The Social Media award winner at B&T’s Women in Media Awards, presented by Are Media, has called on the industry to make a more “conscious effort” to ensure Australia’s cultural diversity is better reflected across media and advertising.
Michaela Tan, who took home the Social Media gong for her work across influencer and creator marketing, said while the industry had made significant progress on gender representation, cultural diversity was the next major area requiring attention.
“I think culture is the key thing,” Tan told B&T. “We know that Australia is such a culturally diverse country, however, I don’t necessarily think that that is represented in the media that we see today.
“So I really want to make sure that there is a conscious effort. That’s going to be my next move to do that.”
Tan, who is of Chinese heritage and a New Zealander, said her own experiences had shaped her approach to representation throughout her career.
“I’ve always had a place in my heart where I know I’ve had a duty of care to really ensure that no matter who you are, you are represented, especially in advertising,” she said.
“I think we can all resonate that there has been so much work done, but when we’ve grown up, it hasn’t necessarily been that way.
“So I made a very conscious effort very early on in my career as a young woman to ensure that no matter what area I worked in, that we would see people that looked just like us, no matter what colour, no matter what nationality we are.”
That focus has become a defining part of Tan’s work in influencer marketing.
Three years ago, Tan was executing influencer campaigns. Today, she is helping lead one of the more distinctive creator-focused teams in Australian media — one she helped build from the ground up.
Tan launched GOAT, WPP Media’s first influencer marketing offering across Australia and New Zealand, which has since been relaunched as INFLUENCE. She also developed the proprietary technology and workflow platforms underpinning the business.
What began as an internal capability has since grown into a 36-person team servicing L’Oréal, which Tan said is now the largest influencer account in Australia and New Zealand.
Her work has also focused on bringing greater representation into creator marketing, with Tan having worked with more than 500 underrepresented creators.
For Tan, however, the work is about more than simply finding diverse creators for campaigns. She believes the industry also needs to examine the diversity of the teams making decisions behind those campaigns.
“I think our workforce, and especially media, we are at the forefront of representation when it comes to gender,” she said. “But I think the next thing for us is going to be more so cultural backgrounds.”
Tan said greater diversity within agencies and media businesses would ultimately help the industry better understand and represent the audiences it is trying to reach.
“Diversity is a huge thing at the moment,” she said. “I think being a person of colour there’s always been a place in my heart where I know I’ve had a duty of care to really ensure that no matter who you are, you are represented.”
Reflecting on her Women in Media Awards win, Tan said she was “so, so stoked” to have been recognised.
She also credited the passion and creativity of the people she works with — particularly creators — as a constant throughout her career.
“For me, social media and influencers has always come from a place of passion,” she said.
“I always leave with heart and leave with passion.
“The beautiful thing about working in social media and influencer marketing is the amazing talent that I get to work with — the creators.
“Everybody brings so much passion. So that has always been the thing that I’ve brought, no matter what skill set and no matter what job and agency. It’s the passion, it’s the creativity, and I think it’s also the love for the job.”
