“We Are Changing The World,” says Twitter Australia’s MD, Karen Stocks

Twitter Australia’s managing director Karen Stocks has revealed the speed at which technology is changing puts her outside of her comfort zone and claims the company is “changing the world”.
In an interview with B&T the queen of hashtags said that although she is outside her comfort zone, the rate at which the industry innovates exhilarates her.
“I think the nature of the industry that I am in my day to day is outside of my comfort zone,” she said. “When I’m in an industry that moves so rapidly, I can’t begin to comprehend everything that happens.
“Actually it’s really difficult for people that are used to being in control to step into a space going, ‘actually I don’t know the answer’. But it’s okay. Technology is fundamentally changing the way humans connect and I want to be part of that.
“That’s what gets my heart beating faster. Imaging working for a company with that belief. I fundamentally believe we are changing the world.
“The best thing is that next week I don’t know what is going to happen. We are innovating at such a pace, that when I think about my career and the fact that when I started university none of the companies I work for even existed; it’s the rate of pace, the way we’re changing. The fact we’re solving so many structural problems for communities in general in this industry is just really exciting.”
Stocks also talks about her leadership style and what she looks for when hiring new recruits, adding, “you don’t hire people with the main expertise as much as you would in a traditional law or accounting business. In fact, a lot of the times you’ve got people working for you that may be smarter and know things in the industry better than you don’t.
“Again, that can be quite confronting from a leadership perspective, so you have to ask yourself, ‘how comfortable am I sitting in a space where I’m not the smarted person in the room or I’m not the one that knows everything?
“For me, I think it’s more around thinking, ‘how do I create an environment where everybody is comfortable bringing their whole self to work and they’re inspired, motivated and have the ability to be the best that they can be?
“I think it’s around sharing what that vision is, getting people to believe in it, align to it and showing them how to get there. You also have to plug into people’s personal passions and agendas and it’s really important to do that because some journeys aren’t for everybody, and that’s perfectly okay. But it’s important to make sure the journey connects with those that want to be part of it.”
And forget Kim Kardashian’s grease-smeared bum breaking the internet, Stocks said the ‘Ellen selfie’, which was taken at the 2014 Oscars, reached half the world’s population and temporarily crashed the site.
“Ultimately, we want to connect everyone on the planet,” she said. “Remove the barriers of communication and democratise the web.
“If we look at global tweets I think we look at the Ellen selfie and they way that they just took off. It reached half the world population saw that tweet on and off the platform, I think that’s a great example that most people bring to mind.”
Stocks also explained how the philanthropic side of Twitter works, using Commonwealth Bank’s recent campaign with JCDecaux as an example.
Launched as part of the CBA’s Clowning For Kids appeal, the campaign generated instant crowdfunding via engagement with a custom built JCDecaux Innovate panel featuring an inbuilt camera and LCD touch screen that was installed in Sydney’s Martin Place in March for six days.
The campaign encouraged people to post selfies of their funny faces and for each one they donated $5 to the charity, Clown Doctors, which helps more than 180,000 sick children and their families annually by conducting ‘Clown Rounds’ in all of Australia’s major children’s hospitals.
“I think that was a really good campaign,” she said. “One that made me smile. I was motivated to put selfies up there with funny faces, my team did and a lot of other people did and I think that kind of community engagement, having a bit of fun, is really great to see.
“Something that I look at is the way brands like that are using the platform. It’s a really great way of tapping into behavior that already happens, having a bit of fun with it and also turning that into a phenomenal donation to an important organization that’s doing so much good in this country.”
Surprisingly Stocks’ favourite ‘Twitterer or Tweeter’ is Lisa Alexander, the head coach for our national netball team, the Australian Diamonds.
“If I sum up my passions in probably three words it would be netball, netball, netball,” she said. “I love getting Lisa’s perspective right from the coach directly on what she is thinking especially with the world cup coming up this year, and how she’s thinking around team selections and strategy and performance and what she thinks. I just love her insight.
“I don’t play anymore. I used to play goal shooter or goal keeper, but my daughter plays. I watch it every week and follow the ANZ Championships. I’m really excited about the world netball cup being in Australia this year.”
Karen Stocks is speaking at the two-day Daze of Disruption event, held at Sydney’s Belvoir Theatre, on Monday and Tuesday, May 18-19. Stocks’ presentation is on Tuesday.
Latest News

Entries now open for Snapchat Young Lions Australia
The annual search for the very best of Australia’s young media, creative, and marketing professionals has begun, with Cannes Lions Festival representative The Misfits announcing entries are now officially open for the 2021 Snapchat Young Lions Competition. The Young Lions Competition, which is proudly supported by Snapchat and The Trade Disk, gives blossoming media talent […]

Pureprofile Snares Former Kantar Director Of Data Solutions & Sourcing Young Ham
Global data and insights business Pureprofile Limited has today announced three new appointments to the Australian team to support its renewed growth strategy. Young Ham [pictured] joins the team in a global role as head of data, innovation and product, Kate Richards will hold the role of interim head of sales, data & insights ANZ […]

PHD Snares Former Hello Social Strategy Director Joshua Tan As Part Of Content Team Expansion
PHD unveils new-look content team which includes (judging by accompanying press photo) an astonishing beard & man bun.

Coca-Cola Loses Logo In ‘Open To Better’ Campaign
Here's some fun new work from Coke. Sure, it still rots your teeth and makes you fat, but fun nonetheless.

“You Can’t Nazi It!”: Amazon Called Out For Fatal Design Flaw In New Logo
New Amazon logo apparently resembles Hilter's moustache. Particularly after Adolf ate one too many blueberry muffins.

Mitsubishi Motors Australia Produces New Creative For International Markets Via Richards Rose
Mitsubishi Australia unveils latest work and wisely decided not to reinstate the truly awful "It's a Mitsi" tagline.

Taboola Lays Out Plans To Go Public
Taboola lays out plans to go public. And by that it apparently means the stock market, not the local park's lavatories.

Selena Gomez Fronts Latest PUMA Campaign
B&T has no idea what Selena Gomez actually does, however, it appears to have made her incredibly rich doing it.

Australian Open Tops YouGov Sport’s UK Australia 2021 Rankings
A list of Australia's most popluar sports are in and once again it's little joy for hotdog eating or the manure toss.

TV Interview Goes Awry After Viewers Spot Menacing Dildo
In this woman's defence, it may just be a scented candle. Admittedly one that bares remarkable similarities to a dildo.

The Three Must-Haves For Your Data Strategy
Here are the three must-haves for your data strategy. A fourth could possibly include the value of legumes in your diet.

Third-Party Data Sales Spike 109% For Lotame In APAC
Lotame has today announced 109 per cent growth in third-party data sales in the APAC region from Q2 2020 to Q3 2020. Across the APAC region, India saw 555 per cent growth, followed by Malaysia at 190 per cent and Taiwan at 178 per cent growth. Subsequently, Australia saw 43 per cent growth and New Zealand […]

28% Of Display Advertising Spend Goes To Ad Tech Services: ACCC Inquiry
Some 28% of display ad spend goes to the ad tech giants. Which explains the excellent sandwiches at their conferences.

Nielsen: Top 10 Media Owners Reach Over Half Of The Australian Population Each Month
Study finds top 10 media owners reach over 50% of the Aussie population. Other 50% looking for car spot at Westfields.

Dr Elaine Stead Wins $280k Damages In Defamation Suit Against The AFR’s Joe Aston
Long-running defamation case comes to an end. Barristers just happy to take those silly wigs off in this stifling heat.

Tim Robards Stars As Tim Tam Genie In New Arnott’s Campaign Via The Neighbourhood
The Tim Tam is undoubtedly Australia's culinary gift to the world alongside the pavlova & the throwdown beer receptacle.

McCann Sydney Snares Lucy Gavan For Senior Strategist Role
McCann Sydney inter-office UNO tournament takes sinister new twist with arrivel of new senior strategist.

VCCP Sydney Adds Tilly Treloar, Nathan Pashley & Heath Sims
B&T's editor does not like press photos of people not wearing socks. He's a stickler for neutralising foot odours.

Dentsu’s Ad Spend Report Forecasts 5.9% Growth In Australia In 2021
2021's starting to look good for ad spends. It's not looking good for overseas travel or people with a fear of needles.

David Pullinger, Former JC Decaux Sales Director, Appointed QMS Media GM
JC Decaux's David Pullinger jumps to rival QMS amid apparent awkward silences at the staff leaving party.

Stan Officially Announces Pricing For Stan Sport
Stan Sport will cost you $10 a month. Which is the same price as three avocados sans the monounsaturated fatty acids.

Facebook Introduces New Measures To Stop The Spread Of Holocaust Misinformation
Facebook looking to block Holocaust deniers. Still seems open to Flat Earthers and Elvis spotting, however.

Busting Six Of The Biggest Ad Tech Myths
Here, six of ad tech's biggest myths get expertly busted. There was a seventh, but it turned out to possibly be true.

Droga5 London Rolls Out New International Visual Identity For CUPRA
Droga5 London is arguably the hottest agency in the world right now. Not that anyone's booking Cannes tickets just yet.

Shutterstock Acquires 3D Marketplace TurboSquid
Shutterstock has acquired 3D marketplace TurboSquid. Read all the news here, admittedly in boring old 2D.

Are Media Appoints Melissa Mason As Digital Editor For ELLE & Marie Claire
Melissa Mason seriously considering putting an accent over the á following Elle & marie claire appointment.

M&C Saatchi’s Timothy Ng: “To Those Who’ve Thought About It”
M&C Saatchi's Timothy Ng muses on his career in advertising. It's a bit Nietschke, with a spot of Goethe thrown in.

WPP Named In Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index For Third Year In A Row
WPP named in gender-equality index for third year running as internal fight erupts over where to hang the certificate.

Australian Road Safety Foundation Utilises Geo-Targeting Technology To Protect Kids In School
The Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF) has teamed up with Spotify and some of Queensland’s leading musicians in a national first that will geotarget drivers within school zones. The Slow Down Songs campaign, which is being piloted in Queensland, will work to keep kids safe within school zones by dramatically slowing down songs and serving […]

Florida Financial Officer ‘Offers’ To Host Olympics With “Bonkers” Pitch
Florida says if Tokyo don't want the Games, they'll take it. Hopefully our own Dubbo might make similar overtures.