As a B&T Women In Media Women in Media 2022 Social Change Maker and 2023 Executive Leader, Jacquie Alley, chief operating officer of The Media Store, is passionate about leaving the industry a better place than when she left it. 

Taking time out of her busy schedule changing the world, Alley sat down with Sparrow to dive into ten very FAST questions!

1. The Media Store was founded over 20 years ago; how would you describe the indie agency in a headline today?

Re-imagined yet with the same heartbeat.

2. The agencies in your blood, and as the COO, you must be proud of the real family values and current momentum.

Proud, absolutely. Staying steadfast to our core family values has been the foundation of our agency since day one. Finding a business partner in Stephen who shares these has been the glue in our partnership and why I believe people who “come home” say it still feels the same. The culture, where people truly matter, has been the bedrock of our current momentum as we fundamentally believe that when people feel seen, valued, and a sense of belonging, they are then more likely to take calculated risks, speak up, and bring innovation to our client’s businesses. I would also say that remaining true to our value of integrity which includes a fully transparent renumeration model is being valued by clients. In the current environment, it’s harder to make money when competitors are coming in with ridiculously low retainers knowing they will make money through the backdoor which we will never do. As clients are becoming more aware of this and realising their agency may not be always recommending solutions in their best interest, we are seeing a return to the notion of value over price – you get what you pay for. Clients understand they must pay a fair price for transparent models which is heartwarming to see.

3. You wear many hats, including chair of the IMAA; how do you prioritise all your commitments?

Great planning, staying present in the role I am performing at the time, and many additional hours some weeks. It’s a busy season, that’s for sure, but very rewarding to be able to give back to an industry and agency I love.

4. I love your passion for the industry; however, if you could change one thing for the better, what would that be?

That’s a hard one Sparrow as I am passionate about many things that need to change. Can I say two?! Firstly, to see more age and gender diversity, particularly in leadership positions, as this richness of experience and differing strengths will only benefit our creativity and rigour. Secondly, the way pitches are run, and agencies paid. Our work and time need to be valued and this is not in timesheets and FTE percentages but the output and results we deliver.

5. You have won many prestigious awards including several B&T Women In Media how do clients value this recognition?

What a great question. I would say clients are comforted to know their agency partner has an owner and leader in the business who genuinely wants to see their people nurtured and the industry flourish. Marketers are, at their core, change agents for their brands and so perhaps seeing that shared passion in me to not accept the status quo or mediocre is reassuring.

6. The Media Store has a great client list,what’s some current work you are most proud of?

Supporting Simply Energy with their rebrand to ENGIE is a current highlight for the team, smashing brand awareness and customer acquisition targets. Recommending solutions beyond media, such as the GWS stadium sponsorship, helped drive awareness in the important and highly competitive NSW market, whilst also providing long-term opportunities to connect to sports fans and event audiences. Helping Hino launch its EV models and implement DCO, transitioning RMIT to the Adobe stack, seeing search results for ZircoDATA, testing immersive new creative for Travel Texas, helping Camp Australia showcase their biggest partnership to date, and procuring over $4m for our pro bono client, Cure Cancer, have also been recent work our team is most proud of.

7. How are your clients addressing the current economic headwinds?

Most of our clients have strong brands which help in times of uncertainty, whereby they don’t need to overspend to be considered. However, that being said the pool of customers is no doubt smaller as consideration sets have shrunk. We’re advising our clients to remain as consistent as possible, and where budgets are smaller, being more targeted to the bottom of the funnel. We’ve had great success helping ENGIE launch their brand in a tough market this year and overinvesting in brand now will yield great return in the future. The other conversation that is essential is effectiveness. Through our work with Mutinex and Mortar AI, we’re really leaning into only channels that deliver business results.

8. Besides your Dad do you have another mentor or coach who has been influential in your career development?

I have been fortunate to have had Andrew Sherman as my Executive Coach for the past few years. His encouragement and insight have been integral to my career development, in particular my journey to stepping into my various roles with a refreshed confidence in my unique strengths and voice.

9. Can you share with us something that’s not on your LinkedIn profile?

During the first two decades at TMS I was part-time which enabled me to complete my Counselling Post Grad, facilitate Domestic Violence support groups, work with my husband in youth ministry, travel around Australia, and have four precious sons.

10. Would your children follow in your footsteps in the media industry?

Stephen and I are both open to our collective nine sons working in the business in the future. Currently, my eldest is finishing his health science degree, and my second is his acting training, but you never know. If they (or the two younger ones) express interest, understand they will need to work harder than their peers, and not report into me, I would absolutely be supportive. It’s such a great industry that I would love them to join.

Article published on B&T 17th July 2024