Our Industry Profile takes a look at some of the professionals working across the advertising, ad tech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles and companies across the buzzing industry.
This week we speak to Longreach Media founding partner and managing director Angela Nutton.
Time in current role:
Five months.
How would you describe what the company does?
We are an independent media agency, based in Perth WA, built to provide ‘sound, smart and unbiased’ investment advice to marketers around their marketing, advertising and media planning and buying needs.
What do you do day-to-day?
In all seriousness, everything. As a start-up, I’m deliciously back on the tools and at the coalface of day-to-day client servicing including research, planning, trading and reporting. There is a full agency team, but for John Driscoll and me it’s about rolling our sleeves up and being able to do what we love again, every day.
Define your job in one word:
Freedom.
I got into advertising because:
My very first agency job was in the art room, but I subsequently fell in love with the art of understanding people and deciphering the answers to the “how and where to reach them” questions even more. It’s the best of both worlds really – making sure great creative messaging is seen by the right people in the right place at the right time… that’s an art too I think.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
Industry people that bullshit really well, but then never actually deliver on their promises– it just gives advertising a bad name and makes it a steeper climb for the rest of us to rebuild trust in our industry.
What’s the biggest industry-wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
To get the true value of strategic thinking and planning recognised, understood and endorsed by clients, and, frankly, their procurement departments.
The ridiculous thing is that there isn’t a professional marketing expert who doesn’t agree that having a rigorous, data-informed approach to setting strategy upfront is the key to crafting more effective campaigns. The cheapest CPM never delivers long term success. Lack of margin has driven lack of investment in strategic thinkers across our industry. Investing in strategy and insights up front is the key to driving superior results.
Previous industry related companies you have worked at:
OMD, Nine, Seven West Media, Marketforce, Ogilvy & Mather to name a few.
Notable campaigns you have worked on:
iiNet, Tourism WA, WA Government, Brownes Dairy, San Remo Pasta, Michael Jordan Cologne, Jeans West, SGIO and University of Western Australia
Who is/has been a great mentor?
I have been lucky enough to have many amazing mentors, not least of all my current business partner John Driscoll.
However, so as not to appear nepotistic, one that came out of leftfield for me was Paul Bowen, then the general manager of Channel Nine Perth. When I was head of marketing, PR and promotions at Nine I reported to Bowen who by then had been running the station for well over two decades and for multiple owners.
What I learnt from Bowen specifically was his highly entrepreneurial approach to business, his insatiable appetite to know about everything in-market at ALL times but especially his ability to instill self-belief into those who worked for him. If I haven’t said it before, thank you Paul.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Be prepared to be VERY resilient because this industry can throw you some pretty hairy curve balls at times. Also you really do have to love what you do – if you only sort-of-like-it, get out and find something you do love doing – it will bleed you dry otherwise.
If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:
A farmer – I love growing things and could happily live in the paddock with my gumboots on…
My mantra:
A corny one, but it really is my mantra since coming last in a swimming race in grade four…it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, as long as you go to bed at night knowing you gave it your very best shot.
My favourite ad is:
This will show my age but I’d nominate “Not Happy Jan!!” by Yellow Pages. I heard someone quote it on the radio yesterday; even more important than the phrase becoming a part of the Aussie vernacular for a long time is that people actually remembered what was being advertised.
Now that is a powerful campaign.
Music and TV streaming habits. What do you subscribe to?
I am undeniably a huge Netflix fan. I love to rest the brain cells at night in front of some seriously scary BBC crime. I am also a Spotify addict, allowing me to satisfy my extremely diverse music choices without filling my car boot with CDs. I have to say though, podcasts on the latest industry news is my current thing at the moment – until I get sick of their American accents that is.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
Sadly, I am a bit of an open book really but the fact that I was incredibly shy growing up may come as a surprise to some – I didn’t even go on a first date till I was 17.
In five years' time I'll be:
Hopefully paying homage to my many mentors by being a good mentor to the 50 or so Longreach staff we are definitely going to be employing before too long.
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