Leading EMEA Brand Strategy
@X
aka Twitter. Board: SXSW, GoGreen. Writing the subversive playbook
@evilenough
with
@acroll
. Rower. Retired pro fire dancer.
A friend asked me why I was still on the platform.
I fell in love with Twitter because it was full of weirdos, sci-fi geeks, coders, hackers, poets, futurists, writers, nerds and insomniacs.
My feed was pretty wonderful because of who I follow and what I engage with.
I express
Limerick's University Hospital has made headlines quite a bit this year, mostly for their trolley numbers. This bank holiday weekend my dad arrived there by ambulance, having had a stroke.
And yes, he was on a trolley, for the first night.
My dad is 82 years old.
However.
I'm 42 years old. I've spent the last 5 months on a rollercoaster of adrenaline, creativity & fear. I've put in 16 hour days, 6 days a week as my startup
@InkvineTweets
took a COVID battering.
Tomorrow we get to share some great news.
Yes this is a badass shot. I've earned it.
In January, I'll be joining Twitter as the EMEA Director of Twitter Next.
I believe this platform is the future of human-centric storytelling, and we've barely scratched the surface of what is possible.
I'm so excited to be a part of that story :)
@engineers_feed
Found your passport
You've been acquired
Business class upgrade
He'll make it
The cheque cleared
More cheese honey?
Hand made mattress
That lump's benign
Noone was hurt
Two blue lines :)
πExcited to say we're hiring a Brand Program Manager at X to support the Brand Strategy Team (aka Next) in EMEA. This person can be based in the Dublin or London office.
In this role, you'll support a team of strategists, creatives and technologists bringing truly innovative
I sure picked an interesting year to join
@Twitter
... I work with people who genuinely care about the work and its impact on society, who are committed to empathy and diversity. I believe in them.
So, as long as they need me I'm
#ALLIN
.
#OneTeam
#lovewhereyouwork
Sitting in a (posh) foreign restaurant on my own with laptop. Dinner is amazeballs. Pair of Irish couples talking loudly(Assuming Iβm foreign)
βGod you know money doesnβt buy happiness. Look at her, on her OWN.β
Going to mortify now when I drop a slΓ n on them.
#remoteworking
@poloconghaile
Try the MullichΓ‘in Cafe in St Mullens, it's a little coffee shop/restaurant down by River Barrow and it's lovely. It's where the New Ross Head of the River starts from and it's beautiful.
Christ, Banshees is a devastating movie.
I don't know if it cuts extra deep because I'm Irish - or if it's just January and the world is one doomscroll short of the apocalypse - but my poor heart is scalded
#BansheesOfInisherin
People ask me why I'm here.
Well, nothing worthwhile is ever easy. I'm (still) committed to this job, to an amazing team, and to driving innovation and creativity on X, which has somehow evolved into the real-time API of humanity.
It's fascinating and exciting and often
Dear
@LimerickCouncil
. In Limerick today - nothing but traffic and βto letβ signs.
Could we perhaps have less cars, less pointless decorations and more support for small businesses?
Just after the best lunch of MY LIFE! Cork is AMAZING with open air street dining...there's an actual holiday vibe π all I'm going to say is MORE MORE MOREEEEE! Let's see MORE streets pedestrianised like this! Thank you
@corkcitycouncil
for this pilot, let's keep it going!
My outstanding sister-in-law Avril Dillon medalled today at the World Masters Athletics Champs in Helsinki over 100m. She's currently ranked
#1
in the world for 60m - Putting the rest of us over 40's to shame!!
#IrishAthletics
#womeninsport
Tried to donate to
#LateLateToyShow
but got a Stripe rate limit error message - which i think means there are more than 100 requests per second being processed. This makes me HAPPY. I will try again shortly.
Astonishing journalism, but also - the interactivity of this report on mobile by
@nytimes
is the best example of interactive media in news I've ever seen.
Is it even possible to go to London without hearing Joey Tribiani saying "LONDON BABY!!!" in your head?
No, no it isn't.
Thanks for the lovely welcome
#TwitterUK
!
When the first few notes on an electric guitar brings you back in time to when you were seventeen and fearless.
And your best friend is still there beside you - almost 30 years later - singing every single word at the top of her lungs right beside you :)
#Pearljam
Currently onboarding to
@tryramp
for expenses and OMFG it's smooth as silk. And the UI is absolutely beautiful. Whoever dev'd these user signup flows deserves bougie breakfast in bed and a lifetime of foot massages.
Bird brained?
No, just visiting the Dublin offices. I may have mentioned this eleventyseven million times already, but I love my work. Found my very own tribe. Can't wait to see what's coming
#TwitterNext
...
#LoveWhereYouWork
I book the window seat whenever I can.
I like it most when we float above a floor of clouds, with no line on the horizon - it feels to me like a future with infinite possibilities.
I heard once that looking at nature, up into trees, across the sea or sky - for even a short
Looking forward to staying
@TheDevlinDublin
tomorrow, the sister hotel to
@dean_dublin
.
Lads... do you have a swing there? Just checking my health insurance to see if Iβm covered...
#swinggate
Being a parent is hard.
You're not there enough.
And life will hurt them.
And you know you'll do it wrong.
But then you remember little things.
Like that time you said -
Quick!
Reach up your hands like 'this'
And they catch the moon for you
So many startups think that funding is the holy grail. It's really not.
Solving a problem profitably is the holy grail. Funding lets you scale fast, but it makes startup life harder, not easier. Want to win?
1: Find product-market fit.
2: Acquire customers.
3: Make money.
@Hanifkureishi
Oh Hanif. Nausea is such a horrible feeling - especially when it's constant. I had hyperemesis for 6 months and I won't lie - but towards the end, there were times when I wanted to not exist.
I was on a drip and anti-nausea meds eventually, but it was hell on earth.
Two things
We wanted to honour
#Savita
and fundraise for
#together4yes
.
@martina_skelly
and I commissioned an artist to make 100 tiny ceramic pins of Savita, smiling. We're donating all the proceeds.
Each pin costs β¬15.
RT's very much appreciated.
Wrapping up a busy week in the Middle East with my amazing X colleagues. The Arab Media Forum
#AMF2024
was a remarkable overview of what's happening.
Travel, connection, education and understanding is an immense privilege.
I was also invited to speak at AMF to youth media,
@HoraNoona
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing cracks with gold, making the thing that was broken more beautiful. The philosophy behind this is beautiful.
My 77 year old father goes around his
#limerick
estate picking up rubbish. Even in the rain. And he makes my boys help (which of course they grumble about, but once they get stuck in seem to quite enjoy) Christmas means the pickings are rather more interesting!
10 days, 6 Euopean countries. Two teenagers. Many, many lakes and trains. Budapest, Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Venice, Stresa. Wine, beer, cards, laughter.
With our eldest fast approaching college age - our "family holidays" are numbered so I'm glad we made this one pretty special.
I loathe mornings.
Just finished my first week of early morning icebaths. So far, I'm loving the cold kickstart it's giving my day. Seems to put me in a much better mood.
Yes, it does feel rather odd sitting stark bollock naked in a wheelie bin full of cold water in my back
News from
@InkvineTweets
. Three new hires, including the amazing
@RuthBurnside
- an incredible lineup of new clients from Ireland, the US and Europe in the areas of AI, IOT, eCommerce and Digital and a packed schedule for the next 18 months. Grateful.
I have nothing but respect and admiration for the mad bastards that robbed this sofa, dragged it to the best spot in Galway and stared into the face of the sea and sky while we all slept.
Yes, thatβs Galway city council removing a brown leather couch from the top of Blackrock this morning π Have it from a totally unreliable source that someone robbed it from a skip last night. Never change Galway.
oh god oh god oh god oh god it's the final push!
Elephants have longer gestation periods. We're finally handing this particular monsterbookbaby over to our publisher.
Thank you
@acroll
for carrying the writing/editing workload on
@evilenough
for the past six months.
Now
Really enjoyed presenting the 'Future of
@X
' to the audiences at
@irdggroup
Amplify innovation conference today in Dublin.
We talked about innovation and change, joy and utility, the creator economy, brand safety, community notes and so much more.
Thank you
@dscanlon
for being
The aggression seen on the streets of Dublin needs to be understood. Condemned but also - pulled apart so we can learn. This was not a political protest. This was unbridled rage, and a systemic breakdown of the social contract.
Violence is a symptom. Identifying and punishing
Last Friday we spent vast sums of money on groceries.
I made a month's worth of food.
Including 3 kilos of lasagna.
However, I married a rower.
HE'S EATEN ALL OF IT.
And we're not even sick yet.
ffs.
Random question for Twitter - is breaking the wishbone a tradition that happens where you live? Greasy baby fingers fighting to snap the breast bone of the roasted bird?
Told the kids tonight and they thought we were a) lying and b) gross monsters
I can confirm that Ljubljana is a stunning city. Getting ready for my keynote on subversive marketing and being
#justevilenough
. Usually
@acroll
and I tag team this talk - it won't be quite the same without him but one will soldier on :)
In honour of Charlie Watts - here's a subversive marketing story about the Rolling Stones.
When Microsoft were getting set to launch Windows 95, they wanted something remarkable to mark the campaign, their first to air on commercial TV.
These three incredible woman hold seats in Ireland's Seanad, where 40% of the sixty Senators are women.
Only 22.5% of TDs in Ireland are women.
Reckon we'd have less
#golfgate
idiocy if there were more women like
@hazechu
,
@Love1solidarity
and
@SharingWithYemi
in charge!
@Hanifkureishi
Dear Hanif.
Thank you for articulating so clearly and honestly your experience. While you may not know it, all of us here are virtually there - in your room with you, listening, feeling. Wishing you well. X
One of the best piece of (brand) content Iβve ever seen. Real tangibles, focusing on scale and timeliness. Smooth tie back to the product. Deliciously witty. Perfection. No notes. Bravo Apple.
Hi ho hi ho, it's off to work I go...
@ShannonAirport
you're still the best airport ever, and
@AerLingus
staff here are just the absolute nicest. Chocks away!
@paddycosgrave
@ScaleIreland
Nope. Not true Paddy.
For years,
@BrianCVC
has been one of the most consistent, impactful contributors to the indigenous tech ecosystem in Ireland. I've seen him give his time, energy and expertise to make this sector better, often for little or no thanks.
For my non-Irish, non-footie friends.
Ireland's Women just qualified for the World Cup.
A few years ago they were buying (and washing) their own kit.
Their coach; a Dutch coach legend Vera Pauw, who endured sexual abuse as a player.
Tonight was a frikken TRIUMPH.
#coygig
I've made it to my first month in my new job. I learned a long time ago to be OK with being different. Bug into feature - to make it a superpower. But imagine the joy of being adopted by a whole flock of incredible people that feel the same way?
#LoveWhereYouWork
I'd like to give thanks for the outstanding women I am lucky enough to work with. Women who take no shit.
Women who are kind, clever and brave. Women who lead by example.
#lovewhoyouworkwith
Yesterday I went to hot yoga with weights.
By the end I looked rather like someone had sous-vided an overly stuffed Marigold glove.
Afterwards was so wrecked I spent 5 minutes trying to get into someone else's car. So... not sure how much of a smart 'bio-hack' it is.
Also,
Lucky enough to be travelling and working in the beautiful city of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
Tomorrow there will be meetings and workshops to tackle, but today was a chance to wander, explore and enjoy!
Cartographers would write 'Here be dragons' on old maps to
@SimonHarrisTD
@RonanMullen
Thank you Simon.
You know, for the first time in my life I feel like there are politicians who are ACTUALLY doing the right thing, listening to people, speaking the truth and making a difference.
Dear Simon, thank you for giving me faith in Irish politics.
When we moved way out west 12 years ago, I wrote all about our adventure in magazines and online.
My husband looked at the water and said βone day Iβll teach our children to row hereβ.
This is our eldest, hanging on the catch.
#lifegoals
#rowing
@Aoife_Dooley
Aoife would you tweet a short professional bio and link to your website, Iβll weigh in and get a few of my marketing network people to RT.
I was really excited to share best in class brand creativity on X in Milan last week. Gamification at scale, interactive storytelling and lots more. Exciting times ahead for Italian brands on the global stage.
This week we hosted the first
@X
event in Italy, to meet our partners and Industry players.
Thanks
@federico
and
@emilyjaneross
for being on stage to share company roadmap and brand innovations.
Thank you to everyone who attended, contributing to have a warm morning together.
Two days of sea swimming and yoga might not be enough to completely rebuild a woman after the year so far, but itβs quite a good start...
#ireland
#WildAtlanticWay
.
Later there will be oysters and Guinness with family. Iβm very grateful.
@iamharaldur
Every minute is a lifetime in that situation. You must feel so relieved! Glad everything is ok, sending virtual hugs from every parent ever. x
Was one of over 80 households that were snapped from afar this weekend by photographer (and mental health awareness campaigner)
@InsideOutCiara
.
Was lovely to see our friends and neighbours popping up in her twitter feed. Hereβs our
#lockdownsnap
:)
Getting to meet my colleagues and friends
@TwitterMENA
is such a privilege. Every office has its own unique spirit and tone - but the same incredible welcome
#LoveWhereYouWork
@adrianweckler
My father was in surgery, with my mum as next of kin. They accidentally scrubbed my parents land line and disconnected my mum's mobile.
All she did was add her mobile to the home bill. 2 months, dozens of calls - it's still not fixed. Adrian they made me literally CRY.
@MikeIsaac
It absolutely has!
Every flight delayed. Staff overwhelmed and overworked. Systems crashing, bags lost. A dissonance between systems and users.
Got to meet one of my Twitter connections IRL this eve - one of my true writing heroines -
@roisiningle
is just as cool as you would expect.
We both love words and news and swimming in the sea. So glad that this mad sea brought us together :)
Today is a day for books.
@stripepress
has curated the most remarkable list of books that any startup would benefit hugely from.
I picked up the High Growth Handbook by
@eladgil
and Scaling People by
@chughesjohnson
(which
@stephenkinsella
said was excellent, so it went in the
Just left my 15yo off at the Gaelteacht. It's his first time away from home - he can't wait.
Me, I'm in the camp carpark waiting for my eyeballs to stop leaking, feeling just like the first time I left him at crèche.
...touch these eyes with a broken smile
touch my mouth with your furrowed brow
with my heart feel my shame
Lead me into rest again...
Heroine - Sinead O'Connor, U2 and The Edge
#RIPSinead
Iβm SO FRIKKEN HAPPY to be back
@dean_dublin
. Having our
@InkvineTweets
strategy planning session on their outdoor terrace and theyβve been incredible.