Our Young Guns profile takes a weekly look at some of the buzzing 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. Last week we spoke to News Corp account manager, Simone Ludeke.
This week we head to Sydney to speak to Fairfax Made social strategist, Natalie Sutton.
Job title, company name, location based:
SEO and social strategist at Fairfax's in-house brand and content studio, Made.
How long have you been in the industry?:
Eight years.
Duration in current role/time at the company:
Two years.
What were you doing before this job and how did you get this gig?
I was a product manager in the innovation team at ninemsn and an ex-manager from ninemsn called me in for an interview at Fairfax Media.
Define your job in one word:
Evolving.
What were your real and cliché expectations of working in the industry?
I thought that working in an advertising environment would be like an episode of Mad Men.
How does the reality match up?
We only have a small smoking area at the front of building and a limited supply of alcohol, not for consumption in the office.
How would you describe what the company does and what does your role involve?
I am based in the content marketing team in the ‘made by Fairfax Media’ team. We create stories on behalf our clients to hit their business needs and objectives. I work with clients to challenge their content strategies with SEO and social methodologies and innovations.
Best thing about the industry you work in:
No two days are ever the same.
Any major hard learnings in the job so far?
Not everyone is a fan of digital and thinks about it in the same way. It’s part of the challenge to guide people through the change and see the possibilities of digital. “Yes, cartwheeling cats on social could lead to conversions for your business” is sometimes a tough conversation to have.
If you had to switch over to another department, which would it be and why?
I’d love to be a fly on the wall in the business strategy department at Fairfax to see the thinking behind business decisions and exciting new acquisitions.
What's exciting you about the industry right now?
Data and how it’s starting to shape content strategies. It’s really exciting how targeted we can be with content campaigns now and how we are starting to measure conversions for our clients.
What concerns you about the industry and its future?
It’s hard to predict what’s next in the media landscape and sometimes it does create an environment of ambiguity.
This excites me though because you don’t know what’s next and it forces you think innovatively. At Fairfax I’ve been lucky enough to work on some really exciting projects, such as our innovative fitness startup Bodypass, which has allowed us to introduce new commercial models for our business.
Who's your right hand person/who guides you day to day?
Kate Cox leads our content team at made and is great to bounce ideas off.
And your almighty mentor that you hope to dethrone?
Andrew McEvoy, our MD of life media and events, is driving some really exciting projects and is an inspirational leader.
Career-wise, where do you see yourself in 2020 and how do you plan on getting there?
I’d love to lead an innovative tech project or product working with a team of smart people who challenge me. I plan on getting there by getting as much experience as possible and learning every day.
What is the elephant in the room? The thing that no one is talking about – but they should be.
How we can better commercialise mobile as user consumption continues to grow.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
LinkedIn Pulse is a wealth of information from experts who inspire me.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I was an extra in the Harry Potter films.
Favourite advert is:
The Honda hands advert. It’s received 16 million views on YouTube it’s crafted beautifully and has a really strong story and narrative.
What’s your personal motto?
Never stop learning.
I got into advertising/ad tech/marketing etc because:
I wanted to surprise and delight audiences with content. I love that I can go into work and have a legitimate conversation about how an octopus can go viral.
If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:
I would run a new app for the French Bulldog community.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
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