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.
Elizabeth Webber: head of strategy & solutions, Newsamp VIC, SA & WA Independent Agencies at News Corp
Time in current role/time at the company:
I've been in this role for one year and two months and have been at News Corp Australia for more than nine years.
How would you describe what the company does?
News Corp Australia informs, advocates, and inspires to build a better Australia for all Australians. We tell the stories that matter, delivered by credible journalists, at scale, and via a brand wheelhouse that connects with more than 18 million Australians every month. No matter what you need to know, whether it's a slow cooked bolognese recipe, an in-depth analysis on the cost of living, or whether the mighty Magpies will win the AFL Premiership cup this year (can’t fight the ladder at this point). News Corp Australia adds value to the lives of everyday Australians, every day.
What do you do day-to-day?
Lead the Victorian, SA and WA Independent Agency cross-functional Newsamp team consisting of strategy, insights and solutions. Collectively, we design integrated marketing solutions and media partnerships that leverage the full suite of News Corp Australia’s brands and assets that deliver growth for our clients
This involves solving problems. I am either solving marketing problems for my clients or helping my business navigate an ever evolving media and advertising landscape to add value back to our audience and clients.
Define your job in one word:
Connector - Newsamp is the gateway to connects our clients to the best parts of our business.
I got into marketing/advertising/media/tech because:
Like a lot of my colleagues, it feels like I fell into this industry by sheer luck, but looking back I have always been interested in marketing and advertising. This interest really took hold at university where I got to dissect famous advertising campaigns and why they were so successful. From here, after a few false starts I landed my first role as an account coordinator at Regional Fairfax Media and from here, as they say, the rest is history.
What I love most about the industry is the scope to which we solve a wide range of problems at any given moment, and there is always something very special about launch day where you can see months of ideation and pitching go live across Australia.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
Not too dissimilar to anyone in our industry, the ever evolving pace and landscape (while managing multiple priorities). I am really fortunate to be surrounded by inspirational leaders, and incredibly smart colleagues who are genuinely fun to solve problems with. While News Corp Australia may seem complex (It’s actually not), we’re all working towards the same goal - how can we add value to our audience and clients.
What’s the biggest industry-wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
Currently in my role, cross platform effectiveness and attribution. We all recognise the strength of leveraging the strengths of different platforms in marketing campaigns, however often gets diluted by (arguably) outdated audience measurement and benchmarks. This is layered with a complex attribution / measurement suite offered by multiple networks versus brand health activities implemented at client level. There is definitely a nice medium in the middle but we definitely have some more work to do across both sides of the fence.
Over the last few years, News Corp Australia have been pioneers in this space and have invested in our independent and third-party verifiable attribution suite, developed to measure the impact our media solutions have on brand, action, and transactions for brands. Notably, we have a long-term partnership with Kantar where News Corp Australia is leading global benchmarks in our cross-channel impact on brand performance, our partnership with Near measures the actions taken at a location level based on the exposure to our digital advertising and our eCommerce technology partnership with Vudoo gives us real-time insight to transactions we have driven in our media experiences for brands. Our measurement suite is constantly expanding for us to be able to provide our partners with insight into their media performance ( lot’s more happening in this space!).
Notable campaigns you have worked on:
I am really proud of being a part of some amazing campaigns, but could not have achieved some amazing work for our clients without my brilliant colleagues. It really does take a village. Some notable campaigns I am proud to be a part of include the Heart Foundation’s Serial Killer campaign, Coles' 'Thank You', Medibank's 'Two Better', and Maxima’s 'The Future of Work'.
Who has been a great mentor to you and why?
I am beyond fortunate and privileged to have worked with and continue to work with some of the most inspirational and innovative leaders in the industry. There isn’t one mentor that comes to mind, but rather a village of brilliant colleagues and innovative leaders here at News Corp Australia. Most notably, Renee Sycamore - executive GM Newsamp, Tyler Greer - GM client strategy, solutions Newsamp VIC, SA & WA, Jessica Gilby - national head of digital and Usman Khan - ex head of strategy Newsamp and now founder and CEO TEER, who not only inspire me everyday, but more importantly challenge me to think differently (but crucially to never sit still!)
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Be comfortable in the uncomfortable, and don’t limit yourself to legacy or status quo.
If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:
I get asked this a lot and to be honest have never thought about it too much as I feel like as soon as I was born I have been solving problems. If i had to choose it would probably be an events manager at an RSL - combining some great loves, socialising, reasonably priced pints of beer and a good sunday roast.
My mantra is:
If you don’t ask, you don’t get! Never be afraid to ask questions that may be uncomfortable, whether to your business or your clients.
My favourite advert is:
Hopefully I am not showing my age too much, but two of my favourite advertising campaigns would have to be 'Still Call Australia Home' (yes, I’m one of those muppets that get emotional when you hear this when you land after a long flight), and 'Not Happy Jan', which taught me how advertising and marketing can influence and have a role in culture.
Music and TV streaming habits. What do you subscribe to?
I generally like to keep people guessing which can definitely be seen in my content consumption habits. I am a big fan of sport, specifically NFL, NBA and the AFL while consuming copious amounts of Bravo shows (this is my version of self care and meditation after a long day).
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
Like many of my colleagues in a media sales role, my start in the industry was quite unconventional. After completing my degree and internship, I wasn’t too sure where in the industry I wanted to focus my attention on but still needed to pay the bills! I ended up answering a marketing executive ad which called for a cold call face to face salesperson (how novel in today’s landscape).
The job ended up being part of a sales team that approached the public to donate to charities. While not a long career by a long shot, the cold mornings outside North Sydney train station uncovered a great unknown skill to me - how to connect with people instantly and communicate my product’s offering in under 90 seconds.
In five years' time, I'll be:
Ideally in a state executive leadership role at News Corp Australia, developing strategies that can help future proof the business and connect my clients in new ways to our brands and audiences.
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