Michael Sweeney.
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.
Time in current role/time at the company:
Since June 2025, but I’ve been working in AdTech and programmatic advertising since 2014.
How would you describe what the company does?
Spyrosoft AdTech is a software development company that specialises in - yes, you guessed it – AdTech.
Essentially, companies partner with us to design and build custom advertising and marketing technology for the programmatic advertising, digital marketing, and media industries.
Some projects involve building new software – such as ad servers, self-serve ad platforms, DSPs, header bidding tech, etc. – while others focus on optimising existing tools and platforms.
We’re not a tech vendor, so we don’t offer any off-the-shelf software, but we've built a few solutions that can be extended via custom development.
What do you do day-to-day?
I manage the marketing operations, which includes everything from implementing our strategy to overseeing content marketing activities.
I work closely with the technical, business development, and management teams to create strategies and content to promote our services and solutions.
One of our main areas of focus is content.
Because we work across the media supply chain – not just on the buy or sell side – we can offer an unbiased view of the industry.
From a marketing perspective, our goal is to help educate people about the various topics shaping the industry and explain in layman’s terms how the complex processes and technology work.
Define your job in one word:
Polymathic (T-shaped)
I got into the media industry because:
An opportunity presented itself, and I took it.
I was living in Europe and was approached by a software development company and offered the first-ever role in their marketing team as a content marketing and copywriter.
I went to the interview and was offered the job an hour later.
The company built AdTech and MarTech platforms for companies and I instantly became interested in how digital advertising works from a technical perspective. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
Getting insights into our clients’ decision-making process.
Also, staying up to date with everything that’s happening in the world of programmatic advertising and media, as well as trying to understand topics from different angles and perspectives.
What’s the biggest industry-wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
Ad fraud and scam ads.
Both cause significant financial and reputational damage to the digital advertising industry.
Ad fraud is estimated to cost the industry hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Meanwhile, it was reported in November 2025 that Meta projects 10% of its 2024 revenue was generated from scam ads.
Not only does this inflict substantial financial harm on publishers, media companies, agencies, and advertisers, but it also erodes trust in digital advertising and fuels broader consumer scepticism.
What are you most excited about in the next 12 months?
12 months is a short time in today’s world, but I’m excited to see what our team will achieve and where we’ll be this time next year.
I’m also curious to see how the AI topic will evolve over the next 12 months. There’s a lot of hype around it, but we’re starting to see some concrete examples of its capabilities taking shape.
Who has been a great mentor to you and why?
I’ve had the pleasure of working with some very smart people.
Not many people have a dedicated mentor, but everyone can learn from others.
I’ve learnt a lot from the leaders I’ve worked with – whether it’s their work ethic, passion for what they do, strategic thinking, or their rational approach to handling difficult situations. I’ve been able to take something positive from each of them and incorporate it into my way of working.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Learn the fundamentals of marketing.
Many marketers spend too much time focusing on tactics rather than research and strategy. Mark Ritson refers to this as the “tactification of marketing.”
It’s also important to learn as much as you can about the industry you operate in—not just your specific role.
If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:
An Australian Federal Police officer or a detective.
My philosophy is:
I have a couple:
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The only limits we have are the ones we put on ourselves.
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Knowledge is power.
My mantra is:
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
My favourite advert is (and why):
The classic HBA/Mutual Community ad
The one with kids telling these made-up stories about getting attacked by a monster, octopus, and crocodile. The stories tie in perfectly with the slogan “Life’s unpredictable”.
I’m a big fan of humour in advertising. It’s very hard to execute, so I always appreciate the brands that get it right.
I’m also a fan of Australian beer ads—especially those from Carlton Draught and Victoria Bitter.
Music and TV streaming habits: what do you subscribe to?
I listen to music and podcasts on Spotify a lot.
I’ve also recently started watching channels on Samsung+, such as Outback Truckers, 30 Rock, Law & Order, and Ausbiz. I’m definitely hooked on the FAST craze.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I’m a massive Essendon Bombers fan, and when I was about 10 or 11 I played for Essendon in an Auskick game at Football Park in Adelaide one night when Essendon played the Crows.
In five years' time I'll be:
A little older, a little wiser.
Apart from that, who knows?
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