1. Before we dive into your role at Particular Audience, what has your career journey looked like so far
Over the past ten years Iāve operated in different areas of the marketing suite.
Starting out in PR, growing familiar with communications more broadly and then graduating to social media. Something I learnt early on, especially in my first 4-5 years in the industry, is to follow your interests and to not be precious about following what inspires you.
More recently, from when I first started in a purely ācontent focused roleā to leading the content and digital arm of tech consultancy, Hotwire; with each change comes a new challenge and a new set of skills to harness!
For the past few years, Iāve been working in startups. Which really speaks to my journey of exploration (and obsession with learning). Coming from Play by Afterpay, looking after their content marketing to joining Particular Audience today as Head of Marketing.
Anecdotally – in my year 6 yearbook, I wrote that my motto is āYou have never reached your goal.ā I can say, wholeheartedly, this is how I feel – and I hope this never changes.
2. Transitioning into work, what the heck does the Head of Marketing @ Particular Audience do?
What is Particular Audience?
Particular Audience exists to provide privacy first personalization tech to retailers. What this means is that we help eCommerce retailers create more intuitive online shopping experiences through search, merchandising and Retail Media Tech.
This is all done dynamically and without using any personally identifiable information or third party cookies.
How is the marketing function structured?
Weāre at the start of the PA marketing journey! Which is probably what makes me so excited about what’s to come.
We currently manage PR, events, performance and content generation in house. But, with our team located around the world (with five offices including London, Amsterdam, Netherlands and New York) – weāll be looking to make the team just as varied.
While (to most people) thereās something outwardly less exciting about B2B companies – I think this is our biggest strength! B2B can operate the same as B2C in a lot of ways when it comes to marketing. Which is how we like to think in the team. Secretly I also think this is how weāll win in the space, too.
What does your role entail?
As a Head of Marketing at a Series A startup – the role itself can mean a lot of things depending who you ask. As well as changing constantly with whateverās needed to deliver business success.
In a chat with the PA CEO recently, James Taylor, he said (which I truly believe) that a HOM can only truly be measured on their adaptability (responsiveness, perseverance and results). This includes their openness to change and their responsiveness to deliver MQLs in the most effective way possible.
Much of working at a startup includes thinking about problem solving in innovative ways. This attracts a certain type of person, and facilitates quick growth/learning in the same way.
Because of this, what I was focusing on three months ago is different to now and to what it will be in the future.
3. What’s a project you’ve worked with on in your currently role and how have you helped bring them to life?
Campaign Name: Heroing what our brands do! And how they do it so well
Example: https://www.cmo.com.au/article/695288/digidirect-uses-personalised-product-data-drive-revenue-growth/
What was it?
Itās not always easy to talk about a personalization journey. Every brand/website has unique challenges and customers to engage online. This means that the solution for businesses can be different. For some, we focus on a search solution, for others we focus on implementing Bundles to allow for upsell opportunities at checkout.Ā
This particular example focuses on Digidirect implementing our Recommendations tech to better user experience – focusing on creating a seamless online experience.Ā Which also positively influences sales online, as well as providing a better experience for the customer.
What was your role?
A part of my role includes PR and pitching to key media targets – which feeds into our larger narrative as a business.
Our clients do amazing work, so pitching client stories and talking about the success that brands have seen partnering with us is a part of that.
My role was:
- pitching the story,
- organising interviews,
- reviewing and thanking Brad for the great article.
Media relations is an ongoing part of the role, and something Iāll find myself spending more time on in the future.
4. What do the entry level pathways into marketing in tech look like?
For anyone curious about getting into marketing at a tech company – reach out!
Doing something like Startmate, which is a community of Aussie and NZ ambitious people who work in startups – is a great way to get started! You can get started by signing up to a relevant Fellowship and asking for a sponsorship.
Another thing I would definitely do is join The Trenches. The Trenches is a free mentoring group for people in the creative, media and tech field.
I used both of these resources to get to where I am today and would recommend everyone do the same.
Iām always happy to chat about how I made it happen, or how I leverage conversations/outreach to people online to level up my skills in MarTech. The same can be done for cracking the industry!
If thereās a MarTech event coming up – show up! Sign up to relevant courses and engage with people online.
5. What’s one thing you recommend someone who wants to work in tech marketing do right now?
Just do it! Traits like curiosity, genuine interest, passion and an openness to learn mean youāll get far, quickly.
I donāt know if thereās a right place to start for anyone – but I would definitely be talking to friends, mentors (through the programs above) and family about it so Iām held accountable.
Reading books and listening to great podcasts also helps – but know that the landscape is constantly changing and you can come in at any point and level up your knowledge.
