Leah Franco (Strategy Manager, Initiative), and Kate O'Loughlin (Associate Strategy Director, Initiative), presented to the lecturers at the 2023 MFA Lecture the Lecturers event.Their amazing presentation provided a series of provocations that challenged industry status quo, and reconsidered how and and where media operates for the current cultural climate.
We asked them a few important questions about their media journey, their presentation insights and the key skills needed to succeed in their role. See their answers below!
What’s your role & how would you explain it to your mother?
We work in the strategy team in a media agency. Our role involves a lot of research, analysing and writing. We are the first port of call when clients want anything from a creative way to launch a new product/brand, advice on how to grow their brand and solutions as to why their brand is not working.
What was your presentation about & why did you think it was relevant to share with lecturers?
Our presentation was ‘Media Mic Drops’, which looked at cultural trends and how they are impacting media and marketing as well as debunking some of the industry’s biggest buzzwords.
What are the top 3 takeaways of your presentation?
- Reach the niche: Category buyers matter…but they aren’t the priority. Push students to identify and target sub-culture communities to develop richer insights.
- Affinity before attention: Attention is earned, not bought. Get students to consider the ways they can leverage subcultural insights to make something consumers want to see.
- Responsibility over safety: Medium is no longer the message… it’s the solution. Ask students to be critical of how power is enacted through media and get them to consider ways in which they can flip this narrative to drive positive change.
What skills do you think are most critical to your role?
Having a curious mind. The best way to produce creative ideas and out of the box solutions is to constantly be exposed to ideas and ways of thinking outside of your bubble. This could mean leaning into your passion (for Kate, that is Taylor Swift, the 1975, Harry Styles) or allowing yourself time to go on Google deep dives by constantly asking why (Leah).
What are the best resources to keep up to date on the industry?
We are mere goldfish, swimming in a bowl of media, so any movements in culture can have impacts in our industry. But in terms of day-to-day implementation, trade press like B&T, Mumbrella, MI3 and Ad News are great for seeing what is happening in the Australian market. Seeing who won gold at Cannes is also a great way to look to see what other markets are doing and the innovation they are driving.