IB Woman
Issue No. 37 - October/November 2007
Sister act gets results in stereo
by Penelope Herbert
Working in the media comes with a veneer of glamour not usually associated with ‘back stage’.
Yet for every radiant ‘star’ there are dozens of people in the shadows supporting the person and the show. And since the show must go on regardless, Austereo relies on two such support staff to ensure the hits keep coming.
Sarah Rogers and Jodie Cairns work in promotions, Sarah as the Promotions Manager for Triple M and Jodie as the Promotions and Marketing Director for both Triple M and SAFM.
With two young children each and a friendship forged over 16 years, Sarah and Jodie expect the unexpected working creatively and strategically as team member and boss respectively.
“Sarah and I compliment each other because she pays attention to detail,” Jodie says.
“We have mutual respect and trust, making us great friends and colleagues.”
Jodie says she has always tried to hire people whose personalities compliment the existing members of the team.
“Jodie is a ‘people person’ and she does a great job actually selling a promotional idea to a client,” says Sarah.
“The reason we get on so well is because we have the same core values and a passion for business.
“We collaborate and communicate, and we approach each promotion with logic weighing up the pros and cons.
“Our consideration for the client must come first but we also have a responsibility to appeal to our listeners and keep them listening.”
The pair seeks to produce promotions that will be talked about “around the water cooler”. They aim to have a viral marketing impact where good, or fun, news travels fast.
Because no promotion is ever the same, and competition is fierce, their days are never the same which means a fast pace and many challenges.
“Radio promotions and marketing have changed dramatically in the 19 years I have been here,” says Jodie. “The industry is more sophisti...
