Lucky 13: Phuong Nguyen, eBay Advertising | M&M Global

Lucky 13: Phuong Nguyen, eBay Advertising

In the third of a new series of M&M Global interviews, Phuong Nguyen, director of eBay Advertising, tries his luck with our list of 13 quick-fire questions.

Phuong-Nguyen

1 – Summarise yourself in three words

Occasionally annoyingly passionate.

2 – What made you want to pursue a career in media and marketing?

I firstly picked a company whose product and service I loved, eBay, then from there found my home in the digital marketing space where I loved the immediacy of using data to test, learn and optimise a business. I’ve always said that one of the reasons I love data is because it takes the politics out of decision making.

3 – Describe your ideal client

I love working with risk takers and provocateurs. Those organisations and individuals that get the balance right between listening to the data and listening to your gut.

4 – Name your favourite ever campaign

Back home in Australia the airline Qantas ran an iconic campaign that lasted over a decade that revolved around the song ‘I Still Call Australia Home’. Every time I fly back over Sydney, the songs starts playing in my head, and a single tear starts streaming from my eye. Now that’s brand resonance!

5 – Which award are you most proud of, and why?

Having my head of programmatic UK, Jean-Baptiste Goux acclaimed as ‘Rising Star’ in November’s IPA Media Owner’s Awards. Developing talent within organisations has always been a passion of mine and it’s the ultimate feeling of reward as a leader seeing someone you’ve mentored achieve great things.

6 – Who is the best industry speaker you have seen?

Rob Bassett who is UK sales director at eBay Advertising is one of the most uncannily unique speakers I’ve ever seen up on a stage. There was one year where he was able to work in a cat video into every one of his presentations!

“I’m not going to lie… my local Chicken Cottage has saved me more times than I care to remember”

7 – Which is your favourite social media platform, and why?

Instagram. It’s the last bastion of socially acceptable food porn on social media.

8 – Where is your ideal meeting venue?

Walking along the Thames Riverside at eBay HQ in Richmond. I find walking meetings to be a great way of generating new ideas, facilitating frank discussion, appreciating the gloriousness of my surroundings… all whilst crushing my FitBit buddies with my step count.

9 – What is your favourite restaurant?

I’m not going to lie… my local Chicken Cottage has saved me more times than I care to remember.

10 – What is hot in international media and marketing, and what is not?

Hot = predictive targeting. Not = mobile (in isolation). In the mind of the consumer it’s not ecommerce, m-commerce, or Bricks and Mortar commerce… it’s just bloody shopping!

11 – Which industry buzzword would you ban?

Programmatic. I feel as though it isolates the technology part of the industry from the creative side, when the two should be working hand in hand to do amazing things.

12 – Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

Probably still growing amazing businesses and developing amazing teams somewhere in the world. Wherever it is, I’m sure I’ll be zooming into work on my hover-board. And I’m talking about a real Marty McFly hover-board. Not these two-wheeled monstrosities pervading the world right now.

13 – Finally, who would play you in a movie of your life?

Actually, my team has already voted this. It’d be the little Chinese boy from the Indiana Jones films. Despite the fact that I’m of Vietnamese heritage.

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