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.
Simon Stone: GM international at LoopMe
Time in current role:
One year and 8 months.
How would you describe what the company does?
LoopMe is a tech company that uses AI to improve brand advertising performance and outcomes. We are driven by the desire to make advertising better, with a focus on developing cutting-edge technology, enabling improved real-time decision-making, and using the best data sets. We launched in 2012 and were the first company to apply AI to brand advertising with our intelligent programmatic marketplace; since then, we've continued to drive innovation in the industry.
What do you do day to day?
My role is to oversee all revenue, sales activities and commercial partnerships across the EMEA and APAC regions, and day-to-day my to-do list can vary massively. I may need to attend early morning video calls with my teams, or with clients in Sydney, Singapore, or Hong Kong. Likewise, I may also host breakfast or lunch meetings for clients, internal presentations and events, as well as facilitating meetings for the sales team. Building strong relationships with my team, clients and other stakeholders is at the heart of what I do, and if this can be done on the golf course, then so much the better!
Define your job in one word:
Relentless.
I got into the industry because:
Ever since I was young, I've always been passionate about advertising. When I studied at Manchester University in the UK, we were visited by Saatchi and Saatchi, who made a compelling pitch for the advertising industry. And since I got into the industry, I've never looked back; the relentless nature of my job keeps me motivated and moving forward.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
The logistics of running teams across multiple markets and time zones is a huge challenge, and also a test of stamina. Early mornings and late nights are common, but I wouldn't change it for the world.
What’s the biggest industry wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
The amount of spend that brands put into walled gardens, despite agencies wanting to move spend into other partners. The likes of Google and Meta deliver scale and cost efficiencies but not necessarily the best performance however clients are obsessed with pouring their budgets into these walled gardens. It would be great to get advertisers to test other platforms to move away from the duopoly and give everyone else a fairer playing field.
Who has been a great mentor to you and why?
My former boss Giles Ivey. He ran Say Media, Collective and MiQ and has vast experience having been in the industry for over 30 years. He's probably forgotten more than most people will ever know about advertising and taught me some important lessons, especially how to be memorable and how to build strong, long-lasting relationships.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Be prepared to face any challenge and don't ever give up. If you stay positive and make sure you keep learning and evolving, you can do it.
If I wasn’t doing this for a living, I'd be:
Running a bar on a remote beach in Thailand, making lifelong friendships and ensuring everyone was having a good time.
My philosophy is:
Work hard, play hard. Always present the best version of yourself no matter what you're doing if you want to be memorable and inspire others.
My favourite advert is:
The Cadbury's Gorilla ad is a work of creative genius that will never be topped.
Music and TV streaming habits:
My tastes in music and TV are pretty varied, but Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify are probably the services I use the most.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
Once, while I was on the job, I met David Hasselhoff. I must have made an impression because he then mentioned me in a TV interview!
In five years’ time I'll be:
Definitely playing lots of golf! I'll still be in the advertising industry for sure, and at some point in the future I will probably be consulting for start-up businesses too.
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