For over 20 years Carolyn Miller has been working in the marketing and advertising industry and has been a strategist at multiple award-winning agencies. She’s also a regular panellist on the highly popular ABC Television Program ‘Gruen’, where advertising industry experts review and discuss marketing creative concepts and strategies. Carolyn has featured as a contributor in the best-selling 'The Gruen Transfer' book and is regularly featured in a variety of television shows discussing advertising, including Sunrise on Channel 7 and The Today Show on Channel 9.
Carolyn loves seeing brands and businesses succeed, and is passionate about bringing ideas to life. Her background as a strategist not only gives her great insight into the brand and advertising world, but also the heartland of consumer sentiment and shifting cultural trends.
Current work
She’s the Founding Director of Communications Consultancy ‘The Honeycomb Effect’ where her client base includes high profile brands such as Nespresso, Yahoo!7, Pfizer, Lend Lease and The Australian Institute of Sport amongst many others.
She’s passionate about Women’s health and has been a Non-Executive Director of the Board at Family Planning NSW since 2012. She was elected as Vice President in 2015, and continues to work with the Executive Leadership team to ensure women from all backgrounds have access to reliable and affordable healthcare services, particularly in area of reproductive health.
One of the reasons Carolyn is in demand as a speaker is thanks to her ability to deliver exciting and engaging keynote addresses as well as her collaborative approach with conference organisers.
Previous experience
Education: She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, and an Executive MBA from the University of Technology Sydney.
Speaker: She is skilled in speaking on the following topics: Branding; Advertising; Social Media; Digital Strategy; Cultural Trends; Customer Centricity; Employee Engagement; Thinking like an Entrepreneur; Small Business Marketing; Creative Thinking; Innovation; Not-For-Profit Business; Research & Customer Insight; Business Strategy; Women’s Health; Women in Business; Gender & Stereotyping / Recognising Bias; Personal Branding; plus many more.
Talking Points
The Rise and Importance of Environmental and Sustainable Business Practices
The Rise and Importance of Environmental and Sustainable Business Practices
Carolyn has had considerable experience advising clients in the importance of sustainable business practices - why the triple bottom line is important for businesses to address not only from a consumer sentiment point of view, but also for actually returning financial rewards. Her engagement over the past 10 years with government agencies and not-for-profit clients has meant that she has witnessed the shift from only looking at the financial bottom line, to also considering the environmental and social impacts of any decisions being made by companies. She gives a compelling presentation that looks at both the rewards as well as the risks of engaging in good ethical practices for big and small companies alike, and can engage participants in workshops to help uncover innovative ways to change their business for the future.
Making Creativity Work for Business
Making Creativity Work for Business
An engaging and visual presentation into why creative thinking can enhance business. Whether it's thinking creatively to come up with solutions to business problems, untapping new opportunities or simply motivating staff and clients, creativity not only makes sound economic sense, it also makes working more enjoyable. This style of presentation is designed to make people question their usually linear way of thinking, and be inspired to consider how they can bring more creativity into their workplace.
Social Media and Implications for Business
Social Media and Implications for Business
This is a presentation that creates an understanding of how social media is being used, and what the implications are for businesses. Here we can learn what has changed in media in the past five years, and how the conversations that are happening between business, consumers, clients and employees are more multi-faceted than ever before. This presentation will not only show local and international examples of social media trends, but can also be tailored to a specific industry as required.
Women in Business
Women in Business
Empowerment is the calling card of modern business women. However, this can also come at a price of a personal life, and is it really possible to have it all? This presentation talks through my own personal experiences of working within a male dominated industry, the pitfalls of the 'boy's club' but also how to make the most of your opportunities and have your voice heard. This is an inspirational journey that shows us that the most essential part of success is having an understanding of what you are first, and then maneuvering your circumstances to leverage your goals. It also demonstrates the importance of understanding company goals when you are looking at a future path, and creating steps to make them happen.
The Holistic Nature of the Brand
The Holistic Nature of the Brand
A presentation on brand values, and how these need to be lived within an organisation in order for them to be believed by consumers.
Near Field Communication
Near Field Communication
Near Field Communication allows devices to connect with each other or other NFC-enabled tiles by bringing them in close contact, or 'tapping'. The GSMA, an association of mobile operators and related companies, predicts that there will be 500 million NFC devices by 2014 and 78 per cent of points of sale tills will be NFC-ready by 2017.
NFC is actually the next step from where QR codes began (which, it should be noted, are generally considered a failure in Australia).
Topics to be addressed:
NFC for retailers - apps and outbound content / suggestions for people as they come into region.
NFC for advertisers - Enabled billboards.
NFC for transactions - Google wallet and apple iPhone6; why the future of payments is looking to be NFC enabled, and what impact this may have on other facets of transactions and marketing.
NFC and consumer sentiment - why content, targeting and really understanding your audience will be crucial for the success of NFC. There is the potential for doing damage to your brand with anything that feels like spam.
Case studies of successful NFC applications to date.
Carolyn was the opening speaker at our conference on the topic: "How to make Local Government more attractive". I appreciated how she worked very well with me to develop the session and how ... keep reading Local Government Association of NSW and Shires Association of NSW
The Sunshine Coast Business Women's Network had the pleasure of having Carolyn Miller present at our inaugural Leadership Development Program 2012. Our plan was to provide the Business Women of the Sunshine Coast accessibility to some of Australia's most reputable presenters in Business and Leadership Development, and Carolyn fitted perfectly. Carolyn has the ability to connect and inspire, her real life examples and approach to business made her a stand-out for our program. Carolyn comes highly recommended and we would have no hesitation in engaging Carolyn in future events.
Carolyn is extremely personable and inspiring. She has connected with your group on a personal level and we have greatly valued her willingness to interact at a social level. It makes Carolyn more real and her presentations so much more salient.
Carolyn, your presentation on the day was insightful, entertaining and exactly what we were after. I could not have asked to work with a better team. The feedback from all stakeholders has been overwhelmingly positive and I couldn't be happier with how the event ran. In fact, we were trending at #1 on Twitter at one point!
She left people wanting more! Participants at her breakout were left energised and thinking about the world of innovation and creativity - what role they play and how they can engage with their teams.
