Selfies! Swipes! Scrolling! It’s The Best Of The Best Social Media Directors, Presented By Finecast, Part Of GroupM Nexus
Get your Twitter fingers and swiping thumbs ready because, this week in the Best of the Best series, Presented by Finecast, Part of GroupM Nexus, we’re taking a look at the Best of the Best Social Media Directors.
These are the guys and girls who set the tone of online conversations and create scroll-stopping content to reach audiences at the right time, with the right message. As ever, we have asked our dearly trusted friends and advisors in the industry to get the best people for this list.
Last week, we looked at the industry’s Directors Of First Impressions and before that, it was People Leaders and those in Business Support roles.
So, without any further ado, let’s take a look at the best social media guns in the business.
10. Lyla Thorn, senior marketing executive, Icon Agency
Thorn joined the Icon team three years ago and was promoted into her current gig 18 months ago. Now, she plans the content for and manages the social channels of three clients, as well as producing regular monthly newsletters. One industry insider told us it was “about time this wonderful operator got her Andy Warhol moment” and that she had grown Icon’s audience by 60 per cent in the last two years, as well as growing the range and type of content the agency produces. Despite being Melbourne-based, Thorn has recently been putting Icoin’s Holiday+ program to good effect, working from South Korea — you should check it out.
9. Francesca Stokes, account manager social, Havas PLAY
Havas PLAY was rolled out globally earlier this year to sit at the intersection of entertainment, sports, technology and fandom. Stokes has been instrumental in its success so far. She joined the Havas team in 2021 as a senior account exec before being promoted to her current role at the start of this year. Working on clients including Gillette, NRMA and Amazon Prime, Stokes and the team have produced some exceptional work this year with the team’s wide-ranging brief.
8. Beaurey Chan, content director, Think HQ
Chan was made content director at Think HQ in October, off the back of 18 months of impressive work and client success. She has developed and managed end-to-end content and social media projects for the Department of Social Services, Respect Victoria, BreastScreen Victoria, Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation and more. She has been described as a “content all-rounder and organisational wizard” at the heartbeat of Think HQ’s creative team.
7. Erin Brizga, social client partner, Eleven
It wouldn’t be a Best of the Best list without a slightly misleading job title. On LinkedIn, you’ll see that Brizga works for Eleven. What it doesn’t tell you is that she leads social content across the TBWA Collective including FleishmanHillard, Fabric, GMR and TBWA\Sydney. Despite that quite enormous remit, Eleven Sydney’s GM Amy Ashworth told us that she always knows “how to turn it up to Eleven by creating cultural impact in the feed” for clients as varied as Hort Innovation to mycar Tyre & Auto.
6. Alexis Whelan, creators and content director, Kinesso
Whelan joined Kinesso (née Reprise Digital) almost five years ago and grew from a content and community coordinator to her current role remarkably quickly. She leads the planning and delivery of a huge amount of content creator and influencer work, along with a whole host of traditional business social posting. It’s not all hard work, however, with Whelan appointing herself the agency’s chief vibes officer and even running her own TikTok account giving us a behind-the-scenes look at Kinesso.
5. Tammy Gerrety, senior social and content director, Herd MSL
Hailing from sunny California, Gerrety moved to similarly sunny Sydney in May 2019 (just in time for that global pandemic) before moving client-side in September of the same year at Coca-Cola. Now with two-and-a-half years under her belt at Publicis’ Herd MSL, Gerrety oversees the social content for accounts covering InvisAlign, FujiMax, and Cancer Council Australia. “Tammy consistently delivers brilliant ideas and skilful day-to-day management for our clients’ social channels. Her leadership style is nothing short of world-class as well,” her team told us.
4. Sophie Keogh, social and innovation manager, OMD Sydney
Keogh has been the social and innovation manager for just five months but she has already made a big impact on the agency. Described as “fabulous” to us, Keogh has joined the agency in a bit of a purple patch, having recently been crowned the top-performing global media agency network. Having also recently retained the Telstra media account, Keogh’s experience and intuitive understanding of the social landscape make her an incredible asset to the agency as it takes on some of the biggest jobs in the industry.
3. Ryan McIntosh, Lion social lead, UM
McIntosh has one of the most covetable jobs in the industry — writing about beer. As the social lead for Lion at UM, McIntosh is the driving force behind one of the agency’s most valuable and public-facing accounts, making him one of the most important people in the agency. However, during his time within the IPG family, he has dipped his toes into work for Spotify, MLA, Coca-Cola, J&J and other FMCG clients. Not content with social, he also works across the business’ OOH, influencer and broader media planning.
2. Michaela Tan, Goat account director, GroupM Nexus
Tan leads GroupM’s Goat influencer business and does so with aplomb. She crossed the ditch some 10 months ago and has made quite the stir, featuring on the shortlist for Advertising Week APAC’s Future is Female Awards and speaking on a panel at the Luna Park event. She also joined the TikTok Accelerator Program and launched Goat Communities, an initiative promoting diversity, inclusivity and representation within the influencer marketing industry. Not a bad effort — you might even a say a baa-rilliant one.
1. Shivani Maharaj, chief content & partnerships officer, Wavemaker
It has been some year for Maharaj. She won the Social Media category at B&T‘s Women in Media Awards in August, being noted for her efforts in crafting Wavemaker’s go-to-market influencer marketing product and building the agency’s content and partnerships division into its creative hub and cultural pulse — so much so that it regularly pitches (and wins) work against fully fledged creative, digital, social and PR agencies. That’s not all, however. Maharaj was instrumental in Wavemaker’s success in winning the Media Agency of the Year gong at this year’s B&T Awards. In fact, you can hear from Maharaj (plus Wavemaker supremo Peter Vogel and chief investment officer Philippa Noilea-Tani) talk about the agency’s success after the B&T Awards this year.
Please login with linkedin to comment
Best of the bestLatest News
‘Blair Is Mr Happy, Beau Is Mr Dopey, I’m Mr Grumpy’ – Top Gear Australia Hosts Reveal What It Was Really Like Filming
Top Gear features the cars you could never afford to drive. It's a bit like the bogan's Gourmet Traveller, really.
Nine’s Total TV Sales Lead Richard Hunwick To Step Down
Nine's Richard Hunwick calls time after 15 years. Hoping for a last trip to the Olympics before getting the gold watch.
Yahoo Academy Culminates With Pitch-Off For Musicians Making A Difference With Trip To Cannes In Cairns On The Line
B&T happy to support the Musicians Making A Difference initiative. Particularly any that encourages more Watusi.
TV Ratings 16/5/24: Nearly 2 Million Tune In To See Sky Blues Win In Women’s State Of Origin
B&T does make jokes about the Budget reply speech but, to his credit, Mr Potato Head rated OK last night.
Binge Launches “Scene:Scents” Sensory Entertainment Campaign, Via Thinkerbell
There's now scented candles to pair with BINGE shows. We're hoping Rex Hunt's Fishing Adventures doesn't hear about it.
Jolt Partners With Veridooh For Verification Of Its EV Charger Placements In UK
Although B&T's an avid supporter of EV cars, we'd definitely miss the smell of petrol and the service station pie.
Nine Ad Manager Named Principal Sponsor Of CommBank SmallBiz Week
CommBank's SmallBiz Week is coming to Melbourne on the 29-30 May. B&T's as confused as you are on how that's a week.
Pet Circle & Seven Communications Partner On “Pawtition” To Get Pets On Public Transport
B&T's concerned about the fleas, urine & faeces on public transport - and that's just from fellow passengers!
‘A Win-Win’ – How The Matildas Helped CommBank Become A ‘Globally Iconic Brand’ For The First Time
CommBank's sponsorship of the Matildas is a sport marketing masterclass. The opposite to Nick Kyrgios & his sponsors.
VML Australia Dominates The One Show With 5 Gold Pencils
VML Australia flying the flag at the One Show Awards in New York. Not that we need more flag waving at the moment.
Social Soup: Consumers Looking For “Informative” Not “Funny” Social Content When Making Buying Decisions
In a further blow to ventriloquism everywhere, new research says consumers prefer information over funny videos.
GIO Unveils New “Protect Precious” Brand Positioning & Campaign, Via Ogilvy
Insurer asks what's precious in our lives in new work. Which is better than asking is this business highly flammable.
Digitas & Heckler Singapore Launch Animated Symphony For Riot Game’s Valorant Champions Tour Pacific
Stony silence between you and the graphic arts team at Friday drinks? This gaming news could be an ice breaker.
Wavemaker Global CEO Toby Jenner Appointed Global President, GroupM Clients
Wavemaker’s Toby Jenner continues his career trajectory. But is it enough to move him up to the first class lounge?
Fast 10: Mindshare Head Honcho Maria Grivas On Her “Resting Smiling Face”
Mindshare is having a very fruitful 2024. Here, CEO Maria Grivas reveals her fertilisers & pruning tips to success.
Real Home Care Clients & Staff Star In New HammondCare Campaign
Aged care commercial uses real life clients & staff. B&T has not contacted the actor's union for comment.
Mutinex’s Henry Innis: “I’m Imperfect As A Leader”
Mutinex is being touted as one of the hottest start-ups in the land. And we don't mean that in an Elizabeth Holmes way.
Slew Of Senior Hires At Sparro by Brainlabs & Jack Nimble
B&T loves to report new hires as it shows the healthy state of the industry. That and cocaine usage at work functions.
Initiative’s Fein, Geer, Colter To Depart For Accenture Song
As you read first in B&T, there are significant comings-and-goings at Initiative. Though mainly goings, if we're honest.
Pizza Hut Fined $2.5m For Spamming Customers
To be honest, if you're going to spam customers, cheap pizza deals is probably on the low side of the dodgy scale.
Jetstar & Qantas Perception Ratings Soar After Bonza Cancelled Flights, YouGov Finds
This poll is further proof nothing builds a positive brand image like your competitor monumentally f@cking up.
Pedigree Launches AI-Powered Ad Initiative To Give All Dogs A Home, Via Colenso BBDO & Nexus Studios
B&T encourages this dog adoption initiative. And that's despite us barely being able to look after our own selves.
Apparent Launches “All Heart, No hassle” Integrated Campaign For Flight Centre’s Corporate Traveller
Apparent charged with Flight Centre's Corporate Traveller creative. Has avoided any gags about stolen hotel bathrobes.
South African Tourism CMO: ‘We Want Consumers To Experience SA Through The Eyes Of A Child’
B&T chats with South African tourism's Aussie CMO. Admittedly, we had to quickly rectify our Barossa Valley questions.
Market Research Firm TRA Names KFC’s “Look On the Fried Side Of Life” As Australia’s Favourite Ad
A poll of everyday Aussies has revealed our favourite ads. And it'll make difficult reading for the Harvey Norman team.
‘A Big, Big Step In The Right Direction’: Media Buyers React To News Corp’s D_Coded
There was a universal thumbs up for News' D_Coded event. Although there were calls for glitter bombs at the finale.
CommBank Announced As Presenting Partner Of Vogue Codes 2024
Vogue Codes is a top initiative encouraging women into STEM-based careers. All while wearing Jimmy Choos, apparently.
Brad Garbutt Joins OMA As Marketing Lead
Seasoned adlander Garbutt joins the outdoor association. Says he's got the DOOH down pat, but working on the PDOOH.
TV Ratings 15/5/24: Gruen Pulls A Crowd For Aunty As It Enters 16th Season
Although B&T typically shuns predictions, we're expecting big numbers for Peter Dutton's Budget reply speech tonight.
D_Coded panel: ‘If You Are A Marketer Handling Data And Haven’t Spoken To Legal, You’re In Trouble’
This fiery panel was a highlight of Tuesday's D_Coded event. Not that it spilled out into the carpark.
SBS Audio Campaign Tells The Stories Of New Australians, With Multilingual Content Offerings To Assist Migrants
SBS Audio has launched a new marketing campaign for its ‘Australia Explained’ service which supports new migrants to successfully navigate life in Australia and achieve a greater sense of belonging and social cohesion. SBS’s flagship service for new migrants, Australia explained, has launched a multi-platform marketing campaign that reaches into the heart of the migrant […]
Tracker App Launches, Promising Consumers A Read On Brand’s & Products Sustainability Chops
Shoppers can now get access to sustainability information at their fingertips through Tracker, a first-of-its-kind mobile app. The Tracker app centralises sustainability data into a single, easy-to-understand format, helping shoppers make informed choices about the brands and products they support. Shoppers can simply scan the barcode of their favourite supermarket, chemist or department store item […]
Channel Factory Expands Team Across Australia & New Zealand By 20%
Social media agency Channel Factory announces a significant lift in staff numbers. Doesn't thank Tuesday's Budget.
Jaywing Extends Strategy Team Appointing Fran Martin As Senior Brand Strategist
As is often said, you can never have too much strategy. Same can't be said of programmatic & AI.
Tourism Tasmania Taps Broadsheet For Latest “Off Season” Campaign Iteration
Do you like to drape yourself in sheepskin, flannelette & weird, wooly hats? Tasmania in winter is for you.
Netball WA Appoints 303 MullenLowe As Brand Strategy partner
Netball WA appoints 303 MullenLowe for its brand strategy. Any mention of Gina also now strictly forbidden.