Digital Marketing Manager | Youth Central

Anthony, late 20s

"Be alive to all of the possibilities an ICT career can offer you. There’s not one industry that ICT doesn’t operate in – just look around and you’ll see that ICT is everywhere."

Anthony’s role brings him in close contact with one of Australia’s best-known and most successful sporting teams – the Victorian Bushrangers cricket team. It’s his job to develop new content and use the latest digital technologies to promote Victorian cricket – a dream job for this self-described ‘Apple fanboy’ who one day hopes to work in Silicon Valley alongside some of the ‘brightest and most passionate ICT professionals on the globe’.

Anthony, what do you do?

I’m the Digital Marketing Manager for Cricket Victoria. It’s varied role, but I’m responsible for managing the Cricket Victoria website and all of Cricket Victoria’s marketing via mobile technology and social media.

An important (and fun) part of my role is to work with Cricket Victoria’s staff and the Victorian cricketers to develop articles, photos and video content for our websites and other digital assets.

We’re always exploring new ways to use technology to help engage with the Victorian teams, the Bushrangers men’s team, and our women’s team, the VicSpirit. I recommend the adoption of new technologies to help Cricket Victoria reach its supporters, so I need to keep on top of all the latest developments in digital marketing.

Where did your ICT career begin?

I studied a Bachelor of Computer Science (with Honours) at the University of Tasmania, and after graduation I kicked off my ICT career as a programmer/analyst with a government department in Hobart.

I then moved to Melbourne, where my first project was as a web developer working on the Global Corporate Challenge website. This is a Google Maps-based website aimed at promoting fitness. This set the scene for me combining sports and new media into a career.

What sort of projects do you work on?

I’ve been fortunate to work on some really interesting projects with Cricket Victoria.

One example is the Victorian Bushrangers iPhone application. This app allows Bushrangers fans to follow all that’s happening in Victorian cricket, whether they’re at the ground, at home or at work. It gives fans all the latest news, videos, match fixtures and player biographies and, of course, the score!

We’ve also been re-developing the Bushrangers website and developing new content to keep our supporters up to date. We’re looking at a new live scoring feature for the website, and exploring ways for our iPhone app and the website to integrate even more closely with our social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

What do you like most about your job?

I love the variety of my job. The digital/online environment seems to be changing every day – and it’s my job to keep on top of it! It’s a challenge when companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Apple and Google are coming out with innovative products and features all the time – digital media is an exceptionally exciting space to be working in right now.

It’s always exciting when we launch a new project or initiative, and seeing how fans interact with it. In summer, we had 45,000 supporters at a match and a large proportion of the crowd were connected with each other via their mobiles and commentating on the match as it unfolded – it all helps fans feel a part of a community of supporters.

And what are some of the challenges?

From a marketing point-of-view, the relatively short length of the domestic cricket season presents a challenge. Sometimes it feels as if you’re building up excellent interest and momentum, and then suddenly the season is over (and everyone’s talking footy again!).

That said, with the rise of the Indian Premier League and Twenty20 cricket in general, Victorian players get a lot more exposure on the international scene – so internationally there’s plenty of cricket for us to be involved with!

What skills do you require for your job?

Although my role is very marketing-orientated, I’d be absolutely lost without my background in software development. I’m always investigating new technologies that might help Cricket Victoria meet its marketing objectives, and my IT background allows me to make sense of this fast-changing ICT landscape.

What kind of interaction do you have with others in your job?

I spend a lot of each day time interacting with my colleagues at Cricket Victoria, as well as the Bushrangers coaches and players.

There’s also a lot of travel involved in our department. Someone from our Digital Department will travel with the Bushrangers to all of their interstate games for the domestic Twenty20 tournament, and to the international Twenty20 Champions League.

Finally, what advice would you give to someone considering a career in ICT?

I would say, be alive to all of the possibilities an ICT career can offer you. There’s not a single industry that ICT doesn’t operate in – you just have to look around and you’ll see that ICT is everywhere!

Find out more about this career path at myfuture.edu.au (Note: free registration is required to access the myfuture site).