Things move fast in the digital marketing industry, almost as fast as Tasmania’s ever-changing weather—one moment it’s sunny and clear, and the next, you’re reporting to a European regulator about user consent on behalf of a big-tech platforms. Back when I first started, most businesses were just experimenting with online channels, often treating digital as a sideline to their traditional Yellow Pages or above-the-line advertising. It was a simpler time: set up a campaign, write your ads, press ‘go,’ and hope for the best, was the general blueprint for most marketers when I first started. Visibility was limited, and the tools we had were basic—Google Analytics was just taking off in Australia, and automation was more a dream than reality.

But fast forward almost 15 years, and we live in a completely different landscape. Today, marketing technology has evolved into an ecosystem—Google Ads, Meta’s marketing surfaces (Facebook, Instagram, Threads), TikTok, and others—each promising precision and personalization powered by black-boxed algorithms. It’s no longer about running a campaign and sitting back; it’s about understanding, adapting, and integrating these tools into a larger strategic vision. And while automation has made many tasks easier, it has also added layers of complexity, making it harder to interpret and truly steer the outcomes.

I spent over a decade managing campaigns directly—getting my hands dirty with Google Ads, DoubleClick, Meta’s ad tools, and more. I learned the ins and outs, the optimization hacks, and the limitations of these platforms. But now, my focus is different. Instead of running campaigns myself, I help agencies and organizations leverage these tools to their fullest potential. It’s about going beyond the default settings—integrating automation with custom, first-party solutions to create a system that’s transparent, steerable, and impactful.

A big part of what I do is connecting the dots between these platforms—using tools like Google Apps Scripts and Meta’s APIs to personalize ads, control delivery, and unify reporting across multiple systems. It’s about keeping things measurable, meaningful, and ultimately human. I don’t believe in marketing that’s just noise or spammy ads following people around. Good marketing should be inspiring and contextually relevant, adding real value to the user’s experience.

These days, my work is all about bridging that gap—between a user seeing an ad and their experience afterwards, whether it’s on a website or in an app. It’s about crafting personalized journeys that respect privacy, provide value, and make every interaction feel authentic. Marketing has changed, and I’ve adapted with it—from running ads myself to building systems that ensure every click, impression, and interaction serves a purpose and tells a story.