Our Young Gun profile takes a look at some of the young talent across the advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles, people and companies across the buzzing industry.
Today we speak to Quantcast agency sales lead, independent agencies Marc Hiscock.
Time in current role:
I’ve been in my role at Quantcast for just over two years.
How long have you been in the industry?
About five years.
How did you get here? Was this always the plan?
I guess you could say I fell into adtech and I haven’t looked back! After finishing up at uni, I applied for a role at Sizmek and, after a quick five minute conversation with the commercial director, we’d hit it off and I was offered a job. Two years later I transitioned to a role at Exponential, getting my roots stuck into a true data company. In 2017, a friend who had just joined Quantcast asked me to come and talk to someone here and, before I knew it, I was offered a job that seemed too good to be true.
Who guides you day to day?
Craig Bonser (or as he’s known in the office, ‘Bons’) who is commercial director of ANZ. Bons was my first manager at Quantcast and always pushes me to not be afraid to fail. He has a knack for giving advice without me realising, particularly by cryptically saying I already know the answer and encouraging me to figure things out myself.
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
The amazing team I work with and the constant day-to-day changes. There’s never a dull moment so I’m always kept on my toes. Oh, and I’d be lying if I didn’t mention our daily Quantcast lunches.
And the biggest challenge?
My role is focused on helping independent agencies scale to compete with the goals and budgets of their much larger competitors, but with fewer resources. I’m quite proud to say Quantcast fits in really well here as our data and tools enable them to do more with less and navigate these obstacles.
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future? Where do you turn for inspiration?
I’m known around the office as the entertainer so my dream job would be to create a new role at Quantcast for head of entertainment! But in all seriousness, I’d love to be a trading director in a position where I can help influence partnerships and develop the business further. If I’m stuck in a rut I usually turn to sports - NBA, football, etc. There’s something inspiring about
seeing players setting a goal, dealing with challenges and getting the job done. I try to translate that focus into my work.
My favourite advert is:
An Aussie classic, the Carlton Draught ‘It’s a big ad’.
Simple, funny and effective. I think ads resonate most with people, particularly in Australia, when brands don’t take themselves too seriously and add some humour into the mix.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
Growing up on the Central Coast I spent a lot of time at the beach and was a certified lifesaver. Although you won’t find me in the surf as much now, you could now say I’m a saver of lives… one ad at a time...
In five years' time I'll be:
Ideally rich and retired, lounging in my chateau in the South of France… But more realistically, I’d love to be moving up the ranks at Quantcast and further simplifying advertising on the open internet.
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