Doug Farrell, online Ireland manager with Mail Online since Jan 2011.
Company: Mail Online is the global website for Associated Newspapers, which includes The Irish Daily Mail, Irish Mail on Sunday and the UK Mail titles.
Job description: My role consists of developing advertising opportunities, creating bespoke campaign solutions and ensuring all campaigns are managed effectively so they perform well.
Likes: I really enjoy the challenge and rewards of seeing a campaign come to life, from concept to delivery. I think it is vital in the digital world, where metrics are so important not to forget the impact of well-crafted, impactful and innovative creative design. We have moved into creating web video campaigns for brand clients – from concept to filming to post production. This for me is a very exciting area, where clients expect far more than just an MPU!
Career ladder: I completed an honours degree in marketing and marketing communications, and worked in sales for a number of years, including as a UK account manager for Dell and deputy advertising manager with Hot Press. I decided to pursue my passion for digital design and I trained as a digital graphic designer specialising in advertising. I worked with The Irish Daily Star for three years in the advertising department. Following two years of digital design consultancy for Associated Newspapers I was appointed online manager for Mail Online and we launched Mail Online Ireland and Mail Media. My advice for anyone looking to get into the world of digital advertising is to really embrace both the data and the creative. If you can merge a creative passion and an ability to manage data, this in my opinion that is a winning formula.
Qualifications: I have a BA (Hons) in Marketing and Sales, a Diploma in Digital Design, a Diploma in Graphic Design and I am certified in Flash.
Working hours: I work from around 9.30 till 6.30, however with my role and the creation of the iPad I tend to dip in and out of work most evenings, web advertising never sleeps!
Breaktime: If I am not out at meetings, I try to get out for a walk; I am guilty of having my lunch at my desk a little too often!
Social media credentials: I use social media everyday mainly Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter on both my iPhone and iPad. However I have come to the opinion that this corner on the internet is becoming far too cluttered, there is too much noise. So I have been pairing back to my essential tools: Work is LinkedIn; Social is Facebook/Twitter.
News sources: First stop is Mail Online of course; I dip into the Sky News iPad app; I also use Flipboard and can’t resist a bit of Broadsheet.
Onsite or offsite: I spend about half of my time offsite at meetings, I really rely on my iPad for presentation, I use keynote and Dropbox. The rest of the time I am either working on new business creative pitches and working with the campaign management team ensuring all campaigns are running well.
Digital strategy/vision: Aside from our core job of delivering content to our audience we are all about digital strategy. The rise of smart phones, tablets and social are having a profound impact on digital publishing. These are some of the areas where we are making strong progress. No matter what the platform it is all about engagement and content.
I love Mondays because: In the dynamic world of digital advertising I love the buzz of a new week and a new set of challenges.
