We cannot be more happy and proud that our very own star senior analyst and project coordinator Dilek Asanoska is among the 18 top professionals in the measurement industry selected by AMEC to enter their hall of fame, the so-called Rising Star campaign. It is an initiative that aims to recognize and celebrate future measurement leaders and spotlight those who are making great progress on their communication measurement journey. The winners of the campaign are professionals who show huge potential, demonstrate can-do attitude, introduce innovative solutions, and are always on a path of self improvement, among other industry specific traits. So, for those of our colleagues who know and have worked with Dilek, it is no surprise that she is part of this top selection.
We met with her shortly after the news broke, to talk about her career journey that led her to such a high recognition.
Dilek, congratulations on your election as an AMEC Rising Star. To us, you have always been one, but we are sure that it feels amazing to receive recognition from outside, especially from such a renowned institution in our industry. How does it feel to be recognised as a Rising star?
“Thank you so much. Those are wonderful words to hear from colleagues. Being recognised as a Rising star brings me great joy and it’s really a big honour to have my name listed among such talented and tenacious individuals from all over the world. Seeing my efforts getting recognised and knowing that what I do makes a difference that helps my colleagues, clients, and, hopefully, the entire industry, inspires me to do more and soar to new heights. I am grateful to my company for the nomination as well as to AMEC for this recognition.”
Tell us a bit about your career journey from PR and digital marketing to communication measurement?
“It was an unplanned and natural progression. I wouldn’t call it a transition because I still dabble in PR and digital marketing. Back in university, I obtained two Bachelor’s degrees – my first was in English Language and American Studies, and my second was in Public Relations. In my last year of PR, I also started my Master’s Degree in Cultural Studies.
I was already experienced in social media marketing due to years of blogging and social media content creation, so as soon as I graduated from PR, I started working full-time as a marketing and public relations specialist. In my previous position, we also conducted market research and social media analysis, which helped me gain some understanding of communication measurement before getting recruited by A Data Pro.
At A Data Pro, I started as a junior analyst and mainly worked with Korean and Turkish, and occasionally Spanish. Although I had some previous knowledge, it felt like a whole new world where information processing and analysis were done at a much larger scale than I had experienced. At first, I felt overwhelmed, but I was intrigued and I wanted to learn more. Luckily, the training unit at A Data Pro and the experienced seniors and managers in my department had developed programs that quickly integrated me into the workflow, enabling me to learn fast.”
How does your past experience in PR help you in your current role as senior analyst?
“My previous role was a hybrid one. Not only did I work as a traditional PR practitioner, but I also took up a lot of processes in digital marketing. Having experience working as a PR for direct clients, I knew what type of information and insights are important for creating successful campaigns. I was also aware of the importance of timely media monitoring for crisis and reputation management because I had previously dealt with a reputational crisis.
Clients are interested in numbers and insights that can help them drive action. It’s not just about telling who said what, but also about being able to interpret what type of impact these mentions and online behaviours are having on their brands. This knowledge coupled with my experience as a media analyst at A Data Pro where I conducted daily vigilance and wrote media reports on a daily, weekly and monthly basis really helped me grow into my current role.”
What advice would you give to junior analysts just now starting in the world of measurement that aspire to become “rising stars” in Updata One and beyond?
“Connect the dots and focus on behavioural patterns. What I mean is when you enter the world of communication measurement and evaluation, at first, you will feel bombarded by the abundance of data and mentions. The first time you open a social media listening tool, especially if you are monitoring markets for big clients like I did that get numerous mentions a day, you might feel overwhelmed. Pulling valuable insights from such big datasets is not easy, but you have to focus on identifying trends and shifts in user behaviour and try to connect them with a source or a cause.
You have to look at your task from the point of view of the client: If you were the client, what information would help you create a campaign that will develop in the right direction? What information would you need if you were to get engulfed in a crisis? If you are giving recommendations to your clients based on data, how would you be able to later evaluate your client’s efforts if they were to follow your recommendations?
At A Data Pro and its sister companies in Updata One, we are lucky to receive a lot of guidance and training from day one. One of my favourite activities in my current position is creating guides and training that help newcomers get quickly integrated into the world of measurement so they can learn fast and hopefully become the next rising stars.”
If you are interested in pursuing career in the exciting world of communication measurement and maybe becoming the next rising star, check out our open positions at: https://www.updata.one/careers/
