On My Radar: Zoe Jones

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

Rolex has a long association with cinema and has produced some epic, cinematic ads recently. Their latest features Oscar-winning directors Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow and Alejandro G. Iñárritu as they continue to push filmmaking boundaries.

It’s a really integrated campaign, the content is perfect to entertain cinemagoers before the film and it’s fantastic to see brands create bespoke content that really celebrates cinema and their association with it. 

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

Aside from dcm.co.uk, our industry and more general news websites, which I check every day, I tend to access everything now via apps on my iPhone or my iPad. The Guardian app for mobile is great, I’m always listening to podcasts via the Apple Podcast app and I often continue reading books on the go via my Kindle app.

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

I’ve just bought a Philips Wake-Up Light alarm clock. After years of using my iPhone I’m determined to cut down on my phone time before going to sleep and keep it charging out of the bedroom. It’s far more pleasant waking up to light and progressively more aggressive birdsong!

What’s your favoured social media platform?

I’m a big fan of Instagram as I love photography and find it a great platform to use whenever I’m out and about exploring. I still have a private profile so it’s more for my collection and to keep in touch with friends rather than for gathering influencers.

For a more public platform, I really like Twitter both for work and personal interests. Aside from a lot of colleagues and brands in media and film, one of my favourite accounts to follow is Grumpy Skeletor, which probably betrays my 80s roots!

What’s your favourite app on your phone?

Aside from the ones I’ve already mentioned, I love Citymapper and use it every day, from checking when my bus is coming to planning the best way to walk around the city. It’s such a great user experience with everything in one place and it’s made me a lot more punctual!

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

I have a huge backlog which I’m working through on my Netflix, Amazon Prime and Now TV watchlists. I’ve been getting back into Friends from the beginning, which is now on Netflix. Seeing as I seem to know the whole dialogue from years of watching it growing up, it’s probably Friends.

What film do you think everyone should have seen and why?

Of all time; anything Star Wars- or Lord of the Rings-related.

In 2018, so far; I’m going to have to cheat and say two very different films. Thor: Ragnarok which was a brilliantly funny superhero film which even haters of the genre would enjoy, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, which, aside from the Oscar-winning performance by the amazing Frances McDormand, genuinely wrings out every emotion when watching it, including a surprising amount of humour for such a dark topic.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

Inspiration always strikes when I’m trying not to find it. Usually when I’m walking or letting my mind drift. In our ‘always on’ digital world it’s so important to carve out these quiet moments. I also try and meet as many inspirational people as possible from across our industry. We’re so lucky to work in a creative environment and getting out and about and talking to people always generates more ideas than I can action!

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

When I first started in media (and I’m giving my age away here!) we were faxing our weekly newsletters, and when I edited a magazine I was trimming and scanning physical photographs. So, for me, going digital in all aspects from email to social to mobile has been an amazing change to live through and progress through my career at almost exactly the same time.

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

I’d like to see more responsibility from all parties for how we can influence how we all live. But it’s already starting to happen. We’re at a political, cultural and social melting point and I can’t wait to see the change that will happen at a far bigger level than just our industry. What I love about our industry as part of this is that we can be at the forefront of driving this change.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

I started out in the industry through a love of writing and it’s always been at the core of what I do. In my first role at PPA (the trade association for magazines in the UK) I edited a magazine about magazines, Magazine News, and I’ve kept this search for the story and the desire to create interesting and entertaining content at the forefront throughout my career. 

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

Although my surname may give it away, not a lot of people may know that I’m Welsh as I don’t have the accent any more. I moved to England when I was nine, but I still have a lot of family there and I’m a big supporter of the Scarlets rugby team and the Welsh national team and try and get to Cardiff for a game whenever I can.