A Day In The Life Of Mecca’s Head Of Content, Zara Wong

For millennials who grew up consumed with print publications and the rise of electronic content material, you will know of Zara Wong, and her dream profession. 

Starting up out as an intern at Vogue, Zara swiftly landed a job at Harper’s Bazaar, right before doing work her way up the ranks at Vogue Australia.

Zara to begin with studied arts, commerce and global small business – parts that are all capitalised on in her latest role as head of content material at Australia’s beauty and retail giant, MECCA. ‘I’m truly pleased that this purpose is leaning extra in the ‘numbers’ facet,’ Zara says. ‘Even when in vogue editorial, I was genuinely intrigued in the professional and monetary facet, and even though there are way far more proficient figures individuals at MECCA, it is something that is expected in my position as properly.’

This multifaceted situation sees Zara performing across the marketing, layout, and visible merchandising teams, with every day jobs that vary from writing for the MECCA Memo, arranging new episodes of the MECCA Talks podcast, and creating social media content material. Her favourite portion of the position is conceptualising new campaigns (to be rolled out in-retailer and throughout various electronic platforms) and devising the annual development report. ‘This encompasses magnificence of program, but also the zeitgeist, tradition, fashion and way of living,’ Zara states. ‘I’m normally fascinated in what is well-known, and why it is preferred (even if it’s not to my private flavor, I’m still intrigued as to why persons are into it) – essentially what can make persons tick. 

With Covid hanging around and a little one on the way, Zara is currently doing the job from household most times, which is exactly where we joined her for a day in the lifetime!

Very first factor

I wake up amongst 6.30am and 7.15am. I test not to appear at my cell phone, but I conclude up hunting at my mobile phone. I do the Wordle, and check out the climate (I really do not realize people today who can wander out of the residence without checking the temperature!)

I’m not a early morning individual, but I’m a ‘get on with it’ particular person! I’m superior the moment I have experienced time to ‘ease into’ the morning. 

Morning

I get started do the job all-around 8am both at my dining space desk, ideal following to my kitchen area, or I get to the office environment by driving. I employed to wander to perform pre-Covid, but truthfully, I’ve just come to be far more and more lazy. 

My to start with tasks are generally examining e-mail, heading via my calendar, and building guaranteed I’m prepped for every little thing coming up. Dependent on the working day it could be reviewing the forthcoming week’s worth of EDMs, Memo stories, the web-site homepage, or owning catch-ups with groups to see how campaigns are progressing. 

If we have main shoots occurring I go to them, generally in Melbourne or in Sydney. This transpires approximately each individual 4 to six weeks relying on the scale and target of the campaigns.

Afternoon

The afternoon is normally lots of meetings! We could possibly in some cases pay a visit to merchants too to see how a marketing campaign has rolled out, and talk to store workforce customers in our MECCA stores for their comments. We consider to learn from every single campaign and enhance on them every single time.

I end up anytime in between 5.30pm and 7pm, but at times it signifies catching up just after hrs as very well.

Evening

I get bored easily, so I test to cook dinner a vast range of various varieties of food for evening meal. It may be baked salmon with salsa verde, lemon and citrus sheet-pan rooster roasted with olives steamed eggplant with rice and rooster soup or stir-fried beef with eggs and peas with rice that my mum would make for me and I really like. I prepare dinner a great deal of Chinese foodstuff as effectively since of my heritage, so I inquire my mom and dad for recommendations, or there are fantastic Chinese cookbooks by Fuchsia Dunlop for fundamentals or Cecilia Chiang’s incredible reserve which is no extended in print, but I identified a secondhand copy on the net.

My partner and I take pleasure in cooking so we do some food prep on the weekends and freeze portions that can be employed later, so if we’re each active for perform and require one thing quickly, we’ll defrost something we created in advance like ragu, meatballs, or jiaozi dumplings.

I genuinely appreciate cooking, and even when I have experienced a nerve-racking working day, I’m often pleased to cook mainly because I obtain it quite meditative to just aim on the process at hand and get a great final result. My relatives always knows when I’m a bit stressed when I just randomly whip up a banana cake!

Past factor

To switch off I listen to audio, study a novel or element articles or blog posts on line, browse TikTok, or operate on my Substack publication Screenshot This that arrives out after a week. I started off the publication in a person of the numerous Melbourne lockdowns for the reason that it served me rely down week by 7 days It is a compilation of what I have a short while ago loved to read/watch/experience/pay attention to. 

I go to snooze between 10 and 11pm. I did plenty of all-nighters when I was in substantial school or uni, so 8 and a fifty percent hours of slumber is my perfect! 

Proper now I’m listening to, looking at, and reading…

Listening: For new music, Haim, Caroline Polachek, Maggie Rogers, and Thelma Plum. For podcasts, Celeb Memoir Guide Club, Freakonomics, How To Make A Pleased Existence, The Great Ladies Artists, and 2nd Existence.

Watching: The Dropout Succession (I truly sense like it is a person of the very best tv demonstrates in several years) and How I Satisfied Your Father (this is rather terrible but I like Hilary Duff so I’m persevering. I’m quite into substantial-reduced society!)

Looking through: At the moment I’m looking at The Other Black Lady by Zakiya Dalila Harris. I also frequently read through newspapers via Apple Information and longform content articles in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, New York Journal, and Vox.

I’m the kind of individual who is constantly sending recommendations or tips to close friends if I watch/read/see one thing I feel they may like, so I started out a publication to pull it all with each other! I have also received e book recommendations saved in my Instagram highlights.

Something I’ve figured out the really hard way is…

Undertaking operate last minute with your again up towards the wall presents you an astounding consequence, but it is ordinarily an uncomfortable experience!

Also, that I seriously need to try to eat appropriately in get to operate. I used to vacation thoroughly in my final purpose overseas (New York, Paris, London, Milan) and due to the fact I would be on the operate, jet lagged, and exhausted, I’d be all about the put with my foods. I would get a choc chip cookie for breakfast (I’d be up since 5am since of jet lag or doing work, and be contemplating ‘sugar, energy!’) as I ran out of my hotel home to conferences and displays. Lunch would be whichever and when I felt like (grilled cheese toastie? Confident!), in advance of a large, wealthy meal at 9pm. Then put up-party/evening meal drinks with buddies? Guaranteed! Then I’d come again to my hotel room for a late night with my laptop computer as that is when Australia would be awake. I’d go challenging and quick – I’m a incredibly ‘work tough perform hard’ kind of human being – and then, I’d truly feel terrible, get really sick, and just wouldn’t be ready to purpose at my optimum. You could do that a bit in your 20s, but I definitely couldn’t keep on going like that. I seriously really like food stuff so I’m definitely no health and fitness nut, but I really have to take in sensibly with loads of protein, fruit and greens with a good deal of snooze to function!