CB Hot Suit Takes: Alana Stocks, Founder and CEO, Circul8
CB Hot Suit Takes is our new Q&A series for extremely busy CEOs and senior leaders across the industry ~ covering careers, creativity, challenges and the song that sums it all up. Next in the hot seat is Alana Stocks, Founder and CEO, Circul8.
1. What made you get into advertising?
Advertising appealed to me many moons ago because it rewards curiosity. You get to interrogate human behaviour, culture and business problems, then turn those observations into something people actually want to engage with.
My path wasn’t linear, but in hindsight, neither is most good creative thinking. I studied visual communications, then architecture, and in my twenties I was swept up in the digital wave. At the time, few agencies were doing the kind of work we wanted to make, so we started one. Twenty years later, the platforms have changed, the acronyms have multiplied, and I still think the best work starts with asking better questions.
2. Which piece of work are you most proud of, and why?
Tinder Takeover with Amnesty International is definitely one I’m proud of.
It was created to raise awareness of women’s rights, and it was one of those rare ideas that met culture exactly where it was happening. At the time, back in 2014, Tinder wasn’t even selling advertising space, so we couldn’t simply buy media and put a message in people’s feeds. We had to think more inventively and use the behaviour of the platform itself.
That’s what made it so innovative for the time. Tinder was still primarily seen as a dating app, but it was starting to explore a broader role as a social discovery platform, and this became the first partnership of its kind for the brand. So it ticked a few boxes: culturally relevant, strategically useful, socially important. It also went on to win us a webby!
3. What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role right now?
Balancing urgency with substance. Everyone knows the industry needs to evolve, and the pace of change is overwhelming. The challenge is making sure the change is both meaningful for our clients and still commercially practical and creatively compelling – not just a headlong rush to keep up without asking what the benefit is.
4. What’s the most recent thing you’ve learned – professionally or personally?
A slightly random but genuinely fascinating thing I learned recently is that Earth has an actual “heartbeat.” It’s called the Schumann resonance, a natural electromagnetic resonance created by lightning activity around the planet. Its main frequency sits around 7.83 Hz, and there are daily forecasts that track it. Let’s tune in!
5. What song best sums up your career so far?
“Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. A bit chaotic, a lot of energy, and a strong belief that momentum matters. Freddie Mercury will always be one of the greats!
Read Jake Ford’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Vanessa West’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Vivienne Collins’ Hot Suit Takes here
Read Dan Adams’ Hot Suit Takes here
Read Marijana Simunovic’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Paul Den’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Remy Brassac’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Priya Patel’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Rosie Brown’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Andrew Siwka’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Nicole Miranda’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Sean Cummins’ Hot Suit Takes here
Read Justine Leong’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Alex McManus’ Hot Suit Takes here
Read Ben Walker’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Lucy Houldsworth’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Tom Ootes’ Hot Suit Takes here
Read Suzie Shaw’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Jamie Scott’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Meredith Cranmer’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read James Mackinnon’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Sophie Lander’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Alex Carr’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Danielle Moeller’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Jarrick Lay’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Georgina Powell’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Paul McMillan’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Celia Wallace’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Jules Hall’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Jen Sharpe’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Jaimes Leggett’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Hanne Haugen’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Adam Brami’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Matilda Hobba’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read John Marshall’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Gayle While’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Adrian Mills’ Hot Suit Takes here
Read Chiquita King’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Tim Evans Hot Suit Takes here
Read Sheryl Marjoram’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Ben Lilley’s Hot Suit Takes here
Read Lisa Sutton Gardner’s Hot Suit Takes here