Gybe Fortnight: great marketing starts with understanding people

Welcome to this edition of Gybe Fortnight - our round-up of what's moving in the marketing, digital and sales market, the roles and talent we're working with, and the headlines worth your attention.

Market overview

What we're seeing in the market right now is a steady flow of strong senior marketing talent looking to relocate back to Brisbane, from London, Bangkok, Brazil and South Korea to name a few. It's an opportunity for domestic businesses to tap into international brands and new ways of thinking.

Insight of the fortnight: what Don Morris reminded us about great marketing

Every so often you get the opportunity to sit with someone who has genuinely shaped an industry. A couple of weeks ago, we had that privilege with Mojo co-founder Don Morris AO.

What stayed with us wasn't nostalgia for advertising's golden years. It was how relevant so much of Don's thinking still feels. We spend an enormous amount of time in marketing today talking about data, measurement, performance, technology and, increasingly, AI. All important. But Don reminded us that some of the most powerful work starts somewhere much less measurable: intuition, imagination, creativity and a genuinely distinctive idea. And, crucially, understanding your audience.

One of the best examples was the famous Australian tourism campaign featuring Paul Hogan. "Throw another shrimp on the barbie" became one of the most recognisable Australian advertising lines in the world - Americans struggled with the word "prawn", so "shrimp" it was. A simple decision, but a great example of understanding your audience and meeting them where they are.

Another theme Don spoke passionately about was the influence of women as consumers. His message was pretty unequivocal: "women rule". Women influence an enormous proportion of purchasing decisions, yet their influence as consumers has historically been underestimated.

Don talked about the importance of moving beyond purely transactional marketing and understanding the role relationships, emotion, trust and connection play in the way people engage with brands. Brands aren't built simply by telling people what they do - the strongest brands make people feel something. They create familiarity, belonging and trust.

And Don has the runs on the board. Mojo created work that didn't just perform at the time, it became part of Australian culture. Decades later, those ideas are still remembered, quoted and revisited, including Tooheys returning to a campaign platform first used almost half a century ago, Toyota's "Oh What a Feeling" and Cricket Australia's "C'mon Aussie, C'mon".

The tools will keep changing. Channels will change. AI will change how quickly we can produce, analyse and optimise. But none of that removes the need for an original thought, a deep understanding of people and the courage to back an idea.

The bottom line: great marketing starts with understanding people. And the very best ideas can last a lifetime.

Jobs in market

• Performance Marketing Specialist | multi-brand vocational education group | Fortitude Valley, hybrid | full-time - direct platform ownership of biddable media across Google Ads, SA360, Meta and emerging channels like DV360 and DOOH.
• SEO & Web Specialist | multi-brand vocational education group | Fortitude Valley, hybrid | full-time - technical ownership of web execution across a modern headless stack (DatoCMS, Storyblok, Vercel, AWS), including technical SEO, Core Web Vitals and schema markup.
• Head of Organic Growth | Compare the Market | full-time - shape organic growth and content strategy across Compare the Market and iSelect, owning SEO and emerging AI search experiences, with a team to build and lead.
• Senior Leader, Growth Marketing | MyState Bank | full-time - lead product acquisition strategy, translating customer insights into go-to-market programs across search, social, programmatic and emerging channels.

Interview question of the fortnight

"What's one thing you believed about marketing three years ago that you've completely changed your mind on?"

Talent worth knowing

• Marketing & Campaign Manager | $110k + super | available immediately, permanent or contract - 9+ years leading integrated marketing and campaign strategy across travel, public sector and retail, most recently at P&N Group leading paid media across Google Ads, Meta, programmatic and CTV, with a first A/B testing framework and enterprise GA4 tracking built at Brisbane City Council.
• Creative Lead / Art Director | $120k + super | available immediately, permanent or contract - 20 years across digital, broadcast and advertising, including 9+ years at Paramount Australia & New Zealand, plus Gameloft Brisbane, Foxtel Group, Seven Network and Fox Sports.

Headlines we're watching

• Australia's internet advertising market hit a record $19.8 billion, with growth increasingly fuelled by SMEs, retailers and overseas businesses targeting Australian audiences.
• Fair Treatment has launched an experiment testing whether anonymous hiring can close advertising's gender gap - women account for 85% of purchases, yet directed under 15% of Australian commercial work last year.
• Australian advertisers have warned Meta's subscription plans could turn organic reach into a paid commodity, pushing them into a pay-to-play ecosystem.
• The Inspired Unemployed have built a travel brand around escaping the algorithm, betting that travellers want to go "off-piste" with their experiences.
• Meta has granted itself rights to the photos, video and voice its Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses send to its AI systems, including footage captured by accident.

Get in touch

Whether you're hiring, exploring your next move, or just want to talk through the market, we'd love to hear from you.

• Libby Kidd: 0401 784 670 | [email protected]
• Michael Johns: 0406 210 924 | [email protected]
• Cass Barker: 0431 625 791 | [email protected]