#BehindtheSelfie with... Teboho Rasoaisi
1. Where do you live, work and play?
I live, work and play in Sandton – I’m quite fond of the north side of Johannesburg at the moment. Oh, and I do quite a lot of Cape Town, here and there.
2. What’s your claim to fame?
Not sure I’m famous just yet, but I used to walk down fashion week runways and pose for cameras as a professional male model while still in varsity – I can still pull the Zoolander Blue Steel look, FYI –before entering into the world of advertising.
3. Describe your career so far.
A five-year rollercoaster ride – something similar to the Anaconda ride at Gold Reef City, but a bit longer, I guess…
After studying marketing communications in varsity, got hired as a content marketer at a small startup owned by a lovely woman named Victoria Williams. I guess she saw a bit of potential in me at the time and took a gamble on me, but I guarantee you that I knew nothing about advertising at the time.
Shortly after that, I found myself in the influencer marketing space, pairing influencers/celebrities with brands for campaigns as a form of paid media at Arc South Africa.
And now, here I am as a digital media strategist and campaign manager at Mortimer Harvey (MH) agency, preparing for an MIT digital analytics course with MIT, through GetSmarter.
4. Tell us a few of your favourite things.
Analytics tools (Ads Manager, Google Analytics, Tableau), raw data, my iPhone and a good pair of white shoes/sneakers.
5. What do you love about your industry?
I love to see creative ideas take shape, implemented for campaigns and being rolled out on digital. Beyond that, I appreciate the digital space at the moment – lots of cool ideas are being rolled out brilliantly on digital.
Oh, and the awesome finger food at award shows, of course – can’t forget that!
6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.
Pop out my laptop, open up Ads Manager, Google Analytics, Google Adwords or MS Excel – analyse and optimise campaigns.
When I’m not doing that, I’m either preparing a media plan or doing research for an upcoming campaign.
7. What are the tools of your trade?
HP Probook, iPhone, analytics tools, MS Excel, interpersonal skills and a purple notepad (colour of notepad not by choice).
8. Who is getting it right in your industry?
Tricky question – the industry is so broad and diverse, quite a few agencies are doing well in different ways, and that’s the beauty of the game, I guess.
9. List a few pain points the industry can improve on.
- Diversity and transformation in the industry.
- Understanding the customer, especially in the online environment. So much data to analyse, which can provide valuable audience insights to inform content or campaigns.
- Invest in digital. It’s effective, measurable and has quite a high ROI relative to spend.
- Strategic and tactical thinking when it comes to launching campaigns.
10. What are you working on right now?
I’m working on two social responsibility campaigns, for two different clients. Unfortunately I cannot mention the clients/brands just yet!
11. Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry at the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself.
Content, data, audience insights, customer lifetime value (CLV), click-through rate, engagement, influencer marketing, mobile-first, ROI and meme marketing.
12. Where and when do you have your best ideas?
During my evening jogs and early in the morning, during my shower before work.
13. What’s your secret talent/party trick?
Chatting to everyone and working a room sharing funny stuff I read online, or innovative ideas.
14. Are you a technophobe or a technophile?
Definitely, 100% a technophile.
15. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?
Lots of apps, funny memes, pictures from events I attend and lots of screenshots of things I find interesting on the net.
16.What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?
Find what you’re passionate about, read as much as possible and gain knowledge, invest in yourself and be nice to people.
Simple as that. Follow Rasoaisi on Twitter and LinkedIn; and visit Mortimer Harvey’s press office on Bizcommunity, as well as their Twitter, Instagram and Facebook feeds for the latest updates.
*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.
About Leigh Andrews
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