Hearts & Science’s Brittany Cozic was hailed this year in the Media Planner/ Buyer category of B&T’s 30 Under 30 Awards, presented by Vevo. But if it wasn’t for a little “nudge” from her manager, “self-doubt” would have stripped this absolute powerhouse of being recognised amongst 30 of the very best industry trailblazers.
The media account director has forged a successful career rising up the ranks of investment and planning at Omnicom Media Group agencies PHD and Hearts & Science for clients including VW, Hyundai, Nine and now Opella.
Her charitable work with What You Were Wearing, not only helped Cozic “bring back spark and passion” into her life, but it was a major factor to why she was recognised amongst the next generation of industry superstars.
Her volunteer work for the charity that fights sexual violence, Cozic worked across all things marketing and media, as well as co-lead the national Violence Against Women rallies in April.
Together, her and 10 empowering, courageous and talented women and gender diverse people brought together over 100,000 people Australia wide, across 17 different locations in only 10 days. This led to an emergency cabinet meeting and the government committing $1 billion in funding to the cause.
B&T sat down with Cozic to discuss how here career has been reshaped since joining the prestigious group, why she put her name in the ringer and advice she would like to pass on to other ground breakers who want to launchpad their careers.
Enter B&T’s 30 Under 30 Awards now! Time waits for no one.
B&T: What’s happened in your career since being recognised as part of B&T’s 30 Under 30 Awards?
Brittany Cozic: My day to day is largely the same. Before, the awards my managers and company were already strong supports of my work both in and outside of office hours, already giving me opportunities to aid on pitch-work, being flexible with time for other initiatives and already recently promoting me at the start of the year.
Something interesting was some of my industry peers I hadn’t met before recognising my face or knowing who I was from winning the award, which was definitely touching, though made me realise I never want to be famous.
Oh and the volume of LinkedIn recruiters in my DMs peaked for a bit there (flattered, but I’m happy where I am! Sorry!)
B&T: What are your career ambitions? Has this changed after being recognised this year?
BC: My overall career ambition is to always be doing work that I’m passionate in some way about or to feel like I’m doing something with my influence to help others.
Whilst this is something I’ve always strived for, the way in which I’ve been able to go about this within my organisation has evolved this year. I found I don’t always need to look for this soul-fulfilling work outside of the 9-5, but instead have had opportunities within OMG to do this instead, such as joining as co-chair of the OMG Pride ERG, talking to clients about gender inclusive language on traditionally gendered products, and bringing up conversations of CALD or more diverse media in their marketing plans.
However, I do acknowledge and believe we still have a long way to go and whilst media is a generally progressive industry we still have a lot of work to do, especially with DEI, and I want to be someone that is a part of driving this growth.
B&T: What trends/ opportunities are exciting you in the industry?
BC: Whilst we hear a lot about the power of AI and how everything is going to be more automated, something I’m noticing is more and more smaller challenger brands instead leaning into their humanity, whether that’s through more relaxed organic social or creating community groups like Fayt the Label, using local artists on their packaging like Mecca at Christmas time or using their platform to make a stance on societal issues.
As Gen Z and Alpha start to become more active with their buying power, they’re a lot more switched on and selective with where they spend their hard-earned dollars. I’m excited to see the future of how these brands that decide to give back to community, focus on sustainability and have a firm brand personality compete and compare with those who are moving more into the automation world.
B&T: Why did you choose to enter this year’s 30 Under 30?
BC: It was definitely more of a nudge from my manager than a self-directed decision. Whilst it was always something I had thought about doing, sneaky imposter syndrome and self-doubt always made me hold back.
However, my NFP work outside my 9-5 as the media and marketing lead for a DV charity reached a peak last year, and I not only helped raise funds for their programs but, I also managed to help make nationwide impact by organising Violence Against Women rallies across Australia that helped secure additional federal domestic violence funding. It felt like the right timing and some work that maybe deserved some acknowledgement over just nailing my client briefs and hitting those KPIs.
B&T: What advice would you give to other emerging leaders in the industry?
BC: I wholly believe on bringing your full self to work and showing up authentically (of course, if safe to do so).
When I started opening up and reducing the blur filter on my personality, I found that my relationships with my team, vendors and clients thrived, and I started being offered more meaningful opportunities as people knew who I was, what I’m passionate about and what my aspirations are. I think this is not only because it humanises us, but also as it made me feel so much more confident in myself as I wasn’t as focused on how I was being perceived.
So my advice is to be authentically you, as life is too short and we work way to much of it to pretend to be someone else.
