Madeleine (Maddie) Hansen.
In this series, AdNews spotlights young talent in the Australian media, marketing and advertising sector. This time it's Havas PLAY's senior account executive Madeleine (Maddie) Hansen.
Time in current role: Just over 2 years!
How long have you been in the industry?
Since March 2024. I started as an Intern to my current team, stayed part-time while finishing my degree, and never left… which I think means it worked.
How did you get here? Was this always the plan?
I planned to be a novelist. Turns out Adland also involves characters, plot twists and deadlines that keep you up at night, just with fewer royalties and more spreadsheets. Turns out Adland is Wonderland, and I got lots left to explore.
Who is your right-hand person?
There are many names that come to mind, but at the moment I would say it’s not a person, but my core spreadsheets that I have plugged enough data into to function as a person. Those, and my Sony XM4’s.
What is the best thing about the industry you work in?
The people. Media attracts curious overthinkers who ask, “what if?” for a living. It’s one of the few industries where weird observations and obsessions become a campaign insight, and a shower thought can become a client deck. There genuinely is no such thing as a stupid question, only a very expensive missed opportunity.
And the biggest challenge?
Managing expectations around things you don’t actually control. Picture this: three beauty campaigns set to go live in April, timelines aligned, approvals done, smooth sailing… until Coachella. Suddenly talent are spiritually and physically unavailable somewhere in the desert, contactable only by festival lanyard. Content evaporates, deadlines drift out to sea, and you’re in a client meeting explaining why the algorithm isn’t the problem - the Sahara is.
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
Long-term I’ve got my media heart set on strategy. So really anyone with a strategist role. Though right now, I’m in my Rachel Green Ralph Polo era. Iconic, but still learning the business and absorbing all the information I can get my hands on.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
Psychology and lived behaviour. People say one thing, do another, and proceed to repeat both daily. Most good ideas come from spotting a tiny human habit and nudging it half a degree sideways until it suddenly looks like strategy.
My favourite advert is:
McDonald’s 30 Days of Deals app campaign. Training an entire audience to change a daily habit within a month reframed what behaviour change marketing can achieve. Not flashy - just incredibly smart.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
They’ve seen the battle-scarred Kindle. What they don’t know is I can finish a 400–600 page book in one sitting. I will ignore texts, meals and basic human needs until the final chapter - and yet still need 20 minutes to figure out how to do my expenses and need a full coffee to mentally prepare for “circling back.” I’m an onion, I have layers.
In five years’, time I will be:
Either presenting at MFA EX or drinking a Hugo Spritz in a Mosman mansion. Ideally both, same day.
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