Meet nine of Adelaide’s best social media managers behind SA’s biggest brands
They’re the social brains behind some of South Australia’s biggest brands – from The Oodie to Zoos SA. Meet the media managers behind SA’s most viral moments.
SA Business
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Social media is vital for brands to not only engage current customers and foster brand identity but also to reach new audiences.
As society continues to spend more and more time online, engaging users is important for businesses and finding the best ways to do that comes from experience from the best.
We’ve revealed the social brains behind some of South Australia’s biggest brands – from The Oodie to Zoos SA, here are the social media managers behind SA’s most viral moments.
Purpose Digital Marketing
Marketing director: Tild Ricourt
Her job working as a door girl at various Adelaide nightclubs led to Tild Ricourt becoming the director of her own marketing firm, managing a variety of clients social media and much more.
In November 2016 when Ms Ricourt started working at the club she “accidentally” found herself helping out with the marketing.
“Since the nightclub, I supported that boss in opening another 13 venues as he grew: restaurants, bars, nightclubs, live music venues and cafes,” she said.
“I rose the ranks from marketing assistants to head of marketing, managing 11 internal staff.”
In February 2023 Ms Ricourt quit the club scene to start her own company, joining forces with the owners of design agency, Frame Creative, to together open Purpose.
“While no day is the same, there are some consistencies,” she said.
Ms Ricourt spends her days emailing, making phone calls, undertaking quality control, having strategy meetings and the general daily grind.
“Our marketing agency has supported a variety of brands including CABN, Mismatch Brewing, The Wolf Gang, Kintaro Sushi, Woodstock Wines, 78 Degrees Gin, Denim & Cloth, Art By Poh, The Crown & Anchor group, Bar Lune, Spread Deli and more,” she said.
“We specialise in the following services: organic social media, social content creation, paid social advertising, paid Google advertising, emailing marketing, SEO, reporting, influencers and we’ll tackle the in-betweens too.”
The Oodie
Head of social media: Linda Huynh
Linda Huynh is the brains behind The Oodie’s viral social media content.
Having started at the company in a customer service role, she moved into content creation and “accidentally” became ‘The Oodie Girl’.
She continued to work her way up until she became head of social media and the manager of a team.
An average day in Ms Huynh’s life consists of: “setting up processes and systems for her team, coming up with social media strategies to support all our brand new licensor and product launches, staying up to date with all social media trends, staying up to date with Gen Z lingo, shooting content for the social media channels, being The Oodie Girl in campaign shoots and executing social media campaigns”.
“Honestly every day is different so it’s hard to summarise,” she told The Advertiser.
In her spare time Ms Huynh has also created content for global brands such as Uniqlo, HM, Koala, Champion and Go-To Skincare, to name a few.
Bickford’s Group
Head of communications: Renee Bezzina-Hayes
Renee Bezzina-Hayes is the powerhouse brain behind the Bickford’s Group bright and colourful social media presence across all platforms.
Since 2016, when Ms Bezzina-Hayes came across to the global SA company she’s been shoulders deep in a kaleidoscope of tasks including: scheduling photo shoots, brainstorming strategies, crafting mood boards for the next big content drop, and briefing agencies when their expertise is required.
“In essence my role at Bickford’s Group is stimulating blend of creativity, strategy, collaboration and adaptability across all communication channels,” she told The Advertiser.
“I navigate the ever-changing landscape of communications with a blend of strategy and creativity. One a regular day, I manage communication strategies, juggling everything from content creation and public relations to digital marketing, strategic development and experience development.”
Bickford’s Group has an internal team of content managers, brand managers, venue managers and a creative studio that work with Ms Bezzina-Hayes.
7NEWS Adelaide
Social media manger: Chrystianna Konidis
Chrystianna Konidis is the award-winning social media manager behind 7NEWS.
“No two days are the same,” she said. “On an average day, I kickstart with caffeine and keep up with breakfast radio before diving into breaking local stories, curating viral content, and updating audiences on major news events.
“I stay in constant connection with 7NEWS viewers across our platforms.”
Ms Konidis found herself in the role after studying a double degree in Journalism and Professional Writing along with International Relations at the University of South Australia.
“After a recommendation from the journalism program director, I soon found myself immersed in the dynamic world of Channel 7,” she said.
“I vividly remember the moment I got the call – a pinch-me moment and opportunity that felt surreal to land while still a student.”
Flinders University
Social media and digital marketing co-ordinator: Simone Palmrose
If you see a woman walking around Flinders University filming the students, it’s probably Simone Palmrose but not without a coffee first.
She spends her typical day responding to comments and DMs, catching up with the latest activity across the university and filming TikToks.
“I post everything you see on the Flinders social media accounts, across TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X,” she said.
“I love it. I get to be creative — coming up with ideas for content, interviewing students, attending events, filming, editing and scheduling posts, as well as managing the accounts and reporting on our engagement and growth.”
Ms Palmrose worked for a not-for-profit organisation before starting at Flinders University in June 2022.
“I’ve helped some businesses take their first steps into social media, and helped others better understand how to really leverage their brands,” she said.
Adelaide Thunderbirds and Netball South Australia
Communications co-ordinator: Henry Milic
The Thunderbirds and Netball South Australia welcomed a fresh face in October 2023 – Henry Milic who works as the brands communications co-ordinator.
Having completed a Bachelor of Journalism and Professional Writing at UniSA in 2020, Mr Milic worked as a news reporter for a range of media outlets across the state, including in Port Lincoln.
Now in his role at the Thunderbirds and Netball South Australia he is responsible for all things communication.
“Each day can look very different depending on what content we are pushing but in a broad sense it involves interviewing players, writing articles, liaising with media outlets to arrange press conferences, creating content with our player athletes, creating EDMs for our members, updating and auditing our Thunderbirds website, filming reels and taking photos for our channels,” he said.
Zoos SA
Senior communications co-ordinator: Amy Vogelsang
Amy Vogelsang is relatively new to the role of senior communications co-ordinator at Zoos SA starting in July 2023 after a career spanning digital agencies and the government sector.
“My passion for animals and conservation has now led me back to Zoos SA,” she said.
She said her job is to “build a connection with the public and inspire them to care about saving species – from the tallest of tall giraffes to the smallest of small Malle Emu-wrens”.
“This takes form through recording interviews with keepers, creating scroll-stopping social media posts, getting animal experts front and centre in the media, and of course capturing lots of animal content,” she said.
“Yes, it really is a dream job.”
Public relations manager: Michelle Hubbard
UK-born Michelle Hubbard, public relations manager at Zoos SA, started her career in London where she worked for women’s magazines and news. She moved to Adelaide in 2017 after spending a few years living on a boat and started her own business as a copywriter and PR expert.
“I heard about a role at Zoos SA and let’s just say they had me at ‘giraffe’,” she said.
When asked about an average day in her work life, Ms Hubbard said “working at Zoos SA and the word ‘average’ do not go together”.
“My office is opposite the meerkats, hoots, roars and howls make up my background noise and I take a daily lunchtime pilgrimage to see a Binturong,” she said.
As a PR manager Ms Hubbard takes care of communications strategy and content creation which includes creating social media content for over 400k followers across all platforms.
“Finding topics to cover when working at a zoo and safari park is never difficult – the subject matter glorious and our keepers, volunteers and members capture amazing content that we can share,” she said.
Yovanka Loria and BDB Group
Communications and copywriting manager for Yovanka Loria and marketing and communications manager at BDB Group: Elle Barker
Not many people can say they are as busy at Elle Barker who works across multiple businesses and sub-businesses as a marketing and communications manager.
Since getting her first job at 14 she’s almost always worked two jobs at once saying she loves the “chaos”.
After enrolling in speech pathology at university in 2019, she transferred to media and communications before ultimately settling on a business degree which she finished in 2023.
She’s been working at Yovanka Loria HQ since March 2022 working as the communications and copywriting manager across all four enterprises: Yovanka Loria Extensions, Yovanka Loria Salon, Yovanka Loria Education and YL Haircare.
In July 2023 she also started as the marketing and communications managers at BDB Group.
“No matter what day it is, I can guarantee you I’ve probably finished off four or five black coffees to get me through it,” she said.
At Yovanka Loria HQ Ms Barker’s work day involves managing the SEO sector the marketing department, undergoing all the company website copy, blog posts and Google business updates.
She also handles all the PR and partnerships, including sourcing influencers, writing media releases and any necessary company contracts.
At BDB Group Ms Barker is almost always in meetings.
“I am constantly working with our clients to assess their current business progressions and establish upcoming offers and incentives in line with this,” she said.
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