Our Young Gun profile takes a look at some of the young talent across the advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles, people and companies across the buzzing industry.
Rose McClelland: Digital marketing manager at oOh!media.
Time in current role/time at the company: 9 months
How long have you been in the industry?
It’s been nine months in media and in-house marketing after five years in digital marketing and agency-land.
How did you get here? Was this always the plan?
Absolutely not! Had I stuck to my original plan, I’d be a junior doctor right now - I shudder just thinking about it. Mid-way through a premedical degree, I realised my heart was not in that future. I had become involved in Sydney University’s Musical Theatre Ensemble and caught the marketing bug when producing a student show, and pivoted my elective studies towards marketing and arts management while maintaining a major in Psychology. After graduating, I’ve worked across a number of roles agency-side in entertainment and digital marketing, which has led me to oOh!’s marketing team.
Who is your right hand person/who guides you day to day?
Other than my most trusted confidant, Google, my manager Claire Woods provides me a perfect balance of guidance and autonomy, and role models a nurturing leadership style that I hope to emulate. Outside of business hours I moonlight as a theatre producer, which I could not imagine doing without my creative and business partner, Alex, with whom I have learned the meaning of collaboration and partnership.
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
It’s a really exciting time to be working in Out of Home, and I find it super interesting to be promoting an above-the-line media network using below-the-line methods; both Out of Home and digital are growing media channels rife with innovation. The oOh! network reaches 77% of all metro and regional Aussies, so it’s truly empowering to be part of a business that touches so many each day, especially one with a mission to make public spaces better. Having worked agency-side for the first five years of my career, moving to an in-house marketing role has opened up opportunities to be autonomous in my work and be empowered to set strategy, and still get my hands dirty with execution.
And the biggest challenge?
Having been exposed more to traditional media companies over the last nine months, it’s quite apparent to me that we as an industry struggle with diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation. When picturing the typical ‘person in media’, it’s likely that they are white, straight, non-disabled, neurotypical, degree-holding and from a privileged upbringing (and if in a leadership position, usually male). I myself tick many of these boxes. We can be doing more at all levels of our organisations to foster diversity of people and opinion. Encouraging heterogeneity can only serve to improve our industry – studies have shown time and again that a diverse and inclusive environment fosters innovation, creativity and is better for business’ bottom line – in addition to doing the right thing by people.
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
If I could flick a switch and choose anyone’s job, establishing a female-led unicorn company like Melanie Perkins did with Canva sounds pretty sweet, though I can’t imagine theatre not being a major part of my life, so to produce blockbuster musicals like Sonia Friedman or Australian-grown Carmen Pavlovic will do.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
I’m a 20-something digital marketer, so of course I turn to the internet! Between TikTok, Reddit, Twitter, Instagram… my screen-time suggests that I am getting inspired quite a lot.
My favourite advert is:
When I think of traditional advertising, I think of fun cheeky campaigns (CU in the NT, anyone?) or jingles that get a life of their own online - finish this phrase: “Did somebody say…” - whether you thought of ‘KFC’ or ‘Menulog’, I’m sure you sang it in your head. These days though, I’m attracted to genuine and authentic partnerships from content creators who have established their niche. As an example, I follow some awesome Aussie body positive content creators who can provide their community with real insight into products or services, while still being paid for the promotion- Curvy Sam and Lacey-Jade Christie are my faves at the moment.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I wish I could, my chronic oversharing concerns me at times… Perhaps they don’t know I’m a proud ex-Jonas Brothers fangirl who saw them in concert five times between ‘07-’09. No shame.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
I find it hard to see more than a few months ahead, but I like to imagine that in five years I am self-assured, confident, and leading progressive change - whether that be in the workplace from a marketing or technology perspective, as a people leader, or culturally.
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