Louise Khong.
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.
Louise Khong: Creative strategy lead at Pinterest
Time in current role:
4.5 years
How would you describe what the company does?
At its core, Pinterest is a visual search and discovery platform that brings everyone the inspiration to create a life they love. People come to Pinterest with a purpose, planning their next meal, outfit, renovation or simply to explore an aesthetic, and we connect that intent with ideas from creators, brands and businesses. It’s not just about passively scrolling; it’s about curating, shopping, and finding ideas you can act on in the real world.
What do you do day to day?
I work with brands to help them get the most out of Pinterest creatively.
That can look wildly different day to day. One moment I’m unpacking a brief with sales, the next I’m doing a creative audit or developing big ideas for a pitch. I might jump from building a retail holiday playbook straight into running a creative workshop for a CPG client.
Through it all, my goal is to help brands show up in a way that’s meaningful – creating ads that are additive, not annoying – by leaning into how people actually use Pinterest: to plan, to feel inspired and to take action.
Define your job in one word:
Varied.
I got into the industry because:
I love being creative, but I need a brief. I was drawn to advertising because it gave my creativity a purpose – clear problems to solve, audiences to understand and constraints to work within.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
Prioritisation. I’m constantly balancing the needs of internal stakeholders and external partners, while context-switching between verticals, markets, pitches and long-term strategic projects.
What’s the biggest industry wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
Responsible AI seems like too obvious an answer, so I’ll go with online safety and wellbeing, particularly for young people. The internet can be incredible and horrifying at the same time.
I’m extremely proud of the policies Pinterest has in place to protect the wellbeing of our users, from limiting and removing harmful content and misinformation from our platform to building more positive, inclusive experiences, but it’s not something we can tackle on our own. I’d love to see more platforms designing for safety and emotional impact from the outset.
I’m about to become a parent myself, so I’m thinking a lot about what kind of internet my child will grow up with. I want them to have access to the wonder, without being overwhelmed by the worst of it.
Who has been a great mentor to you and why?
I’ve never had an official mentor, but plenty of great people have helped shape my career over the years. Sometimes it’s been a manager who’s taught me their craft, sometimes it’s been a leader who backed me for career development opportunities I didn’t even know I was ready for.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Be curious and keep an open mind.
I find being hyper-focussed on achieving a specific role or title can cause you to operate with blinkers on, you might miss an incredible opportunity that’s actually a better fit than the thing you were chasing. I’ve never been a fully mapped-out, “five year plan” kind of person, and a lot of the best jobs I’ve had didn’t even exist when I started out.
If I wasn’t doing this for a living, I'd be:
Running a cute little neighbourhood wine bar (or at least drinking at it).
My philosophy is:
Offer something of value.
My favourite advert is:
That’s too hard! I’ll tell you my favourite ad quote instead: “Nobody reads advertising. People read what interests them, and sometimes it’s an ad.” —Howard Gossage.
Music and TV streaming habits:
While I’m working, I listen to instrumental electronic or jazz to help me concentrate – anything with lyrics is too distracting when I’m trying to write or think deeply. When I’m off the clock, it’s a whole mix. According to Spotify, my listening age is 73, so read into that what you will.
As far as streaming goes, I’m a sucker for a british crime drama.
What do you subscribe to?
Most streaming services, Spotify, NYT Cooking, and way too many promotional emails.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I took my first steps for a Tim Tam. And to this day, bribery via snacks remains a highly effective way to convince me to do something.
In five years time I'll be:
Remember what I said about a five year plan?
Honestly though, it’s hard to picture. The industry is at a real inflection point with AI and emerging technology, so I might be in a role that doesn’t even exist yet. What I hope is consistent is the style of work: still creative and strategic, still helping brands add something genuinely useful or inspiring to people’s lives, and still in an organisation that aligns with my values.
If those things are true, I’ll feel like I’m in the right place, whatever the job title says.
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