Kathy Doyle,
EVP, Managing Partner UM, had an unlikely path to a career in advertising.
Having switched her college major from business to education and finding that
there were no teaching jobs upon graduation, she began tending bar at a TGI
Fridays.
Luckily this bar was located between two advertising agencies where
Kathy came into contact with agency executives. One, Jack Ryan from Burnett,
would from time to time offer entry level opportunities to restaurant employees.
Kathy soon found herself in the accounting department at Burnett and onto a
career in advertising. “It was a weird career path to advertising but a happy
one,” Kathy relates.
Charlene Weisler: How has your work evolved
over the years and how has advertising evolved since you first started?
Kathy Doyle:
For me personally, I strategically changed jobs and evolved as the company
evolved. I have held various leadership iterations. I started as a buyer then
entered client services. The digital age
has been a boon in my career and continues to change the industry. Those in the
linear sector of advertising are trying to figure out how the future will
unfold from here. To me it is fun to see how things are happening. No two days
are the same. I love that.
Charlene Weisler: What are the challenges
for an agency today?
Kathy Doyle:
Evolution. Technology and platforms evolve daily. Fortunately, UM has always been at the
forefront of what is happening in the industry, so this is not a new situation
for us. We change and adapt and reinvent ourselves. We anticipate what is
coming and prepare for it as best as we can.
Charlene Weisler: How has data changed the way
the agency world works?
Kathy Doyle:
It has definitely changed our business. We have proprietary data tools to help
inform our local buys by informing and targeting viewing habits. Sometimes we
depend on client data that we then apply to our decision making, especially in
TV. It has become a world where we are using and relying on data driven
decision making.
Charlene Weisler: Your agency uses Nielsen
exclusively. Is there a role for STB data?
Kathy Doyle:
I definitely think that there is a role. But I don’t know what it looks like
and there are privacy concerns. We will all have to figure it out.
Charlene Weisler: Looking ahead, where do
you see the media industry five years from now?
Kathy Doyle:
I wish I knew! It is all based on the rate of change – is it five years or two
years? My vision – UM is one of the only agencies that has already switched to
impression based buying for local TV and radio to be used as the currency. The
intent was to find a more stable mechanism for local viewing and listening
behavior. Additionally, we think it sets us up nicely for the transition to
becoming local audio & video buyers as opposed to radio & TV. We are
confident that the industry will eventually do the same.
Charlene Weisler: How do achieve work life balance?
Kathy Doyle:
I come from a long line of women who worked outside the home so I have always
seen work / life balance in action. My mother, my grandmother and even my great
grandmother worked outside the home. I always felt that working and taking
pride in my work makes me a happier person, which in turn makes me a better
mother. It inspires me to achieve better balance and I am a happier person at
home. Given my family’s history of working women, I suppose I learned from
example. I am not exactly sure how to strike the exact balance, but I find that
it works itself out.
Charlene Weisler: What advice can you give
a student today who is seeking a career in media?
Kathy Doyle:
Don’t be shy about making connections with people, even if it is through social
media liked LinkedIn. If someone contacted me that way, I would try to
make time to talk. It may not work with everybody or with every person you try
to connect with, but it can be a great way to network and expand your
connections.
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