Young Guns: Outbrain customer success account manager Elise Bennett

By AdNews | 24 January 2019
 

Our Young Guns profile takes a weekly look at some of the young talent across the advertising, ad tech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles, people and companies across the buzzing industry.

Today we speak to Outbrain customer success account manager Elise Bennett.

Time in current role:
Nine months

How long have you been in the industry?
Three years.

How did you get here?
Definitely not planned. I studied public relations at university and didn’t realise the world of paid media even existed, I thought working in advertising meant you could only be on the creative side. I fell into a media agency role through a friend of a friend, which ended up being the best foundation to start my career in, as I found an industry I love.

Who is your right hand person?
My wider customer success team. Our client base spans APAC, so there’s a lot of knowledge and use-case sharing occurring on a daily basis. My team is very solution-focused, so I turn to them for guidance on problem solving and striving for amicable outcomes. I also have the luxury of working in a smaller office, so I have multiple facets of the business with varying knowledge base and skill sets at my fingertips.

What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
The potential for growth is endless. And, of course, the people. We spend more time with our colleagues than our closest friends and family members, so I’m grateful our industry is full of people that make coming to work something to look forward to each day.

And the biggest challenge?
The fast pace nature of digital. With a revolving door of new tech and industry trends, it can be challenging to keep up with the changes outside of the day-to-day. Another reoccurring challenge is explaining to my parents exactly what I do.

Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
I’d love to be working product side. Being in the Outbrain platform each day and understanding our client’s use and feedback means I have a good mix of product knowledge and what new features and updates would be most beneficial for both parties.

Where do you turn for inspiration?
People-based documentaries and cooking - Jamie Oliver’s passion in the kitchen is contagious. 

My favourite ad is:
Globally, IKEA’s magazine ad that doubles as a pregnancy test, revealing a discount code for a crib to those who test positive. It’s an extremely clever concept and a great example of thinking outside the box by transforming how a traditional channel is typically used. 

Locally, Western Sydney University’s Deng Thiak Adut Unlimited ad. Brilliance in the power of truly inspirational and captivating storytelling. The soundtrack to the video gives me chills.

Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I did Irish dancing for most of my school years, my feet still tap when I hear the music.

In five years' time I'll be:
In a role that doesn’t even exist yet. 

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