Confidence, complexity and thinking beyond the first step
Worry is a terrible use of imagination.
Worry, fear and second guessing are everywhere. It’s hard to say if it’s at an all-time high or if it just feels like it with the rise of fake news, social media amplification and the proliferation of stories that keep our minds hunting for the truth. Whatever the reason, we seem to be entering an age where there are no breaks or breathers for our consciousness to just stop and focus on what we can discern as truth, or measure with certainty. We are knee-deep in thoughts and worry, not just between 9-5pm, but now 24/7 and 365 days a year – there is noise all around us.
Of course, there is the other side of the coin that says all this complexity has only made us clearer about our collective want for simplicity. We crave confidence, feelings of clarity, the ability to see a path, and to pinpoint the underlying message before we try to forecast the future. With books like ‘It’s Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America’ by David Cay Johnston on one side and ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck’ by Mark Manson on the other, it’s easy to agree that 2017 may have been a little overwhelming.
However, if we spend too much time worrying, we leave no room for imagination. We waste energy on what might be, and not on what could be. Yes, the line is very similar, but it has a distinct difference. Imagination chooses to see possibilities – it’s best friends with innovation, and in a business context it can help you regain focus on your desired end goal.
This isn’t to say that you never think beyond the first step when developing your communication strategy, influence program or press release. This is crucial to ensure you’ve thought everything through thoroughly, but also should include things like risk register that will help you minimize risk, accept the things you can’t control, and make the decision to go ahead with the knowledge that you have done what you can to avoid late night worries.
Once you’re off it’s about having the tools in place to reduce worry and creating time for imagination or innovation. We like to fight worry with confidence. Our clients often use our Mediaportal Alerts or the Isentia App to alert them to news that needs attention, giving them peace of mind that someone else is on the case and the freedom to use their mind elsewhere. Or in some cases, it’s going to bed knowing that they will get an early morning daily brief of news coverage so that they can start the day with a clearer picture of what to priorities. Whatever’s going to give you back some confidence to let your mind refocus on producing more amazingness, do it.
You won’t regret a good idea. But you will regret the ones you never discover.
Loren is an experienced marketing professional who translates data and insights using Isentia solutions into trends and research, bringing clients closer to the benefits of audience intelligence. Loren thrives on introducing the groundbreaking ways in which data and insights can help a brand or organisation, enabling them to exceed their strategic objectives and goals.
I had the pleasure of interning at Isentia, and my experience was nothing short of wonderful.
Having only just graduated from university, I could not help but feel slightly apprehensive starting my internship. However, from my very first day, I was greeted with friendly faces all around the office. Before I knew it, I was having morning coffees with my team mates, and soon my colleagues became familiar friends. I was pleasantly surprised by how inclusive and positive the culture proved to be.
My leader and colleagues from the marketing team were patient when it came to sharing knowledge and took the time to give me tasks that enhanced my learning experience.
During my internship I gained a deeper understanding how to execute a social media campaign. The planning that goes behind each campaign was so extensive and detailed, which I found intimidating initially, but nevertheless proved to be a great learning experience. For example, I was introduced to the concept of publishing paid advertisements, SEO and content creation. I was even given the chance to write blogs, a responsibility I took on-board with great enthusiasm.
My experience was not limited to marketing, I was fortunate enough to get involved with the client experience team, where I learnt more about Mediaportal and the amazing insight services Isentia provides. Time flew by quickly and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to learn and grow.
Isentia isn’t all about working hard; it provides a holistic experience with various social activities and events so everyone has a chance to get to know each other better and learn about the different roles that help to make everything happen.
I am a strong believer in an enriching environment and Isentia has exceeded my expectations as a company, which teaches and places value in those who work there. The knowledge I have gained is invaluable, and I am thankful for the friendships I have made along the way.
I highly recommend working at Isentia and leave the team feeling much more confident of the future ahead - a big thanks to everyone who added to my experience.
How would I sum up my experience as an intern for Isentia? Interesting, rewarding, challenging, and engaging.
Hi, my name is Allan. I am currently an undergraduate Mechanical Engineering and Business Management student studying at the University of Technology, Sydney – and have recently completed an internship with Isentia’s HR department.
First of all, you might be wondering what an Engineer is doing as a HR Intern – they don’t exactly fit together, do they? It was for this reason that I was initially hesitant in applying for the role as I didn’t know whether it would align with what I wanted out of my future, or whether I would be a good fit.
However, I soon learnt that being an intern with Isentia was a rewarding and interesting role, not to mention the fact that I was also surrounded by a group of incredibly supportive and knowledgeable people.
Having put myself forward as a mentee for the Australian Human Resources Institute’s mentoring program, I was inspired to learn more – an interest that ultimately led me to this exciting role.
Being an HR intern at Isentia wasn’t just any job – I took on this role because of the challenges it would provide to explore a different area of expertise. And yes, there were definitely new and interesting projects waiting to test my capabilities!
I do have to admit, I always seemed to find myself applying a bit of my engineering experience to the way I undertook each task, but I think this was an approach that helped bring a new and alternative perspective to the team. Who knows, maybe I taught them something new too?!
Along with the day-to-day operations of a HR department, I also gained skills across areas such as policy development, the intricacies of an intranet, and how a strategic HR function operates within a large business.
I would highly recommend Isentia for all future interns wishing to challenge themselves with something new and exciting – I certainly loved my time there and will carry that experience with me throughout my career!
Allan Soo Student from the University of Technology, Sydney NSW Combined Degree in Business Management (Hons) and Mechanical Engineering (Hons)
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An unforgettable, positive and awesome experience
How would I sum up my experience as an intern for Isentia? Interesting, rewarding, challenging, and engaging.
Optimise your customers' journey across all touchpoints to achieve a holistic and customer-centric experience
Customers now have a powerful voice in sharing their experiences and with it, comes an expectation for actions to take place as a result of their feedback. In our digital world, customer data is nearly limitless – but people are much more than data. Their lives are defined by driving wants, needs and desires with an endless amount of choice and more often than not, brands believe they are delivering a better experience to these people than they actually are.
For those brands or organisations that choose to close the experience gap and embrace maximising the customer experience (CX), are finding themselves in a race to the top. By understanding what drives your customers’ decisions and the other influences that are out there, you can improve overall business growth and success over your competitors by making decisions based on customer intelligence.
Optimising the customer experience
A customer’s feedback has the power to transform your organisation through innovation and by improving their overall experience it can reduce customer churn. No matter where your organisation is in terms of CX maturity or customer feedback management, it is important to have access to customer insights in order to implement strategies to retain them.
Here are 3 steps to maximising the customer experience:
1. Illustrate the customer journey
The customer experience is made up of many customer journeys – the path customers take to solve a problem or need. The better experience your customers have with your brand or service, the more engaged they become, and the more opportunities become available. Having a great customer experience can also promote customer loyalty and as long you continuously optimise every element along their journey you will have satisfied customers.
Understanding the steps of your customers journey through various touchpoints, engagements and interactions with your brand will help to properly target your customers and understand their requirements and their pain points. Divide the customer journey into phases and pay close attention to each component by measuring the outcomes, collecting feedback and applying this feedback where possible. This will maximise customer success.
2. Drive value from experience data
Looking at both quantitative and qualitative approaches across various facets of your business must be considered to give a complete picture of your customer data. Looking at one source will only give an incomplete representation.
Customer experience is more than sending surveys and collecting feedback – having this information is important but it’s also about enriching and humanising the experience and using these unique experiences to create a positive customer centric culture. Sharing insights and developing processes to improve the customer experience and create business value allows the best experience possible. It also generates the maximum return on your efforts. Obtaining this information can be done through swapping knowledge between cross functional groups by identifying where there are gaps as well as what's working well. A team dashboard can also be created that specifically looks at different touchpoints and their success. Whatever data you do gather, turn it into actionable insights that directly improve your customers 'experience.
3. Learn from churn when it happens
Reducing customer churn is always sought after, however is quite difficult to achieve. Churn happens from poor experiences (both operational and strategic) and can have a drastic effect on your bottom line but it can also be helpful and insightful for your brand to learn and improve. For the customers you’re not able to prevent from churning, be sure to find out why they decided to move on. Conduct a short exit interview with the customer to understand their experiences and their pain points and take this knowledge to make improvements.
Fundamentally, it’s important to ensure a positive customer experience to encourage your customers to build brand loyalty. Customers hold the power in today’s business landscape which is why seeking feedback on their experiences is valuable to your brand or organisations' performance and reputation.
Happy customer, happy life.
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Blog
Experiences are the new differentiators
Optimise your customers’ journey across all touchpoints to achieve a holistic and customer-centric experience
As the campaign began, election coverage was dominated by cost-of-living pressures, leadership scrutiny, and policy promises, with both major parties positioning themselves as the answer to Australians' economic concerns. Labor’s pledge to crack down on supermarket price gouging and the Coalition’s push for fuel excise cuts framed a debate over immediate financial relief versus long-term economic stability.
Meanwhile, discussion on social media took time to catch up with the news cycle, and reflected both frustration and polarisation, with content on tax policy, government spending, and leadership trustworthiness fuelling engagement. The campaign’s tone was further shaped by high-profile moments, including Senator Jacqui Lambie’s emotional exchange over public service cuts and Peter Dutton’s push to capitalise on voter discontent, reinforcing the election’s framing as a referendum on economic management.
Financial stability, such as supermarket pricing, fuel costs, and tax changes. Leadership trust and credibility are also key drivers of attention, with moments of high emotion or political confrontation.
On the heels of the federal budget announcement on March 24, which forecasts a decade of deficits, news coverage highlighted the Albanese government’s focus on energy bill relief and Medicare spending to appeal to voters. Treasurer Jim Chalmers linked the budget to rising global uncertainties, including the impact of US President Trump’s trade agenda.
Coverage framed the campaign as a contest over economic management, with viral headlines emphasising Labor’s energy bill relief and the Dutton’s fuel excise cuts. A widely shared ABC analysis dissected the competing tax plans, while a Reddit thread debating the impact of Dutton’s fuel excise proposal gained thousands of comments. Meanwhile, opposition leader Peter Dutton's response positioned the Liberal Party as prioritising immediate cost-of-living relief, sparking mixed reactions online. Both major parties are also expected to prioritise domestic gas supplies, with the Liberals proposing a gas reservation scheme, a move likely to be mirrored by Labor—an issue that has driven heated debate on social platforms.
As cost-of-living issues dominate, media outlets underscore the increasingly fragmented political landscape, with minor parties gaining traction and complicating the path to a majority government.
Social media discussions on the 2025 Australian federal election are increasingly centred on energy and housing policies, particularly Peter Dutton's plans. Housing affordability has emerged as a key concern, fueled by moments like Prime Minister Albanese being heckled over handling of the housing crisis. A far-right vlogger interrupted Albanese's press conference in Brisbane, linking the housing issue to immigration—a narrative gaining traction online. On platforms like Reddit and Instagram, users question the credibility of Dutton’s energy price cut proposals, with his refusal to release modelling drawing criticism. Protests, like the one at Brisbane’s XXXX Brewery on March 29, further fuel debate over his stance on gas and nuclear energy. A popular quote from Jason Clare, shared by The Project TV, added fuel to the fire: "This is a distraction from his nuclear reactor policy which is about as popular now as a fart in an elevator."
This combination of frustration, disbelief, and growing scrutiny highlights the importance of accessible, relatable political messaging, especially as voters increasingly turn to online platforms to engage with election issues.
Attention was heavily focused on Peter Dutton's criticisms of Prime Minister Albanese, with his claims that Australia is "going backwards" and promises of "relief now" drawing backlash. Critics have pointed out Dutton’s apparent alignment with US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and policies, leading to comparisons between the two leaders. On March 27, a widespread reaction emerged questioning why Albanese would invite Trump to Australia, suggesting it was a politically risky move. Meanwhile, the debate surrounding the federal budget heated up, with Albanese's government unveiling new tax cuts for workers ahead of the election, only for the Shadow Treasurer to declare that they would repeal these cuts if the Liberals won.
Coming out of the Federal Budget, social media audiences shared mixed reactions, with many pushing for more progressive measures like taxing the fossil fuel industry to fund universal basic services and addressing wealth inequality with The Guardian's explainer video drawing attention to the line "lots of little treats" promised for Australians. As the election approaches, a recurring theme in the commentary is the desire for systemic change.
Leading social media posts from March 24–30, 2025, highlight public frustration with key election issues: cost of living, Trump’s influence, tax cuts, and gas and energy policy.
A viral Reddit post warning of how a Liberal victory could cost around 40,000 public service jobs, sparked debate on outsourcing and economic fallout. Concerns over Trump-style politics intensified after journalist Quentin Dempster warned of ABC defunding under Dutton. Jim Chalmers’ 7.30 interview gained traction for exposing inconsistencies in Dutton’s tax stance. Meanwhile, a protest at Brisbane’s XXXX Brewery against Dutton’s gas and nuclear policies ignited further debate over energy costs.
These discussions reflect mounting scepticism over political promises on affordability, fairness, and sustainability.
Media coverage has framed the election as a contest over economic management, focusing on tax cuts, Medicare, and cost-of-living relief. Meanwhile, social media tells a more polarised story, with viral posts amplifying concerns about public service cuts, leadership trust, and Trump-style politics. While traditional outlets highlight policy promises, online conversations centre on credibility and systemic change. As the campaign unfolds, will media narratives align with voter priorities, or will audience-driven discourse take the lead?
As the election campaign progresses, the question remains: Will political leaders adjust their approach to reflect public sentiment, or will the disconnect between media coverage and voter priorities continue to shape the debate?
Setting the stage for election 2025: early media narratives & social media’s growing influence
As the campaign began, election coverage was dominated by cost-of-living pressures, leadership scrutiny, and policy promises, with both major parties positioning themselves as the answer to Australians’ economic concerns. Labor’s pledge to crack down on supermarket price gouging and the Coalition’s push for fuel excise cuts framed a debate over immediate financial relief versus long-term […]