement.
Previous industry related (ad land/ad tech) companies you have worked at:
13 years at Quantium. Before that I helped John Symond re-engineer the Aussie Home Loans business, and prior to that was in the UK leading NatWest bank's strategy and marketing functions, including setting up one of the first full service agency ‘village’ concepts with TBWA.
Career-wise, where do you see yourself in three years time?
Pursuing a portfolio of interests, absolutely centered around Quantium, with additional advisory/ board roles, probably focused on my passions of corporate purpose, social impact and personal performance/coaching.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I don't have many secrets but perhaps going to a Barry Manilow concert with my mum and her friends is one I can now give up.
Top networking tip:
Give freely.
My favourite restaurant for a business lunch is:
Snake River Grill (Jackson Hole, Wyoming).
My favourite advert is:
Guinness 'waiting' (surfers and white horse). Simply brilliant.
My must-have gadget is:
Fitbit (so outdated I know).
My favourite media is:
Face to face conversation.
My favourite TV show is:
TED lectures (via app). Traditional TV would be Game of Thrones.
The last book I read:
‘The next hundred years’ by George Friedman and at the same time, Mick Fleetwood's autobiography ‘Play on’.
My mantra / philosophy is:
Enable people to achieve beyond their own expectations by removing fear.
It's amazing what you can achieve when you don't care who gets the credit. (Benjamin Franklin)
And don't listen to the word 'aught' but rather ‘land on your own moon’ (stolen from another great ad from Sony PlayStation).
I got into advertising/ad tech/marketing etc because:
As a cub scout I won a competition when I devised an ad for Parker Pens based loosely around the idea of a pen being more reliable than a snail trail. I have never claimed any creative credentials since.
If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:
Better at surfing and playing guitar.
In five years' time I'll be:
Seriously? Can anyone forsee beyond five months?
Define your job in one word:
Enabler.
What's your poison:
Highland Park (whiskey for girls).
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
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