Mediaweek Academy will host its fourth session for industry up-and-comers on Tuesday, centred on building your personal brand.
Greg’ Sparrow’ Graham, MFA Hall of Famer and Mediaweek contributing editor, will lead the session featuring a Legend of the Industry alongside a Superstar making waves.
This month’s Mediaweek Academy Legend is Sunita Gloster from Gloster Advisory and Superstar Lara Brownlow from LinkedIn.
Ahead of the academy, Gloster spoke to Mediaweek about her start in media and the importance of building a personal brand in the industry.
Gloster, on her start in the industry
Gloster shared that her start in the industry was through a pitch at Y&R Adelaide, which offered a Traineeship to a Marketing Graduate every three years.
“The CEO then, David Minear, implemented a process that required every candidate to present a response to a brief on the agency’s biggest client, which was Mitsubishi Motors.
Gloster noted that getting recruitment right was an important factor to the agency and was done through a boardroom-style pitch in front of the Agency’s Executive Leadership.
“The process tested personality, chemistry, hunger, creativity, strategic ability, presenting skills, and so much more. I won the pitch and was offered the job as their trainee in 1992.”
Gloster’s career has seen her work in Australia and the UK for The Campaign Palace, Lowe and Partners Worldwide, M&C Saatchi, WPP and Accenture Australia. She has also been a panellist on ABC’s Gruen.
The importance of building a personal brand
The industry is experiencing challenges and disruptions – from talent shortages to tighter budgets and a tougher economy. Personal Branding may seem like an afterthought to most. However, it is an important aspect of the art of business.
Gloster noted: “People do business with people they like, know and trust. We know that. How you treat people, how you behave, and what you are known for are just as important as the brand you work for.
“We’ve all sat across from someone and thought, this will be 30 minutes of my life I know I’ll never get back! We tend not to buy in those situations. Having a strong personal brand makes it easier for people to choose to work with you. Your brand and your reputation tell your story, your strengths, and your personality.
Gloster’s words of wisdom and the key to building a personal brand
The Mediaweek Academy has attracted many media professionals early on in their careers. Gloster advised them to search for a profession they love, as well as people in a similar stage of their work life.
“Take the time to explore different career opportunities. Meet diverse people and learn from them. Ultimately, what you find as your passion and the skills you develop will become an important part of your brand,” she added.
For those higher up and executives managing young professionals, Gloster also highlighted the importance of strengthening diversity in their ranks.
“The future of our industry needs us to acquire and retain the best young talent we can. Our pipelines need to be full of diversity and diverse thinking. The link between who we are and what we create is under scrutiny.”
Gloster added:” “Leaders need to ask themselves every day are our processes doing enough to ensure that diversity and equality are reflected in how we attract, retain and manage our young professionals. Is our brand attracting diversity, and are we encouraging diverse talent brands (i.e. the people) to thrive?”
Finally, on the key to successfully building a Personal Brand, Gloster kept it simple and said: “Hard work.”
Mediaweek will run six more sessions this year. Sparrow urged those who missed out to come to the next ones.
“It’s going to help your career, get your promotion and really kickstart your journey in the industry. So, I’d say don’t miss out,” Sparrow said.
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Top image: Sunita Gloster