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.
Will Koukouras: national director of sport & entertainment ANZ at Publicis Groupe
Time in current role:
16 months.
How would you describe what Publicis Sport & Entertainment does?
We are a matchmaker between brands and sport and entertainment properties.
What do you do day-to-day?
I advise brands on how to use sponsorship to achieve their marketing goals.
Define your job in one word:
Orchestrator.
I got into the industry because:
I love being the conduit of memorable branded customer experiences.
What’s the biggest industry wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
More brands flipping their sponsorship budget model to invest in promoting women’s sport.
Previous companies:
Telstra and Optus.
Notable campaigns/initiatives:
Weber Women’s Big Bash League sponsorship and Arnott’s recent NRL sponsorship.
Who has been a great mentor to you?
Genelle Sharples (Telstra) and Naysla Edwards (AMEX) are two mentors that openly share their life experiences, so that I have the insight and confidence to pursue my goals.
Words of advice:
Be yourself, everyone else is taken.
If I wasn’t doing this for a living:
I’d be a retired professional tennis player or a wedding planner.
My philosophy is:
If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again – Aaliyah, 2000.
My favourite advert is:
Correct The Internet – a campaign designed to highlight and correct the inaccuracies in Internet search results about sport and make sportswomen more visible as a result.
Subscriptions:
Sport Business; Sponsorship News; Kayo; Netflix; Binge; Disney Plus; Stan; Prime; Spotify; Apple… Upon reflection, I might have too many.
In five years’ time, I'll be:
Using my position of influence to drive positive outcomes for brands and helping nurture the marketers of the future by donating my time to pay my wisdom forward.
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.