Our Young Guns profile takes a weekly look at some of the buzzing 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 head to Melbourne to speak to Hatched Media digital manager Regan Hancock.
How long have you been in the industry?
Just under four years.
Duration in current role/time at the company:
Six months.
What were you doing before this job and how did you get this gig?
I was a digital manager for another agency. I’d heard a bit about Hatched and it seemed like they were genuinely approaching media planning and buying with a different point of view so I was chuffed when they reached out.
Define your job in one word:
Dynamic.
What were your real and cliché expectations of working in the industry?
Madmen with mobile phones
How does the reality match up?
Less Madmen more “Year of the Mobile” three years in a row.
How would you describe what the company does and what does your role involve?
Media planning/buying + strategy and consultancy. My role is mainly managing the digital planning/ implementation across the agency and turning things into acronyms to seem smart.
Best thing about the industry you work in:
Opportunity to learn.
Any major hard learnings in the job so far?
You can’t say yes to everything.
If you had to switch over to another department, which would it be and why?
Strategy – it’s something I need to better develop and that’s where the real brains are.
What's exciting you about the industry right now?
Applying the ad model to eSports and the opportunities it presents advertisers to handle or mishandle them as well as shake up their approach. This is an opportunity for brands to demonstrate their understanding of digital and adopt an emerging platform in a way that skips the interruption model and embraces the audiences preferred means of consumption. I think the next 12 months are going to be interesting in this space to see which brands succeed and which don’t.
What concerns you about the industry and its future?
Two brands taking 65% of the digital advertising revenue in the market and then marking their own homework.
Who's your right-hand person/who guides you day to day?
My director Jacqui Keleher definitely guides me – has a tonne of knowledge which I plan on absorbing.
And your almighty mentor that you hope to dethrone?
Don’t hope to dethrone him but Davor Vilusic has been a massive influence on my career and my approach to work/ digital specifically. Jacqui, Lee Foster and Stephen Fisher all get special mentions too.
Career-wise, where do you see yourself in three years and how do you plan on getting there?
Directing a digital team and helping grow Hatched.
What is the elephant in the room? The thing that no one is talking about – but they should be.
Data. What are we actually buying and how do we substantiate it? Unless this gets addressed in some way it could be the next “adpocalypse” similar to what we saw across YT/Google this year.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
Nowhere specifically. I find once I have a chance to disconnect and enjoy myself outside of work I recharge and come back with better ideas.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
Massive comic book nerd, even tried writing one once, won’t quit my day job.
Favourite advert is:
The Old Spice ads from 5ish years ago still get my attention. Was a great example of when a brand understands their audience and caters the messaging and channel plan to their behaviour, they were all over internet/social and were quirky enough that even people who wouldn’t typically have paid any attention were interested. That campaign followed me everywhere and did a good job to make Old Spice seem new.
What’s your personal motto?
“Why Not Both” from that taco ad comes to mind.
I got into advertising/ad tech/marketing etc because:
Commercial creativity appealed to me – and no one wanted to pay me to play music.
If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:
Living with my parents and explaining how my band just needed its big break.
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.