Our Young Guns profile takes a weekly look at some of the young talent aged 30 or under across the advertising, ad tech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles, people and companies across the buzzing industry. Last week we spoke to Country Road marketing manager, Paul Conti.
This week, we head to Sydney to speak to Carat Brisbane digital manager, Roisin Rafferty.
How long have you been in the industry?
Just under three years.
Duration in current role/time at the company:
I’ve been at Carat for just over three months.
What were you doing before this job and how did you get this gig?
I came to Carat after some time at another agency. I actually got into the industry while I was studying full-time at uni through a friend I met at bootcamp, so I completed my final year of study while working full time.
Define your job in one word:
Diverse.
What were your real and cliché expectations of working in the industry?
- Real = Good ideas, great social life, even better people.
- Cliché = That every campaign is ground-breaking
How does the reality match up?
I learnt pretty quickly that not every campaign can win awards.
How would you describe what the company does and what does your role involve?
Carat is at the forefront of not only driving innovation with the work that is produced but also innovation through internal diversity. My role in this is to help drive the goal of Carat being a digital first agency by 2020.
Best thing about the industry you work in:
Creativity.
Any major hard learnings in the job so far?
Always back up your work.
If you had to switch over to another department, which would it be and why?
Carat Connect. I think the intricacies of how activations come to life are so often overlooked. I would love to spend a week in the life of a member of the Carat Connect team.
What's exciting you about the industry right now?
The unlimited number of media channels that are emerging . With the fragmentation in the marketers it is pushing the industry to think harder and find innovative and creative ways to get messages out to customers. It has seen the birth of some pretty epic ideas.
What concerns you about the industry and its future?
The automation of a large amount of jobs within the industry and how we are working to future proof careers.
Who's your right hand person/who guides you day to day?
Day-to-day I work really closely with my co-ordinator Paige, she is always three steps ahead of whatever is happening with our clients and is also a black belt at taekwondo which I think is really cool.
And your almighty mentor that you hope to dethrone?
I don’t know about de-throne…. But I have always looked to a lot of startups for inspiration on how to innovate with very little capital.
Career-wise, where do you see yourself in 2020 and how do you plan on getting there?
Evolving what digital media means with the impending age of Artificial Intelligence and the different roles Carat can play in developing a product offering in this space.
What is the elephant in the room? The thing that no one is talking about – but they should be.
The very real issue of banner blindness and adblocking and coming up with a better way to scale a message online. Advertisers and marketers alike need to appreciate that 99% of consumers do not love banner advertising.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
I am a podcast junkie. One of my favourites I listen to everyday is ‘TED radio hour’ by NPR. It brings together all different TED speakers on a range of topics. A great one to start with is Disruptive Leadership or The Money Paradox.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
Even though I am in digital I am hopeless at tech. I don’t even know how to get from my TV to the Apple TV.
Favourite advert is:
Kevin Hart and David Beckham’s content partnership with H&M. It’s six minutes of genuinely entertaining content that lives and breathes everything H&M stands for, not to mention a content idea so perfectly linked with the insight.
What’s your personal motto?
Everything happens for a reason. Cliché I know, but it’s true.
I got into advertising/ad tech/marketing etc because:
When I was a kid I would sit for hours watching infomercials and writing notes about why people should and shouldn’t buy the products. Looking back now I realise just how uncool this was.
If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:
Doing something where I got to work with animals outside.
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.