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[Voiceover]: Welcome to the checkout. We catch up with previous Add to Cut guests and ask them five quick questions to get to know them better and leave you with a little extra inspiration to get through your Friday. Here's your host, Bushy.
[Ad]: Today's checkout features Gay Leroy, CEO of the IAB Australia. Gay has been CEO of IAB Australia for the last six years and she has led efforts to advance the digital advertising standards and innovation for the industry. With over 25 years of experience, Gay has worked extensively with government media organizations and businesses to drive impactful change across all of the digital and advertising industry.
Nathan Bush: Gay, thank you so much for joining us on the checkout. We had a brilliant main chat where we talked about everything that you and the IAB are doing. Everything from the, the Privacy act reform which is coming very soon no doubt, all the way through to what channels you're seeing working in the digital ad space and how Australian retailers can be more competitive, especially with some of the international competitors on our shore. We're here to learn a little bit more about you. I've got five quick questions. Number one, what is the weirdest thing that you've ever bought online?
Gai Le Roy: So last year I found myself in the position of offering to run a pantomime for the industry, which I've never done, let alone seen many pantomimes. So, you know, the natural thing was to go and, you know, find a book that tells me how to run a pantomime. There are not enough. So I found myself deep in the world of self publishing and bought these wonderful books by odd characters who have run like pantomimes for their church. So I really enjoyed actually, you know, spending money with an author who, it's just a passion point and, you know, you can imagine the quality of images and writing but it, it, it really did spark joy.
Nathan Bush: Who convinced you to run a pantomime?
Gai Le Roy: So I did this in conjunction with Chris Friel when he was running the unlimited charity and we really felt the industry, it's been pretty tough, right, that we needed a few laughs. So, you know, I had, I think after, you know, 30 years in the industry, a whole lot of things that I wanted to get off my chest and I could do it in a humorous way. So it was great. We raised $16,000 and it was a great night.
Nathan Bush: Well done. There you go. Going from helping government with policy reform to running pantomimes.
Gai Le Roy: You need to let the a little bit of stress out sometimes.
Nathan Bush: Love it. Number two, which retailer has most inspired you recently?
Gai Le Roy: So I'm going to give a couple of answers here. So I'm just back from Japan, like every Australian under the sun and Japanese retailers are just amazing. So whether it's, you know, convenience stores and creating that in store, reason to go to them, like there's just every reason or the high end, you know, I got some jeans and there's a tailor sitting there. Love it. You know, it made me really happy. In terms of online local, it's maybe not the world's best e commerce experience, but Harris Farm for me, because I'm a bit of a grainy and I hate food wastage and they make it very easy to buy the imperfect stuff. So I feel better about the world when I can, you know, get a discount on my fruit and veg and also stop that food from being wasted.
Nathan Bush: But that is such a good example of what you were talking about, about value because Harris Farm definitely aren't the cheapest, but I always find myself spending so much whenever I visit there because it is interesting and you feel like you're doing the right thing.
Gai Le Roy: Yeah, exactly.
Nathan Bush: It's more than just price for product. Number three, name a piece of tech that you or your business couldn't live without.
Gai Le Roy: So it's, it's a really simple piece of tech. So it's my Dell converter that has every type of, you know, input because then whenever I go anywhere, I've got one of these Dells that hasn't got a USB or anything useful and it's magic, it's, you know, it's so simple. But I've got, you know, 10 different versions and I feel like I've got my sort of Swiss army knife. Wherever I go, you're ready to go.
Nathan Bush: I love it. Have you at the AIB taken on many of the AI tools that are readily available? Is that something that you kind of have pulled into your systems and processes?
Gai Le Roy: We're playing around with it. We've got Copilot. The area that we're really trying to refine is we have 13 different councils and working groups getting minute, taking right actions. So for those side of things, a little bit in the design space, definitely. I guess from a non operational point of view, a big topic of conversation. But yes, fiddled. Internally fiddled.
Nathan Bush: I love it. Love it. All right, number four, can you recommend a book or a podcast that our listeners should immediately get into?
Gai Le Roy: So I still love listening to Nudge, which is a behavioral science podcast, I think along with everyone else in the industry, I listen to Pivot, Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway and anyone who is a US politics fan or, you know, someone who likes to follow that. It's particularly interesting with that overlap with tech and politics at the moment. So I listen to way too many podcasts. So I have this thing in the morning I listen to work podcasts and the afternoon I listen to. And I'm right into literature. So New York Times, books, podcasts. I could give you a list of exactly the same.
Nathan Bush: When I'm on the way to a client in the morning, I'll have, whether it be fear and greed or e commerce podcasts or whatever it is on the way there. So I feel smarter getting there. And then on the way home it'll be some stupid football podcast or something dumb that I'm like, I'm off, I'm done. What's coming up for the IAB podcast?
Gai Le Roy: So we've got one coming up on sustainability, so looking at reducing emissions in media trading. And we've actually got one coming up on affiliate marketing. So yeah, we. We shop and change across the. Across the different areas. But there are our next two that are lined up. Actually, we do have one on marketing fundamentals that we've got coming out with Kanta and Panora Card, so your listeners might be interested in that one.
Nathan Bush: Great. Go check it out. Is it just IAB Podcast?
Gai Le Roy: IAB Australia Podcast.
Nathan Bush: IAB Australia Podcast. Beautiful. Last question I've got for you guys. What is your biggest challenge today?
Gai Le Roy: Trying to remember to keep things light at times. So I think we're all pretty guilty at the moment. There's a lot going on. You know, there's revenue challenges, there's regulatory challenges. You know, we're all getting used to the new work environment. So for me it's just stepping back and going. Actually there's some really cool stuff going on. There's positive things. So just reminding myself not to lose sight of innovation and growth.
Nathan Bush: It's easy to fall into a doom loop, isn't it?
Gai Le Roy: It is.
Nathan Bush: Lovely. Gaye, thank you so much for joining us on the checkout.
Gai Le Roy: Absolutely. Pleasure
[Ad]: to hear more from Gay. Jump back into our full length chat with Gay where we share how Amazon's rapid growth is reshaping the retail landscape in Australia. We talk about the upcoming Privacy act and what those reforms might mean for your business. We get some great insight from Gay there who has been working directly with the government on that act. And we talk about why the juniorization of the workforce in advertising might be cause for concern, especially for those of
Nathan Bush: you who are over 50.
[Ad]: The link to that episode is on our show notes or just search for the episode on Add to cart. Thanks for listening. And until next time, keep adding to cartoon.
