Our Industry Profile takes a 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 speak to Mindshare Australia national head of social media Salome Millmore.
Duration in current role/time at the company:
15 months at Mindshare Australia as head of social media, and prior to that I was associate director at MediaCom London.
In one sentence, how would you describe what the company does?
We’re a global media and communications agency, a trusted business partner for our clients and provocative in market.
In one sentence, what do you do day-to-day?
Inspire the largest social media team in GroupM to deliver best-in-class thinking and direction for our clients.
Define your job in one word:
Adaptive.
I got into marketing because:
I was actually inspired by my dad when he encouraged me to place a print ad in a local quarrying magazine for his company. I was only 17 or so at the time and just knew media was the career for me.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
Balancing the tension between creative and media for clients. I actually have a degree in design and appreciate the art but always bring data to the table when developing campaigns and strategies. This can lead to some interesting debates.
What’s the biggest industry-wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
How we value media smarts. I think our industry is facing a ‘race to the bottom’ which can actually erode the value of our amazing people.
Previous industry related companies you have worked at:
My career kicked off in Canada at Lululemon before I moved to MoneySuperMarket.com, London and now Australia. I feel different markets give you great overall perspective.
Who is been a great mentor to you and why?
Someone once said that you are the average of the five people you surround yourself by, and I think we have some amazing people in GroupM. Nicola Lewis our CIO has been a huge inspiration to me since moving to Australia. Our head of digital trading and partnerships, Venessa Hunt, is also a total rock-star. MediaCom UK chair Karen Blackett OBE inspired me to put people first.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Social media is quite the ‘buzz job’ at the moment. My words of wisdom are that you need to be a quick learner and a jack of all trades to master this field.
If I wasn’t doing this for a living, I’d be:
I wanted to be a professional horse rider for the longest time.
My mantra is:
Work hard, play hard.
My favourite advert is:
I still buy Vogue, purely to flick through all of the glossy ads. I just love the decadence of a well-crafted magazine so any of those glamourous shots.
Music and TV streaming habits. What do you subscribe to?
I think HayU is one of the greatest gifts to mankind. I love the way on-demand has disrupted how people consume video and personally I believe has made the mobile phone our first screen.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I’m a fairly open book, but some people don’t know that I struggle with Dyslexia. I am a huge advocate for diversity in the work-place, particularly when it comes to learning styles.
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