#Newsmaker: "Our industry is saturated with social media folk" - Kevin McLennan

Kevin McLennan, social media strategist at Artifact Advertising.

When did you join Artifact Advertising?
I joined Artifact Advertising in May 2017.

Tell us about your work on the Telkom brand and your latest campaign for the brand in particular?
The Telkom brand is a very exciting one to work on and always keeps you on your toes! Telkom is always open to using new and innovating ways to use social and digital platforms, which makes it a real treat for someone like me. Using new digital formats and experimenting with different social strategies really keeps the brand innovative and in turn lets me use my creativity. I really appreciate how far Telkom has come digitally in such a short space in time and it just proves that any brand can adapt when trends are available to utilise.

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What does your role as social media strategist entail?
Being a social media strategist is way too fun to describe in just some text! But it’s the equivalent of having your fingers in every pie.

What excites you most about the agency and where it’s going?
For me, Artifact isn’t an environment where you just get lost in the crowd. Your opinions really do matter and there’s always a chance to give input into different areas of the clients you work on and the way you do every-day work activities. Artifact believes in giving people a chance to prove themselves, and in turn that makes you want to thrive.

Aside from our great work, the people that I work with aren’t just colleagues, they’re family. When you work with such creative people who also mean a lot to you, it’s an easy recipe for magic!

As a finalist in the New Generation Awards' 'The New Generation Social Wiz Award' category, comment on the current state of the industry and social media in particular.

Our industry is saturated with social media folk and it’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it can really be detrimental to the health of our industry when everyone claims to be a specialist in social media.

There are a lot of people out there who think that they can be social media specialists without mentorship and practice. It’s true that we’re in the digital age, but there’s so much more to a tweet than meets the eye in 2018! Keeping a keen eye for trends, content and audience analysing are just the tip of the iceberg that is our industry.

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What do you love most about your career?
I love to socialise and get out on the town, so attending events and client activations are my favourite aspects. Plus, seeing some of your plans come to life through these events is so satisfying! I’ve been so fortunate to make many friends in my career and everywhere I go I get to see a familiar face. It’s amazing!

What did it take to get to where you are today?
I normally don’t fuss over this and everybody would say the same old line of: “I’ve worked hard to get here.” But it’s true, I have worked really hard to get here and I don’t think there’s any other way to do it.

Sometimes in the moment we forget just how far we’ve come and just focus on the shortcomings that we currently face. Coming along in the industry has been a long process, but I believe that learning all the essential things that you need to know along the way really sets you up for a sustainable success.

I did all the things people told me to do: study, intern and all the regular stuff that makes up a successful employee. But, I found that being in the job and being present is the only real teacher that counts.

Never stop learning and improving and you’ll always be proud at how your growth continues.

What are you currently reading / watching / listening to for work?
I stick to YouTube like crazy! It’s where I get most of my ideas and I love watching international trends unfold and then taking them onto our clients. Each morning before work I sit down and watch YouTube’s trending videos with my breakfast. It’s my favourite form of news!

Tell us something about yourself not generally known.


I started working at a Tabloid Magazine when I was only 15! Looking back, it was a crazy experience to have, but it really kick-started my career and as soon as I matriculated my career began without having to even try that hard. Never underestimate the power of learning with what little time you have!