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 Quiip content and community manager Pierrette Langford.
Time at the company:
Just over two years.
How long have you been in the industry?
Somewhere between six and seven years.
How did you get here? Was this always the plan?
I started as a graphic designer for Ogilvy PR and wriggled my way into social media. I then landed a gig as a social media producer creating content for Coca-Cola. Here I got to flex both my client skills and my creative skills, building the creative team from single operators to a scalable team of freelancers, agencies and contractors. At Coke I was introduced to Quiip, and fell in love with the idea of a fully remote workplace. The rest was history!
Who is your right hand person?
My manager, Lauren Piro, is a legendary comms expert and copywriter. Her wisdom never goes astray. I also have a group chat with several of my former colleagues, and I like to think of them as the Social Media Brain Trust.
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
In social media, you’re so connected and close to the customer base. You get to treat people as people - not “consumers”. Something I think gets forgotten in the wider ad industry.
And the biggest challenge?
The ‘always on’ nature of social media means that burnout and exhaustion is common. Mental health training and self care needs to be integrated into every workplace, but is often an afterthought. Quiip excels in this area, with an Employee Assistance Program, resilience training and radical flexibility - so I feel very fortunate.
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
I would say our fearless leader at Quiip, Alison Michalk, but she does too good of a job to want to remove her. In the future I’ll have started my own business and will be able to apply her wisdom and guidance for my own success!
Where do you turn for inspiration?
The Facebook group, Australian Community Managers, Behance, and general life away from a computer screen. It’s hard to not feel inspired by the outside world.
My favourite advert is:
While I was in Toronto, Canada, marijuana was legalised. The industry had very strict ad regulations, so it was amazing to see how it was marketed. Sellers weren’t able to show the product or even people enjoying the product, so seeing how companies maneuvered around those challenges (a company called Tweed did some very cool stuff) was awesome.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I’m an open book, and Quiip is a very open and welcoming workplace. I feel comfortable sharing most things with my colleagues, but as we’re a 100% remote workplace, I'm sure there are little quirks that would come as a surprise to them (like I sneeze in threes).
In five years' time I'll be:
Working in the non-profit sector, applying the knowledge I’ve learnt in the ad industry to help create a better world.
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.