Our Young Guns profile takes a weekly look at some of the young talent 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.
Today we speak to Amobee sales manager Lauren McNamara.
Time at current company:
Two years and three months.
How long have you been in the industry?
Three and a half years.
How did you get here?
I started off in TV advertising but realised I wanted to be in an emerging industry like digital media. The complexity and fast pace nature of it keeps you interested and always learning.
Who guides you day to day?
I’d have to say two people here. James Rose, a sales manager who is an adtech guru. Being under his watch in my first couple of years helped me understand the digital landscape. As he knew the technicalities of the platform he was always able to find work arounds to fit the client’s needs.
The second person would be my current manager Kurt Holloway. He is the type of leader I aspire to be. He is constantly putting the team before himself.
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
The people. Whether that’s the innovative people I work with at Amobee or my clients, I feel very lucky to work with such creative people. They aren’t just professional relationships, I’ve formed friendships with clients who I’ll catch up with outside of work. As long as they like a drink, which they all do.
And the biggest challenge?
My personal challenge is staying ahead of the curve in this age where technology is constantly changing especially as digital media is in an embryonic stage. Making sure that digital advertising is measurable and effective is an industry wide challenge.
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
I’d love to work in a start-up environment challenging the status quo, like Uber, Amazon or AirBnB.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
I have attended a lot of conferences, such as Ted Talks, NGEN and Women who Code, and will always reach out to people who inspire me. I’ve had multiple coffees or Skype calls with people who presented and who I felt a need to connect with. Of course, I've had some people who have said no, but you know what, I haven’t lost anything.
My favourite ad is:
Google’s Home Alone ad that came out for Christmas last year. This ad was relevant to the target audience, given it was Christmas time and it used Macaulay Culkin, who many young adults have fond memories of. It had a good touch of humour showing how the Google Assistant could have saved Kevin in Home Alone all those years ago.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I once swam 25 km in five hours and 45 minutes. And no, I wouldn't do it again!
In five years' time I'll be:
Leading a team of hungry and passionate people.
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