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 Snap Inc senior account manager Sarah Chirillo.
Time in current role/time at the company:
Three years, four months.
How long have you been in the industry?
Six years.
How did you get here? Was this always the plan?
I was studying business at university and really enjoyed the marketing side of the degree. Coupled with my enthusiasm for all things beauty and fashion, I thought a sales role at a magazine would be the perfect balance for me as I began thinking about next steps! After getting advice from friends they thought I should look at the digital side of media and apply at the companies that had the sales rights for my favourite magazines, which is how and why I applied at what was formerly known at Mi9, now known as Nine Digital. At the time they looked after Bauer's digital properties, unfortunately within a few months of joining, Bauer took their digital back in house, but my passion for digital meant that I would stay with Nine until I eventually moved to Snapchat! I’ve never looked back since!
Who is your right hand person?
Jessica Wood is my right hand lady! She has been my senior account executive for the last year and I spend more time with her than anyone else… COVID hasn’t even been able to come between us. We see each other everyday (virtually, of course) and she keeps me grounded, sane and usually laughing.
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
Without a doubt the best thing about this industry is the people it attracts! I’ve been so fortunate to have worked at two completely different organisations in the industry but have met some of the greatest people at both. I absolutely have made lifelong friends and even shared personal experiences/milestones with them.
And the biggest challenge?
The digital media landscape is constantly evolving, for instance at Snap we have accelerated the rollout of multiple updates for brands to best maximise their presence in the platform. This year with COVID, many brands have rapidly accelerated their digital strategies and invested more heavily into eCommerce and mCommerce experiences. Keeping all stakeholders happy by ensuring a brand's mobile user journey is best placed to support their investment in digital advertising platforms has been key in driving successful campaigns this year. With brands managing competing priorities, it's been challenging moving at pace as they shift to digital-first, but the results have been very rewarding.
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
I’m a self-proclaimed handbag, shoe and clothes addict so I’d love to eventually work client side for one of my favourite brands!
Where do you turn for inspiration?
I’m pretty lucky that in every sense, Snapchat is such an innovative company to work for. I feel constantly inspired from the way the business makes decisions, all the way to the brands we work with! Being a global company we are connected with so many different markets and brands that treat advertising so differently and I get to see that everyday. A lot of the time the ideas we come up with are either a result of a collaborative brainstorm or taking elements of amazing work we see in other markets and localising that for our clients in Australia.
My favourite advert is:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=816958365050939
The Dove ‘Choose Beautiful’ campaign for its timeless message!
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
If I wasn’t working in media, I’d probably be an interior designer.
In five years' time I'll be:
Allowed to travel overseas again!!
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