A
decadeafterWeAreSocialopeneditsAustralianoffice,managing
directorSuzieShawsaystheagencyis stillridingthewaveofgrowth
insocialmedia.
TheUK-foundedbusinessrecentlymovedintonewofficesonSydney’s
ClevelandStreet,completewithnewproductionstudios.Themove
accommodatesitsteamof50,whichincludesnewexecutivecreative
directorEduPouandheadofstrategyGerryCyron.
“Inallthetimethebusinesshasbeenopen,it'sbeeningrowth
witha fewupsanddowns,”ShawtellsAdNews. “Partofthathasbeen
ridingthewaveofsubstantialgrowththatwe'veseenfromsocial.
Butalso,thescopeofwhatissocialhasbeengrowingandgrowing.
“Intheearlydays,asa socialspecialist,it wasabouthelpingclients
withtheirsocialmediachannelsandcreatingcontentfortheplatforms.
Whereasnow,increasingly,it'smuchbroaderthanthat.It'saboutcreating
campaignsthataresociallyled,andthatmayormaynotresultinsome
contentthatlivesonsocialmedia.It'smoreaboutgettingpeopletotalk
anddrivingconversationsarounda brand.”
Theagencyhas 20 clients,includingbignamessuchasNetf lix,Red
BullandSamsung.It recentlycompleteda globalcampaignfortheelec-
tronicscompany,enlistingStrangerThings’MillieBobbyBrown,gamer
NinjaandInstagrampersonalityMiquela.
Shawsayswhenherteamcreatesa campaign,theyfocusonhowto
inviteconsumerstobepartoftheconversation— somethingbrandsstill
neededucatingon.
“Alotof brandsstillseesocialmediaasanadvertisingchannelratherthan
a channelthatoperateswiththeopportunitytoconnectmoremeaningfully
withyourcustomerortobuilda communityaroundyourbrand,”shesays.
“Thosesortsofthingsbehaveverydifferentlyfromjustadvertisingat
someone. There's a long way to go, but some brands are doing it super well.”A BIGGER, MORE
PROFESSIONAL
TEAM
WeAreSocialismarking 10 yearsin
Australiawithabiggerofficeandmore
ambitiousgoalsfortheagencythat’s
grownfromahandfulofstaffto50.
AdNewssitsdownwithitsmanaging
director, Suzie Shaw, to talk 2020.MARIAM CHEIK-HUSSEINWORDS BYMeet the Team http://www.adnews.com.au|March 2020^43