Because Australia opened up in sunny Sydney in 2011.
Since then two Because UK employees have spent time over there developing the business and learning vital skills to bring back to their work in the UK, if we can persuade them to get back on the plane! Gary Whelan, Because Account Manager, is currently on secondment at Because Australia and tells us why he thinks it’s great.
When I joined Because, a little less than two years ago, I didn’t think I’d be given the chance to work in a start-up environment on the other side of the world. So you can imagine my delight when I was shipped out to share my knowledge and experience with the fledgling Sydney branch. It has been a fantastic way to develop my skills, exercise my creativity and generally be a big prawn on a small barbie.
Apart from the sunshine and beaches and board shorts and roos and tinnies here are some of the reasons this has been a great experience for me.
Start-up environment
We are a small team and work together from conceptual thinking to pitch to delivery. Working at what is effectively a start up with the weight of an established UK agency is brilliant. I have also been able to help establish some of the fundamental processes, toolkits and structures based on my knowledge of how things work in the UK.
Growing industry
In the UK experiential marketing is well established whereas in Australia experiential is ‘the new kid on the block’. Both markets are fast-paced, and competitive where ideas have to be consistently great and deliver truly bespoke service to the client in order to get noticed; but Australia’s growing industry has presented me with a great opportunity to stretch my legs and find ways to excite prospects with results-orientated experiential ideas that serve a real purpose.
Lifestyle
It has been brilliant to experience the cultural differences between the UK and Australia first hand. Getting under the skin of what people want here in Sydney and understanding how it is different from the UK has been an invaluable experience. Aside from work, I am not going to deny the fact that the Sydney lifestyle is amazing and as well as obviously working hard, I have certainly made the most of what the city has to offer!
This experience has been a real eye opener and I feel that I am developing in exactly the right areas, which will be of huge benefit to my work and my team when I return to the UK.
This has been an incredible privilege for me; at first I got the feeling that Because may have shipped me overseas simply to get rid of me for a few months but now I realise the positive reasons behind the decision for both the agency and my own personal development.
Streuth!