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Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/59614
claudia batten Claduia's husband, Mark Castator, is an amazing artist and together they love to travel to see art. The pair recently got to see the De Kooning show at MoMA in NYC – "It was a once in a lifetime show and there is something entirely transformational that happens when you see a show of that importance. I don't think I can describe it," Claudia says. of strong women in powerful positions. The 'girls can do anything' campaign started when I was five. I don't think you can discount the power of seeing this being infused into popular culture. Then you take Jenny Shipley, Dame Catherine Tizard, Fran Wilde, Helen Clark, and add Theresa Gattung and Mai Chen. With all these immensely powerful women in high places it just never occurred to me that I couldn't do whatever I wanted." Victors & Spoils offers Claudia what she, her colleagues and the advertising clients want. She cautions that as we move deeper into the digital age the rules are changing, something to ignore at our peril. "We've gone through the adoption phase of the Internet, we all opted in and we're all there now. Now we're at the point where our behaviour begins to change. It used to be about connecting online – now it's more about engaging online For Claudia, it doesn't get much better than hanging out with her golden retriever, Rugby who can turn an exhausting day into the best day ever. And you haven't lived until he's dive bombed you in a pool: claws out, full extension, maximum glee. and using that connectivity to deliver your message. When you see what happened with the Online Piracy Act and the Stop Online Piracy Act digital outrage, and even when you look at Arab Spring, you see that last year was pivotal in what's happening online. The connectivity is established – it's now about how you use that connectivity. We're in for some exciting and radical change." For advertising the change means giving more power to the people. "It's the idea of allowing consumers to have a voice with a brand, have more of an engagement with a brand and connect more deeply with the brand," explains Claudia. "Whether you call it 'crowdsourcing' or 'engagement marketing' or whatever, I think reaching out to consumers and asking them for their ideas, their opinions and their thoughts is something we're going to see more and more of." Building online engagement is a topic that sees Claudia happily jump up on to her soapbox, especially when it comes to her homeland. "If you're not obsessed with digital, you have to be careful that your business doesn't become irrelevant. It blows me away sometimes how little Kiwis are using these platforms, and it scares me because this is where the world is shifting. New Zealand arguably has the ability to use this connectivity to remove any barriers to our geographical isolation and really start making an impact on the world. If we don't start radically embracing digital as a country, let alone as a company, we're going to be out to pasture." Likewise, adds Claudia, New Zealand needs to be fostering the amazing talent we have right on our doorstep. "The young talent today grew up with digital. They use • Never get complacent – ever • Learn to listen to your intuition and learn to trust it • Have an openness to transitioning, taking your skills to new places and learning new skills • Have broad shoulders. It's inevitable that new ideas will induce some degree of criticism • Embrace digital with abandon. Understand and participate in the digital world, and think about where it can take your conversation these networks in a different way and they think about them in a different way. We need to be really embracing young talent and figuring out how they think. New Zealand is untapped potential of the highest degree." Claudia says people often question why she doesn't live in New Zealand when she is so obviously devoted to the country. She replies it's purely because, for the moment, the United States is where the bigger opportunities, and victories, lay. When asked to define 'success' Claudia shies away from using the word 'happy', although one gets the feeling that's really what it comes down to. "For me success is when I can sit back and be proud of what I've achieved, feel like I've done it with integrity, and that I haven't stepped on anyone along the way. Ultimately if I can sit down with my husband and a glass of wine at the end of the day, laugh at my Golden Retriever and go for a ski, that's success. It's so easy to feel like it's all these other things like money, recognition and other elements that are ego-based. None of that's to say I don't want to achieve a lot! But to me it's feeling like you've really climbed a mountain, stopped to enjoy the view and are happy about what you've achieved." Catherine Murray www.victorsandspoils.com Claudia's advice for staying ahead of the game: 14 | www.hermagazine.co.nz