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.
Maddy Mewing: seller lead, Australia at Magnite
Time in current role:
I’ve been the seller lead for Magnite in Australia for close to a year now.
How would you describe what the company does?
Magnite is the world’s largest independent omnichannel sell-side advertising company. In simple terms, we connect buyers with publishers through market leading ad tech solutions.
What do I do day to day?
In my role as the leader of Magnite's expanding omnichannel publisher team in Australia, I am actively engaged in collaborating with our broadcaster and publisher clients on a daily basis. This close interaction allows me to gain a deep understanding of their needs across various platforms and provide the necessary support they require, so we can continue to build value and deliver results through our solutions.
I then work with our product development teams to continually enhance our offering by leveraging the insights we gain from our clients.
As part of my responsibilities, I am also actively involved in mentoring and upskilling my team to nurture their talent and ensure we continue to deliver valuable guidance to our clients as trusted partners.
Define your job in one word:
Collaborative.
I got into my industry because:
I’ve always been drawn to the advertising industry as it seemed like an interesting space to work in, and I thrive in a fast-paced and ever evolving environment. I love a good challenge and to work with a team. I studied marketing and management at uni, and my first post graduate job was with one of GroupM’s media agencies MediaEdge CIA (now Wavemaker) so I dived straight into the industry.
What’s the biggest industry wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
I’d like to see more ethical advertising in our market, particularly when it comes to marketing to kids, gambling and brand imagery of both women and men. We need to do better for our future generations and to be more responsible on the topics we advertise to our consumers.
The latest gambling restrictions and TVC disclaimers, warning consumers of the rare likelihood of winning, is a positive step in the right direction.
Previous companies:
I’ve spent over 12 years of my career working across GroupM agencies, including Wavemaker, Mediacom and GroupM, leading investment and implementation teams and working across top tier clients such as Colgate, Nestle, IAG, Volkswagen and Bayer.
Prior to joining Magnite last year, I was most recently the director of cross screen buying & investment at GroupM, where I helped craft and execute its screen convergence strategy for agencies, also working alongside the Finecast team to build their agency narrative, planning tools and execution. Other parts of my role included developing GroupM’s investment intelligence suite and evolving the agency's toolkits to be futureproofed. Notable campaigns/initiatives:
Most recently at Magnite, I’ve been focused on rolling out SpringServe’s suite of ad serving tools and capabilities in the Australian market. SpringServe, which is now part of Magnite, is the leading independent ad serving platform, purpose-built for OTT, CTV and video advertising. Its software offers a full stack of ad serving, optimisation and automation solutions that make video ad serving smarter across devices.
Traction with our partners has been extremely positive as we work together to navigate better ad experience for all users.
Who has been a great mentor to you?
Our SVP for JAPAC, Juliette Stead has truly been a fantastic mentor for me.
I actually met her at the Future of TV event a couple of years ago, and we not only had a great connection but her leadership as a woman and mother in this industry has been an inspiration for me. She brought me under her wing after I came back to work from my maternity leave and it’s been nothing but an inspiration to see her operate and lead such a tight knit team across the whole JAPAC region.
Words of advice:
Be prepared, and never be afraid to ask a question.
If I wasn’t doing this for a living:
I would happily be a paid traveller.
My philosophy is:
Always try to be kind and smile even if you are not feeling up for it.
My favourite advert is:
I absolutely love the EXTRA Gum ad ‘For when it’s time’ - it’s a long TVC which is clever and emotive. I think it was/is a brilliant post COVID-19 ad, with a cracking sound track!
Subscriptions:
I am actually quite selective with our subscriptions, so at the moment I have Netflix, Disney, Binge and Prime.
I am also a devoted Spotify fan, a lover of playlists, an Audible listener and we use Amazon devices in our home which my kids have taken over.
In five years time I'll be:
At Magnite - still thriving in my role and taking on the adtech world with all its charms and intricacies!
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
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.