[Behind the Selfie] with... Melissa Attree

Selfie taken from my space on the 6th floor of Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town in Woodstock - you can see across to the harbour from here. (Ed: Attree asked me to make it clear that she had to take a selfie to be featured here, just in case Ogilvy worries that she’s now shooting her own publicity pics.)

1. Where do you live, work and play?

Attree: Cape Town.

2. What's your claim to fame?

Attree: I won 'best actress' in high school.

3. Describe your career so far.

Attree: It's been diverse and driven by my restlessness and intense curiosity. I've switched gears a few times and I'm incredibly grateful for that. It feels like I'm just getting started.

4. Tell us a few of your favourite things...

Attree: The internet (yes, all of it) gadgets, Jack Russells, my special people, art, drumming, good wine, great books and movies.

5. What do you love about your industry?

Attree: I'm surrounded by super-smart people who are constantly challenging the status quo. The industry evolves quickly and it's great to be in a space where people are brave enough to try new things.

6. What are a few pain points your industry can improve on?

Attree: Sometimes communications professionals are poor at communicating their ideas - for me, I know this is true at times and it's something I need to work on.

7. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.

Attree: It varies, sometimes I spend days in meetings, other times I'm reading up on case studies and trawling the web for inspiration and examples of best practice, or preparing presentations for clients.

8. What are the tools of your trade?

Attree: My Mac, iPhone, a big blank Moleskine and good coffee.

9. Who is getting it right in your industry?

Attree: From a content marketing point of view, globally: General Electric, Coca-Cola, npr. Locally: Yuppiechef, Mercedes Benz, Woolworths.

10. What are you working on right now?

Attree: I'm developing a process for content marketing at Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town. I'm driving a content-first agenda within the agency and pitching some forward-thinking content marketing strategies to clients. It's exciting to be able to introduce some new concepts to the agency and our clients.

11. Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry at the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself.

Attree:

• Storytelling
• Owned platforms
• Brand as publisher
• Curation
• Collaboration
• Editorial
• Content-led strategy.

12. Where and when do you have your best ideas?

Attree: When I least expect it, but usually while sleeping or driving.

13. What's your secret talent/party trick?

Attree: I'm a below-average (but practising) drummer and I do an awesome Smurf voice.

14. Are you a technophobe or a technophile?

Attree: Definitely a technophile!

15. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?

Attree: Lots of pretty pics of Cape Town, loved ones and dogs. Random to-do lists and amusing WhatsApp conversations.

16. What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?

Attree: Work hard, be curious and be humble. Don't wait for people to tell you what to do, get stuck in, try different things and find what makes you tick.

17. Plug your contact details, punt yourself - list all the places people can find you/your work online.

Attree:

Twitter
About Me
LinkedIn

Click here for more on/from Attree.

*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.