Mel Spencer is the co-founder and CEO of Thompson Spencer, an ‘advertising agency with expert capability across the full marketing funnel.’ Over the past three years, Mel has overseen the integration of a number of businesses under the Thompson Spencer umbrella. These include: Socialites, The Social Club, Magnesium, Thompson Spencer Media, Flying Tiger, People of Influence, and the recent merger with Reason.
You joined Thompson Spencer after it was founded by Wendy Thompson. What was your experience coming in as a co-founder later in the business journey?
When I joined, it was Socialites, and we ‘dated’ for a year before I took that leap to join the business. It was really important to work out whether our values and ambitions were aligned. And with me going into Socialites, it was more about 1+1=3. With both Wendy and me doubling down as a duo, we could supercharge the business.
When I stepped into Socialites (as a co-owner) I could instantly see the opportunities, and I had to make some brave moves. It was about working out quickly what my strengths were and what Wendy’s strengths were, and then teaming up and going for it.
The agency is constantly growing and acquiring; your recent merger with Reason is a case in point. What drives the decisions about how you grow?
We’ve grown vertically. When we see that there is a part of the business that we’re not strong in, or we need to be stronger in, that is when we fill that gap with either a merger or an acquisition. It’s also about having the foresight or ‘future thinking’ about where advertising is going to be in a few years’ time, and making sure that we providing that ‘puzzle piece’, to make sure that we are there and able to meet our client’s needs. So we have done things a little differently: we have created an agency for the future. Our expertise is quite different to most agencies and that has been strategic because we know that the industry is changing rapidly.
The marketing world is changing fast with AI tools becoming more accessible. How is that changing marketing agency work?
Advertising, marketing, it honestly changes every month. We have to be on the pulse all the time. AI is helping us power up – to be faster in our internal work. Externally, it gives us time to be more creative, to be more strategic. The value of the human brain, the human touch and human creativity goes up even more. Using AI allows for that what I love: human relationships, the need for empathy. You’ve got IQ plus EQ now. AI helps powers it up. Artists, musicians and those crafts… craftsmanship has come back in a big way. Imperfections are now more important and more beautiful in a way. In marketing, realness and authenticity are key.
There are so many talented young marketers entering the industry, but the job market is tougher than ever. What’s your advice for graduates or early career marketers who want to stand out?
To answer this I am going to give you an example of somebody who stood out to me. A young woman posted something great on LinkedIn. I can’t remember exactly what it was, just that it was an overview of where she interned, her key learnings and what she had achieved that year. It wasn’t a ‘beating chest LinkedIn post’. You could just see their sincerity and that she was ambitious. So I liked it even though I didn’t know this young woman. She saw that I liked it, and she emailed me a day later. She didn’t say ‘Hey, I saw that you liked my LinkedIn post’ but she was obviously watching who was connecting with her on LinkedIn. It was a really impressive email. You could tell that it was crafted especially for me, not cut and pasted, it was specifically for me. She was thinking about all the different touch points that an employer would go through or want to see. Super, super impressive. Now, I have said to her, we don’t have anything. But I like to meet impressive people even if I don’t have a job or an opening. So I’ve asked the team to meet with her and we’ll see how that goes.
Interning is a really good way of getting your foot in the door. I know that’s really hard because it’s an investment, but it is the best way to get in the door for marketers. Another way is to demonstrate the work that you’ve done: send a portfolio or some work that you are proud of. The other thing that I look for are extracurricular activities you are part of: a charity, a sport, something outside of work.
You’re connected to the University of Auckland student community as a guest speaker and you work with student interns. How can universities better support future marketers?
It brings me the greatest joy to support not just the university, but those up-and-coming superstars that are just about to enter the workforce. I love nothing more and I don’t expect anything in return. It’s possibly about using us a little more. An idea: the university delivers courses with assignments, so perhaps checking that what is being provided to students is as up to date in the marketing/advertising space as possible. So that when students come out of university, they’re ready to roll. It’s changing so quickly so it’s important that what you are teaching is as up to date as possible. So maybe pick our brains at little more about what is happening in the business world – that would be awesome!
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