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.
Last week we met Seven West digital group sales manager Ebba McLean. This week we speak to MediaCom's media coordinator Jack Geraghty.
How long have you been in the industry?
One year and two months.
What were you doing before this job and how did you get this gig?
I was working as an online content developer for a small business and finishing university.
Define your job in one word:
Expanding.
What were your real and cliché expectations of working in the industry?
Like a lot of grads, I had a slightly romanticized concept of the ad industry and I think my understanding of the modern media agency was slightly ill informed. Coming into the industry I was told to expect great people and a vibrant, buzzing culture.
How does the reality match up?
Understanding the breadth and importance of agency work in providing large-scale communications solutions put things into perspective very quickly. Without a doubt, the great people and amazing culture were delivered tenfold.
How would you describe what the company does and what does your role involve?
We are in the business of connecting the right message with the right audience. Across implementation, planning and investment, my role is to ensure that this process is executed seamlessly from client to media.
Best thing about the industry you work in:
The people and the opportunities.
Any major hard learnings in the job so far?
The whirlwind speed of the industry keeps you on your toes at all times. Delegating and prioritising tasks with a never ending to do list requires strong organisational skills and mental fortitude.
If you had to switch over to another department, which would it be and why?
If I had the opportunity I would switch into the creative and content department. Combining a new-found knowledge of media systems with an existing passion for creativity and ideation would be a blast.
What's exciting you about the industry right now?
Advances in ad tech continue to offer unbridled potential. I’m excited to see the impact of technology on creative executions in the coming years, particularly in the augmented reality and out of home spaces.
What concerns you about the industry and its future?
Although progressions in advertising technology do excite me, I fear that creativity and ingenuity can be compromised in favour of automated advertising solutions. As quick fix optimisations become readily available at a click of a button, I fear that advertisers may oversee strong creative solutions in favour of an easy option. For the foreseeable future, I hope that advertisers will continue to monitor automated creative with a consistent consideration for its ability to convey authentic human emotion.
Who's your right hand person/who guides you day to day?
My amazing team. I have been blessed to work with a group of intelligent, inspiring people who motivate me to deliver quality work every day. I will give a special mention to Lucy Foot, Mic Liu and Kat Williams (who nominated me for this profile).
And your almighty mentor that you hope to dethrone?
I unfortunately could not rightly call her a mentor, but the title of ‘global executive creative director’ has quite a nice ring to it, so I suppose I would nominate MediaCom’s Gemma Hunter.
Career-wise, where do you see yourself in 2020 and how do you plan on getting there?
Ideally, I see my career moving in a creative direction - in whatever form that may take. Given the rapid evolution of the industry, it is likely that my role in 2020 may not yet exist. With this in mind, I plan on building upon my knowledge of advertising and diversifying my skillset to its utmost capacity; ready and eager for whatever opportunities may come my way.
What is the elephant in the room? The thing that no one is talking about – but they should be.
As mentioned earlier, I think there is now room for deeper conversation about the compromise of human creativity in the digital ad space. We must act now before evil, copywriting-robot overlords take over.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
One of my mentors told me that the development of any strong idea is born of a strategis ‘connecting the dots’. We all have individual understandings of the world that are shaped by what we do and what we consume – the more experiences we have and the more we consume, the bolder and more varied our dots become. We’re privileged in a media rich society to have a plethora of inspiring, educational content sitting in our pockets. I try to read, watch and listen to content that challenges me or offers a different perspective – this sparks the development of new dots. Although they are subconscious at the time of formation, these newly formed dots are brought to the forefront in future ideation, leading to stronger and more engaging creative executions.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I was born with a hole in my heart. *violins*
Favourite advert is:
José González, bouncy balls and the beautiful streets of San Francisco – what more could you want? Sony Bravia’s ‘Balls’:
What’s your personal motto?
Dare to be different.
I got into advertising/ad tech/marketing etc. because:
Two words: creativity and objectivity. The assessment of creativity in its purest form tends to be inherently subjective – however marrying this assessment with the granular performance metrics of an ad gives it a quantifiable, objective quality. I find this combination exciting.
If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:
A musician or a teacher.
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.