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 PacMags social media director, Jonathan Munschi
This week, we head to Sydney to speak to Country Road marketing manager, Paul Conti.
How long have you been in the industry?
Four years.
Duration in current role/time at the company:
I’ve been with Country Road for almost 11 years, starting out as a casual sales consultant in store when I was 17.
What were you doing before this job and how did you get this gig?
I was working in retail operations for Country Road while studying, when social media was just beginning to monetise. We decided to explore social marketing and I stepped into a six-month trial as social media coordinator. The gamble paid off - we proved ROI and I progressed to social media manager, later expanding to digital marketing manager and eventually landing marketing manager.
Define your job in one word:
Evolving.
What were your real and cliché expectations of working in the industry?
‘Mad Men’ pretty much sums it up.
How does the reality match up?
I’ve always been a little sceptical of people claiming to be ‘experts’ in digital and social; the landscape is moving so quickly that we’re often all learning together.
How would you describe what the company does and what does your role involve?
Country Road is Australia’s first and most-loved fashion lifestyle brand for woman, man, child and home. I’m responsible for strategy, execution and innovation across all of Country Road’s marketing channels.
Best thing about the industry you work in:
The pace and innovation.
Any major hard learnings in the job so far?
Sometimes you’ll fail, and hard – but that’s ok.
If you had to switch over to another department, which would it be and why?
Customer experience. It doesn’t really exist as a singular function in our organisational structure today, but I definitely see an opportunity there.
What's exciting you about the industry right now?
Technology.
What concerns you about the industry and its future?
Technology.
Who's your right hand person/who guides you day to day?
Our digital online manager is pretty much my Work Dad – he was largely responsible for moving me across to marketing in the early days, and we’ve worked well together since. Our brand manager has also been there to guide me on all things ‘Country Road’ from day one.
And your almighty mentor that you hope to dethrone?
Our head of marketing is inspiring and incredibly hard-working. ‘Dethrone’ is a little strong (particularly because she may read this), but I’d certainly be very happy to follow in her footsteps.
Career-wise, where do you see yourself in 2020 and how do you plan on getting there?
If you asked me that four years ago I would’ve had no idea, and I have no idea where I’ll be in another four. The job title probably doesn’t exist yet.
What is the elephant in the room? The thing that no one is talking about – but they should be.
People. As marketing tools develop and evolve, the role of marketing teams is expanding – usually without additional resource allocation.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
The US and the UK.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I do a pretty mean rendition of ‘Feeling Good’ by Nina Simone.
Favourite advert is:
Apple’s ‘Get a Mac’ campaign.
What’s your personal motto?
Done (well) is better than perfect.
I got into advertising/ad tech/marketing etc because:
The opportunity presented itself and was exciting enough to defer my law degree.
If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:
Studying law, or doing whatever people who drop out of law do now.
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
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