On My Radar: Dominic Gramatte

What’s the best ad campaign you’ve seen recently?

While not a campaign that most are seeing per se, I am pleased with brands who are taking big steps in leveraging data and technology to fuel personalised campaigns such as Toyota NL. They strive to understand their consumers, focus on the wealth of data they accumulate, and smartly leverage technology to deliver a much more personalised online experience for prospects and customers.

What website(s) do you use most regularly and why?

Facebook; as much as I hate to admit the amount of time spent on FB, I do find myself on it quite a bit. With family spread around the world and me constantly being on the go, I find it my one-stop-shop for staying connected to people, current events, and ensuring I don’t miss the videos that are discussed around the office water cooler. 

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why?

Apple TV; I used to joke about the massive amounts of TV and film I used to consume. Then I realised it’s a normal amount, but that my viewing was in a “what I want” and “when I want it” mode.

The Apple TV allows me to do just regardless of what device I am using. News channel apps, digital radio, and services such as Netflix are more my style. No forced landline or cable tv services here.

Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

I use all three. Facebook to stay connected and to keep my finger on the pulse of my network, Instagram to share all the holiday snaps so I stop annoying people on Facebook with all my albums, and Twitter for the occasional industry tweet.

What’s your favourite app on your phone and why?

Snapchat is slowly becoming one of my favourite apps on my phone. I didn’t get it at first – and honestly am still fumbling my way through it. What I love about it is the My Story feature. I’ve been addicted to the travel bloggers who show an unedited view of their travels. Short sound bites, interesting content (if they are any good), and an unedited view of it all.

I recently watched a team of two scale the summit of Everest and they chose Snapchat to document that journey over their adventure. Fantastic. The best thing is that you only have 24 hours to watch the content after it’s posted. This also means that this mode of communication will very soon be a great tool for brands. I know as a consumer if I want to see the content I must go into Snapchat every day to check it out. Very powerful.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

Survivor – My inner Bear Grylls loves this type of show. Throw a bunch of strangers on an island, pit them against each other in crazy challenges for 39 days, and see who can outwit, outlast, and outplay. A bit of mindless reality TV, but after 30+ seasons they are doing something right.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Not sure what this says about me, but I tend to find the films I really enjoy are ones that always have low scores on critic ratings. I tend to watch films, process the story in the moment, and then easily forget everything when it’s over.

One of the films that I watched recently that actually stuck a bit was The Intern. Aside from being a fan of both Hathaway and DeNiro, the film itself did a great job at highlighting what happens when you mix experience and wisdom into an internet start-up, while highlighting the creativity of Millenials who are helping to drive today’s tech economy.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

I had the opportunity to speak about the importance of personalization at last year’s Festival of Marketing. While there I was there I able to attend a talk given by former International Space Station commander Chris Hadfield [below].

He talked about how his career as an astronaut taught him about overcoming challenges and excelling under pressure. His near death experiences in a spaceship miles away from help and ability to overcome them almost make the daily hiccups in life seem insignificant. New perspective is great – using this to level set what is important and how to approach challenges is even better.

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

The industry is getting smarter and making their lives easier by getting closer to data and using technology to automate activation of that data. These data driven approaches, when done correctly, really enhance how we as marketers and advertisers engage with prospects and customers. I look forward to continuing to see brands journey through the changes and hop on board.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

I would remove the silos that organizations have created that stunt ability to execute on the advancement our industry has made. Silos prevent collaboration, sharing of data, and our ability to execute against a common goal. If organizations can change tactics at the same pace that the industry is moving we would spend less time adjusting and more time bringing value to our customers.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

A former managing director of mine saw something in me very early on within my career and took a chance on me. The mentorship and advocacy coupled with my loyalty and work ethic has helped me realise potential and see opportunities that I am very thankful for. The advice that was given by this person that I live by today is to always be humble.

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know…

I’m over analytical and am very much a sharer. That means that not only do most people know all of my business, but also that they know every detail of it.

Be an open book I say. Something that only comes up in very random conversations is the fact that I auditioned for Season 2 of American Idol. While not immediately rejected, I did not make it through to the TV rounds and decided on a different career path (clearly).