Industry Profile takes a look at some of the professionals working across the advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles and companies across the buzzing industry.
Barry McGhee: general manager at reooh, oOh!media’s retail business
Time in current role/time at the company:
Three months.
How would you describe what the company does?
Reooh removes the complexity for retailers in building an in-store advertising screen network. This network allows advertisers to extend their campaign to audiences across oOh!’s network of more than 37,000 assets across Australia and New Zealand.
What do you do day-to-day?
At this point in time, like with any start-up, it is wide-ranging and no two days are the same. From building the team, to chatting to retailers and partners and getting the word out there about reooh. For me there has also been a lot of time focused on our exciting partnership with The Warehouse Group in New Zealand where we are installing its screen network.
Define your job in one word:
Exciting!
I got into the media industry because:
I hated stockbroking. After completing a degree in economics, I worked in broking in the UK. In my early 20s I decided to take a year out to travel but still needing to work, so I took a placement with International Data Group (IDG, the tech publishers), and have never looked back.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
I seem to have a knack for picking roles in nascent-stage industries, meaning that you are not only selling in the value of your company’s offering, but also the value of a sector, which can be hard, but is something I absolutely love.
What’s the biggest industry-wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
Industry standards in retail media is something I would love to see tackled now, so that it doesn’t become a limiting factor as the industry matures. Thankfully there are initiatives happening by bodies such as the IAB Retail Media Council, as well as providers, including ourselves, to help us get ahead of this issue.
What are you most excited about in the next 12 months?
Our mission at oOh! is to make public spaces better, and shoppers rightfully have high expectations of the retailers they visit. I am excited to help retailers across Australia and New Zealand light up their stores with incredible new immersive experiences for both their partners and their internal marketing teams.
Who has been a great mentor to you and why?
I have had many great mentors, from my initial role at IDG where Andrew Birmingham showed me the power of thinking big and entrepreneurial spirit, to Jill Orr, who brought me into the retail media space, for her tenacity and people-led management approach. I also have had mentors outside of work who have played an important role in helping shape how I live my life, by the strong example they have set.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Figure out where you see significant growth in and or around your current work or skill sets and find a company that you admire and feel a connection with and then work hard while enjoying the ride.
If I wasn’t doing this for a living, I’d be:
Doing something related to golf.
My mantra is:
“Here for Good”. Try and do things that improve the world and have the tenacity to not give up.
My favourite advert is (and why):
It’s an old British advert for Terrys Chocolate Orange. It parodies the Indiana Jones movies with real British creativity that combines nostalgia from the time that people still watched linear TV.
Music and TV streaming habits: what do you subscribe to?
I subscribe to everything and use very little. I’m currently into Succession and music streaming is usually dictated by my kids in the car, but when it’s my choice it’s most likely Paolo Nutini.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I’m only a few months in, so I would say lots, but possibly that I am golf-obsessed. It’s my turn to present at “Get to know me Monday” at oOh! so maybe by the time this is published this will have changed.
In five years’ time I’ll be:
Hopefully watching Liverpool win the Champions League for the eighth time.
