Grill Wrap: May's Grill The Marketer put Matt Oakley & Nikki Atack in the Hot Seat

Grill The Marketer May Wrap

Over 50 marketers from across the industry came out on a rainy Thursday last week where Matt Oakley, Chief Strategy Officer at 303MullenLowe and Nikki Atack, Chief Marketing & Experience Officer at Pentanet, joined Carma Levene (me) on the panel to talk about careers, the landscape shift in senior marketing roles, and much more.

Matt spoke of his career being "squiggly" and I think we all related to that. There was audience led discussion from the panel around knowing when a role isn't a fit, the courage to leave early (and not stay to on when a role isn't for you to make up an imaginary minimum term) and that talent attraction and retention was the one thing that keeps him up at night.

Nikki discussed the privilege of overseeing more than the marketing function - enabling greater collaboration to produce better results. By involving people from across the business, bringing in new talent, and actively listening to customers, she highlighted the power of shared insight.  Holding space for ideas from the wider workforce means higher levels of engagement, and leads to less miss-steps. Listening to the end user means you can not only retain, but create fans from your customers.

We discussed Matt's newly published paper on the role of the CMO in WA (if you don't have yours yet, make sure you DM him on LinkedIn and grab a copy) where he summarised his findings - the most key: Governance. Being able to articulate that the "colouring in department" as we're often referred to, understands this vital piece of the business puzzle and is more than capable of operating within its parameters.

One of my favourite topics - Leadership V Management came up, and honestly I could talk about that for a whole event. There's a vast difference between them, and although you can have both qualities, you'll encounter more managers than leaders. We touched on Agency V Client-side too, I knew exactly who the client-side marketers were when I said one of the reasons agency folks want to move client-side because they think it's easier. Audible eye rolls around the room.

We had a question about COVID, and honestly, I think we sometimes forget how much impact this made on people's lives both at the time and since. The way we consume and purchase goods, the way we spend our time and how much of it we're prepared to swap for a paycheck.

A question about the sassy brand trend we see from Duolingo and Wendys, lead to a bit of discussion about how social media has changed - and the ways it's stayed the same.

Check out the gallery 👇 Feel free to download and share the photos, taken by Spoilt Photo Booths and tag the panelists and MC.

There's more photos here.

Thanks!

I'm constantly in awe of the calibre of guests I'm honoured to share a panel with, and the insightful and curious marketers who come and drive the discussion. Stoked to have so many newcomers, and ecstatic that many attendees return time and time again.

From students, to lecturers and researchers, senior client-side marketers, head of departments and agencies - there really is something for everyone, because you dictate the direction.

Some of my favourite feedback is about the Grill The Marketer community itself, and I couldn't be more proud of the group of people who attend, offer to help run the event, provide feedback, and ask great questions. I had a first time attendee tell me that this is the most welcoming group of people he's met in the industry. And I know this is true, because I've seen it for myself.

Thanks to Jacqueline for being an incredible MC, Keith for making sure attendees get heard, and May guests Matt and Nikki for giving up their time (and bringing some goodie bags) remarkably Matt had flown in from Sydney that afternoon from a pitch!

Don't miss the next Grill The Marketer event on July 24th, tickets are already available and our exciting guest will be announced shortly.

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Grill The Marketer is brought to you in collaboration with the Australian Marketing Institute. CPMs earn points for attending, and Emerging Marketers receive a special discount.

ACA and PADC Members have a special offer too - contact your committee for details.

Student pricing also exists to keep the event accessible, get in touch with your student body or contact Carma.

The Marketer is all about collaboration. If you'd like to sponsor an event, be a panelist, or have topic suggestions get in touch on hey@themarketer.news.