Earlier this year, News Corp Australia announced the launch of The Growth D_Stillery, a dedicated research and intelligence service offering consumer insights to help marketers navigate brand challenges, anticipate consumer trends and understand where best to invest.
See Also: Behind The Growth D_Stillery: News Corp’s newest research and intelligence offering
The Growth D_Stillery amplifies key research insights on trade marketing platforms, and on News Corp Australia channels. As a part of its release into market, the platform has launched a series of vodcasts hosted by News Corp Australia’s director, Growth Intelligence Centre Dan Krigstein, with guests from all corners of the marketing world.
Dan Krigstein
The most recent lot of Growth D_Stillery vodcasts were recorded at Sydney’s Luna Park as part of the 2023 Advertising Week conference, and Mediaweek was on the ground to catch up with those recording episodes.
This week, Mediaweek spoke to Aimee Buchanan, CEO of GroupM ANZ.
Speaking from News Corp’s pop-up studio at Advertising Week, Buchanan says that there is a guiding mantra in her life that lead her to the event.
“I have a bit of a philosophy that if anyone in the industry asks you to do something, to say yes – the industry has been good to me, so I like to give back as much as I can. I think it’s an opportunity to hear from a broad range of people, that’s inspiring and reminds me of why we’re here and how much talent and richness there is in our industry.
“I think all of us need to lift our gaze. You get really caught in the weeds and in the depth, and the processes, and the intricacies of what we do. It’s nice to lift your head and look around and remind yourself of why we’re here.”
Zooming out to look at the wider state of the industry, Buchanan says that one of the biggest hurdles teams are up against is what she describes as “legacy systems and ways of doing things that aren’t future fit”.
“We’re desperately trying to adapt to that quickly,” Buchanan says. “That’s putting an immense amount of pressure on people as we work in almost parallel universes of the old world and new world. We’ve gone beyond the tipping point in the digital world, I believe, but we’re still operating in a linear and digital landscape.
“We have to reinvent that. That’s the opportunity, and that is on clients and on us to lead the way.”
Despite the challenges, Buchanan also says that she’s “an eternal optimist” about where the industry is heading.
“You don’t work in this industry if you don’t like change and volatility – it’s what we all thrive on, it feeds our adrenaline in one way or another. Are things changing at a rapid pace in ways we might not understand? Yes. That’s why we’re here.
“I’m optimistic about the industry, I look at the bright minds we have working in our business, I look at the people in the industry that I know and have a lot of respect for, and I feel incredibly optimistic about the talent, the capability, and future we’re headed to.”
Ultimately, Buchanan says that she hopes viewers of the Vodcast take away “the faith and belief that I have in what we do as a craft.”
“I’ve grown up in this industry, and I believe that we are in a unique position to shape culture and brands and businesses. That is a huge privilege, and we lose sight of that. I think it’s on all of us to remind ourselves why we joined up – we didn’t join up to book TV spots or get deep in the darkness of Excel spreadsheets. We joined to shape culture and brands and business, and that’s the opportunity.”
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Top Image: Aimee Buchanan