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.
Isaac Lai: head of marketing at ThreeTrader Global / digital marketing lead instructor at General Assembly
Time in current role:
Four months at ThreeTrader which simultaneously feels like four days (because I’m always learning) and four years (because I’ve been a part of a team that has achieved so much in such little time).
How would you describe what the company does?
ThreeTrader is an offshore foreign exchange trading (FOREX) brokerage firm. The business was founded in late 2020. The main goal of the business is to provide an advantageous trading environment for traders globally and lowering the barrier to entry for prospective traders. The forex industry has a bad habit of overcomplicating things so I’m trying to simplify it so that it becomes as easy as buying a movie ticket or a Snickers bar (or in my case, both).
What do you do day to day?
I love my role because it’s a global one and highly dynamic. One day I could be checking on my design lead in Sao Paulo, or checking in with the support team in Tokyo to see what user feedback has been whilst collaborating with my marketing & sales team here in Sydney. We’re an established brand but there’s still a lot of marketing fundamentals we’re working out the kinks for so that also keeps me busy (and allows me to still be on the tools which I’ve always loved).
Define your job in one word:
Everchanging (I read all of the AdNews profiles and dynamic seems to be used a lot so here’s a synonym for all of our dear readers).
I got into the industry because:
Somewhere out there in the multiverse, I took a more conventional career path after graduating from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor's degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. I went to law school, got my license to practice and am somewhere enjoying a croissant as I read a journal about updates in precedents. In this one, I entered the marketing industry after getting a grad job out of university which felt more like where your career ends vs starts. I wanted to go into an industry which was a bit more vibrant and fast paced and ended up here.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
Everyone that has worked in brand marketing has dealt with discussions around attribution as well as short-term tactics vs long-term brand building. I love this challenge as I really enjoy bringing stakeholders along with me and the marketing team on the journey. Another challenge I face in my current role is the different nuances across markets in terms of cultural norms, marketing channels and even the same word in one language meaning different things at different times.
What’s the biggest industry wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
Opportunities for burgeoning talent. Agencies, brands and platforms need to do better when it comes to creating graduate programs and internship streams to allow people to enter and flourish in the industry. Marketing & advertising output is so much better the more diverse our talent pool is.
Who has been a great mentor to you and why?
I’ve never had an official mentor (no one I went Facebook official with I guess) but I’ve borrowed and stolen a lot of things from former colleagues and bosses. I’ve also reverse engineered my management, mentor and teaching style based on bad managers, mentors and teachers I’ve seen and heard about too.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Reach out to someone who has the job you want and ask for advice over a coffee (in-person or Zoom). The worst thing they can say is no, and the best thing they can do is share their experiences so you can learn from them.
If I wasn’t doing this for a living, I'd be:
Asking my cubicle mate, Bertha if 4:53 is too early to start packing up my bag so I can leave at five on the dot.
My philosophy is:
Never stop learning. Digital marketing (and marketing too) has a way of keeping us on our toes because of the ecosystem constantly changing.
My favourite advert is:
This Jordan Brand ad from 1997 with an absolutely killer quote: “I’ve failed over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed".
Music and TV streaming habits: what do you subscribe to?
Another beautiful thing about marketing is that almost all streaming behaviours are a tax deductible; what am I NOT subscribed to (I supposed I’m not on Hayu but who knows what 2024 has in store for me).
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I’m working on my third cookbook which is a tribute to my mother and the recipes she made for me when I was growing up (and sideways).
In five years time, I'll be:
A bit older, but still young enough to play in the NBA (caveat: I am aware I don’t have the same skillset or physicality as Lebron but still).
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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