Estelle Dragan.
Our Industry Profile takes a look at some of the professionals working across the advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles and companies across the buzzing industry.
Estelle Dragan: Creative strategy lead at Pedestrian Group.
Time in current role:
6 months.
How would you describe what the company does?
Pedestrian Group sits at the pulse of youth culture, translating what modern Australians are thinking, feeling and doing everyday into content, insights and creative partnerships and helping brands show up in a way that feels actually plugged into and part of culture, not just trying to keep up with it.
What do you do day to day?
A real cocktail of creative concoctions. My day-to-day spans everything from running brainies and mining cultural insights to shaping creative strategy, writing design briefs, pitching big ideas and leading a team of seriously talented strategists. The best part about being a creative strategist at Pedestrian Group is that no brief is ever “boring”. Our brand’s playful tone of voice and brave identity mean its creative parameters are pretty limitless, so it’s about finding unexpected ways in and taking brands somewhere they wouldn’t go on their own. One of my favourite pitches to date was for a toilet cleaner brand… which probably says it all.
Define your job in one word:
Alchemy.
I got into the industry because:
As a kid I used to get more excited about watching the ads at the cinema than the movie itself (sounds kinda boring, but probably a sign I’m in the right biz).
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
Accepting that the best ideas don’t always get bought. When you’ve put real time, energy and belief into something, it’s hard not to take it personally when they don’t sell – especially when you’re thinking “but this is so right.” Balancing creative instinct with commercial realities is a big part of the job, and it definitely builds resilience. Sometimes you just have to park it, reset, and go again (...or find it a better home down the line )
What’s the biggest industry wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
Time. Creatives don’t always do their best work in a pressure cooker, but that’s often the reality of the industry. We’re expected to move fast, which means there’s not always the space to properly think, digest and let ideas evolve. Media is certainly not an “art for art’s sake” job, and deadlines will always be part of it, but giving creativity a bit more breathing room would ultimately lead to better and more fulfilling work across the board.
Who has been a great mentor to you and why?
Wayne Mensah (Director of Creative Solutions at Time Out London at the time). It sounds sickly cliché, but I genuinely wouldn’t be where I am without him. He gave me the confidence to back my ideas, but never let me get too comfortable – always pushing and challenging my thinking. Even after I moved from London to Sydney, he stayed a constant, someone I could always go to for perspective.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Never censor your creativity. I genuinely believe there’s a strategic right of play in every idea – no matter how weird, whacky or seemingly throwaway. Some of my best pitches have come from offhand comments in brainstorms, so always say the thing and figure out the logic later.
If I wasn’t doing this for a living, I'd be:
A food journalist. I love eating out to an almost professional level, and for years joked about making it my job – then realised, getting into publishing, that it actually is one. Maybe one day.
My philosophy is:
A good creative strategist can sell absolutely anything. Nothing is inherently boring – it’s all about how you frame it.
My favourite advert is:
The Specsavers “Welcome to Melbourne” stunt at Sydney Airport. So simple, so cheeky, so effective – tricking travellers into thinking they’d landed in the wrong city to bring “Should’ve gone to Specsavers” to life. It’s the kind of idea that makes you wish you’d thought of it. Also, consider this a subtle bit of manifestation as I’m currently working on a Speccies pitch.
Music and TV streaming habits:
My Spotify daylist does the heavy lifting during the week, but I’m also super needy when it comes to asking my friends to make me personally curated playlists - especially for running. I get over songs quickly, so I’m always looking for fresh recs. TV-wise, I’m currently in self-imposed restriction mode (for my own sanity), but a Sunday Netflix scroll is non-negotiable.
What do you subscribe to?
A mix of trend reports and cultural newsletters - anything that helps me stay across what people are thinking, feeling and talking about. I really like reading After School by Casey Lewis because she delves deep. I’m less interested in headlines and more in the “why” behind them.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I hate to flex too hard but my cousin wrote Peep Show.
In five years time I'll be:
Probably trying to work out how the hell to sell booze brands to Gen Alpha.
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