A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A DECSTAR.

8:30am – I arrive at the office and spend the first 15 minutes going through any emails from clients, media, and industry newsletters, and reviewing Slack messages from the team – Taylor Swift has just announced her world tour, so our cultural channel #slackingoff is going… off, as we throw around ideas on how we can secure tickets! Finally, I look at my To-Do list to make a solid plan for the day. My main priorities are pitching a new campaign, preparing a Post-Campaign Report, and catching up with a client. 

8:45am – I get stuck into media and social monitoring for a variety of my clients. Working with my team, I review any brand mentions or respond to consumer comments and flag enquiries with a recommendation with clients for action.  

9:15am – Today I’m enjoying a coffee (or in my case a hot chocolate!) with our CEO Michael as part of our internal ‘Creative Coffee with a Colleague (CCC)’ program. The purpose of this program is to build connections across the agency with DECstars who don’t usually work together, and identify creative opportunities. It’s a great opportunity to catch up on life, brainstorm new ideas, and set the tone for the day – I’m feeling inspired.   

10:00am – I jump into some phone calls and emails with various journalists to pitch in a story that’s just gone live. Today I’m chatting to lifestyle and healthcare media about a new purpose campaign.   

11:00am – It’s time to join a virtual meeting with one of our clients, where I’ll share an update on current campaign activity and discuss our focus for the week ahead. This is called a ‘Work In Progress’ or ‘WIP’ meeting, and is a great way to monitor campaign progress.    

11:45am – We’ve recently wrapped up a big campaign for one of my corporate clients, so I’m working with the team to develop a Post-Campaign Report (PCR) that we’ll present to our client contacts, demonstrating the success of the campaign and some ideas for Year Two. We’re recommending an exciting industry partnership, that has potential to take the brand to even wider audiences! 

1:30pm – I’m notoriously known around the office for snacking too much in the mornings and then having a late lunch – so I’m finally hungry again. I’ve been trying not to buy lunch so brought some leftovers in today. We’re talking so much about EOFY celebrations in the office, and I’m proud of my savings! 

2:30pm – We have an issue! A key ingredient that features in one of our clients’ products has had some negative press, which we’ve caught thanks to our media monitoring service. We flag this media alert with the client and hop on a call to discuss actions at speed. It’s all hands on deck to prepare reactive media statements and switch on tailored media alerts, so we can get ahead of the coverage and ensure the brand is not pulled into any stories. Issues and crises seem scary at first, but the adrenaline that comes with putting your To-Do list to the side and switching to reputation protection mode for your client alongside your team is unbeatable, truly. 

3:45pm – Statements are all drafted and approved, now we’re just on alert for monitoring until the news cycle dies down. While we monitor, I get back to my To-Do list. One of our clients is set to launch a new product range later this year, so I’m joining a briefing session with our team to divide roles and responsibilities in the lead-up to the launch. After our meeting, I spent some time researching competitors and brainstorming creative ways to drive awareness through PR (it’s not just earned media)! 

4:30pm – On Thursday afternoons, it’s tools down for ‘Snacks and Yacks’ where the DECstars get together as a team over a cheese board and drink of choice to list our personal and professional peaks of the week, while also sharing updates on our clients and campaigns with the wider agency team. It allows for a slow wind-down and a moment to celebrate everything we’ve worked on in the past seven days – we love it!  

5.30pm – Winding up for the day, I ensure I’m at “Inbox Zero”, save all key docs on the server and do my timesheets. I hop on the train to head home, dreaming about what I’ll have for dinner… It’s been a big one, and I’m excited to do it all again tomorrow!