Words of Pride: Rubens Faria speaks about Freedom and Fundamental Rights
In the next interview of the 'Words of Pride' series, Rubens Faria speaks about his experiences at and outside work and also shares a key message on how transforming speech into action is a significant factor to raise more awareness about the LGBTQ+ community and getting basic rights for a dignified living.
What does Pride Month personally mean to you?
Pride Month awakens two different feelings in me. A certain relief in being able to be proud of who I am and being protected by public policies that guarantee my rights, but also fear when thinking about how recent these achievements are. The thought that just four years ago, transsexuality was still treated as a psychiatric disorder truly scares me. Same thing with the fact that ten years ago, the Brazilian government restricted the concept of family to heteronormative couples. Feeling the relief of celebrating our lives collides with the reality that the fight is not over yet. It feels like a comfort I should not get too used to, as the rights that have been granted to me could be taken away at any time.
What are you the most excited about Pride Month 2022?
I believe this moment can serve as a time of reflection for people outside the LGBTQIAP+ community about the challenges we face every day. I use Pride Month as a way to bring up topics that aren't much known or discussed among my family and friends. For example, just last weekend my brother-in-law and I were talking about “Pabllo Vittar” (a famous Brazilian drag queen and singer). Throughout our conversation, I was shocked to find out that he didn't know the difference between a transgender woman and a drag queen! Was it scary to know that a person so close to me, was conceptually so far from my reality? Yes, but it was also a great chance to share the insights we have within the community, which may not be so obvious or present to other people. Transforming our message in a way that reaches everyone without judgment, is something that became important to me after this episode.
In your opinion, which are the most relevant issues affecting the global LGBTQ community which should be immediately addressed? Share your thoughts.
There are countries where being LGBTQ is a crime; in some of these, the conviction for this crime is the death penalty. Some countries like Brazil, allow religions to antagonize LGBTQ people openly, excusing it under “freedom of belief”. Brazil is the country with the highest rate of transgender people getting killed because of transphobia. It is just shocking to have such horrible and savage crimes happening so often in the 21st century.
What do you think our society should work on during this Pride Month to raise awareness about important issues that impact the global LGBTQ community?
Access to fundamental rights! Transgender people deserve the right to grow old with dignity! According to 2019 data, the life expectancy of a transgender woman in Brazil is 35 years! It's frightening to realize that, isn’t it? Transgender people need access to education and employment without being discriminated against. Heterosexual-cisgender individuals need to support the achievement and claim the rights of the LGBTQIAP+ community without thinking that this will take away their rights. What is being claimed by the LGBTQIAP+ population is access to basic rights to live a dignified life.
Are there any particular Pride-related events you’ll be attending this month that feel especially meaningful for you?
Not in person, because the pandemic makes things still very limited in Brazil. However, I have been engaged in consuming and sharing products and services produced or supporting the LGBTQIAP+ community. Prioritizing buying these products and services has been a great exercise to meet outstanding professionals and entrepreneurs, as well as support the people who are part of it. I absolutely recommend everyone reading this to take this supportive step!
As one of the latest additions to the A-Team, what are your first impressions in terms of the inclusive and dynamic work culture AVOW manifests?
My first impression of AVOW is that it has a welcoming and representative work culture, which makes a point of listening to different perspectives. Appreciating the recognition of the LGBTQIAP+ people is just one of the many ways that diversity manifests itself in AVOW’s culture.
What do you think companies should do to make their company culture more inclusive and diverse?
Transform speech into action. I believe that arbitrarily reserving jobs for transgender people and educating the employees on how to create a healthy and welcoming environment for LGBTQIAP+ people is a promising start.
What do you like the most about working at AVOW, and how would you describe the company’s views towards diversity and inclusion?
Just take a look at the A-Team and you'll understand how AVOW cares about cultural diversity. Personally, this diversity enriches my perspectives on life and community. In addition, it helps to create a work environment where different points of view can coexist, causing surprisingly good ideas to emerge within the projects, delivering an equally enriching result to the clients and to the industry.
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Eksplorasi Peluang untuk Optimisasi Kampanye Akuisisi Pengguna Mobile OEM
Eksplorasi Peluang untuk Optimisasi Kampanye Akuisisi Pengguna Mobile OEM
Words of Pride: Pavel Iarygin speaks about Awareness and Inclusion
As we celebrate Pride Month, 2022, it is essential to know the importance of recognizing and raising awareness about the LGBTQ+ community and how diversity and inclusion should be cherished in the workplace. Hear from Pavel Iarygin as he speaks about his experience being a part of the LGBTQ+ community and what it feels like to work in an inclusive work environment.
What does Pride Month personally mean to you?
Recognizing, challenging, battling stereotypes and discrimination, and bringing awareness to the issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community worldwide are some of the bigger external goals but being and feeling united is extremely important to me as well. Seeing the community come together makes me feel like we can do anything.
What are you the most excited about Pride Month 2022?
Being able to freely talk about the challenges the community is facing because it looks like more people are willing to listen, and there’s usually a lot of information flying around. Hence, it’s also a little bit inescapable anyway. Having the community unite during the month is fantastic because there are bigger things on the line, and bickering with each other (like all families do) doesn’t help solve anything. In addition, some more visible queer people come out each year and are less afraid of being their true selves. This creates a beautiful chain effect because it inspires more people to do the same.
Are there any particular Pride-related events you’ll be attending this month that feel especially meaningful for you?
The Berlin Pride will be the most meaningful to me as it will be the very first Berlin Pride I’ll be attending. Despite its colorful festive nature nowadays, it’s still mostly a demonstration, a march to remind the world that the fight for our rights is far from over, and there’s still a lot of work left to be done. But at the same time, it’s a day for celebration and showing the world, including ourselves, that we are united and stronger together. Maybe that’s why many LGBTQ+ allies also love participating in these events, not only to show support for their friends and family but to experience this incredible feeling of unity and love.
In your opinion, which are the most relevant issues affecting the global LGBTQ community which should be immediately addressed? Share your thoughts.
Trans* people should have easier and free access to healthcare, including hormones, which are still unavailable to them in many places. Same-sex relationships are outlawed, and people are persecuted, jailed, or executed in some countries to this day. Same-sex marriage should also be legalized globally. Queer children's suicide rates are also among the highest in the world. In theory, most of those issues have a rather quick solution, but, in my opinion, they are just symptoms of something much bigger. We as a society need to focus on destigmatizing by talking about mental health because it’s the first step in preventing more serious issues down the line. After all, acceptance should start within yourself. Negative opinions and emotions toward the LGBTQ+ community tend to stem from the place of ignorance and can also be connected to a lack of self-acceptance (there are actual studies that suggest it), so this applies to everyone. We need to work on communication and empathy as a whole to be able to move anywhere.
What do you think our society should work on during this Pride Month to raise awareness about important issues that impact the global LGBTQ community?
Pride Month shouldn’t be the only month to raise awareness about issues that impact the global LGBTQ+ community, but it helps to have the time of the year when people are more open and willing to listen. Being able to attend, hear and talk to others about the importance of inclusivity and diversity are things everyone can participate in. Feeling seen and valued are some of the most basic human needs regardless of sexuality, gender identity, race, religion, etc., and having a peaceful dialogue can make a lot of difference.
What do you think companies should do to make their company culture more inclusive and diverse?
Asking questions, listening, being respectful, and patient. Not everyone in the community feels they immediately belong due to discrimination and prejudice they/we face in the outside world daily. However, speaking from experience, having a good team and other visible queer people helps greatly with this process. Most of the time, no extraordinary action is needed - applying the basic principles we all expect is usually enough.
What do you like the most about working at AVOW, and how would you describe the company’s views towards diversity and inclusion?
Respect for everyone’s differences and boundaries, the ability to ask questions, and open-mindedness are the things I value the most, especially in a workplace, so AVOW was a perfect fit. There was never a time when I felt I couldn’t be myself, compromise, or dial down my personality traits, in general, to fit in. I felt accepted and did not need to justify myself at any point. Even to this day, it can be an issue in many companies but AVOW made me feel at home and significantly impacted my performance. Non-performative inclusivity of any kind is extremely important for a workplace - you learn a lot about other cultures and traditions while sharing your own experiences.
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AVOW x Adjust Webinar: From User Acquisition Strategy to Dynamic Preload Campaigns with Mobile OEMs
Learn how mobile marketers can scale their apps while working with major mobile OEMs such as HUAWEI, Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, OnePlus, and Samsung - through AVOW's access to Mobile OEM premium inventory and dynamic preload offerings along with Adjust’s preload solutions.
Deep dive into how mobile apps can create high-value users using various acquisition strategies such as dynamic preloads to fuel their mobile marketing mix with Mobile OEMs and to enable revenue and growth for their brands.
"The last thing an advertiser wants is to haggle with fraud. Most of the traffic provided by mobile OEMs is relatively brand-safe and fraud-free since the advertisers are bidding directly on the device" - Ashwin Shekhar
Key takeaway
By default, mobile OEMs need to be a part of every mobile marketer's marketing mix. They need a single source of truth when choosing their advertising agency partner that has exclusive or at least official partnerships with major global OEMs.
Meet the A-Team: Alexandros Drakoulis, Associate Director of Media Partnerships
In short, what is your job all about here at AVOW?
Being an Associate Director of Media Partnerships, my job is to work on a daily basis with key partners of AVOW, including reputable OEMs and highly ranked app developers while ensuring our clients’ campaigns run smoothly and efficiently, achieving all targets and KPIs. Of course, internally, the major goal is to analyze and optimize the campaigns running with our partners, but also to make sure I exhaust every opportunity to increase AVOW’s revenues, ensure smoother operations, establish long-term partnerships and actively participate in the company’s growth.
What was the moment you knew you’d made the right choice to work at AVOW?
I have to admit that once I joined AVOW, things were in a very early stage in most aspects and there was a lot of work to be done, in order to be where we are right now. Despite organizational, strategy, and company-related topics which needed to be addressed, on my end task number one was to create a strong Supply side. So, once we established relationships with partners like VIVO, OPPO, Xiaomi, Huawei, and other key partners of ours, I knew I was in the right place.
What are you most proud of?
I am very proud to have beaten every single member of the team in FIFA ;) Now joke aside, I actually take a lot of pride in my journey at AVOW. The founders trusted me since day one and gave me all the space and freedom to work the way I wanted to achieve growth. This is now depicted in my position in the company, the gravity of my opinion in business decisions for AVOW, as well as the financial gains of the company based on my efforts.
If you’d like to share something motivational that helps you get up in the morning for everyday hustle, what would that be?
I am a very result-oriented person and strive to see growth in any aspect. So regardless of whether the growth comes in the form of higher revenues than the previous day or a new collaboration with high potential or a good negotiation that would give us leverage in any form, I am all in for these moments. Waking up every morning - my biggest motivation is to achieve such “small wins” to push me forward. My advice, therefore, is to aim for these small wins which will keep you in the zone to push yourself every day.
Tell us about your best day at work.
One of my best days at work has without a doubt been the May of last year when we witnessed the highest ever spike in the daily revenue since AVOW’s inception in 2018. I actively contributed to this growth and was responsible for some of the critical projects that led to our successful trajectory. Till this happens again, I really enjoy it when I visit the team in Berlin and spend the whole day with them. I am almost 8 months now fully remote and I truly miss being around them.
What’s the one thing you’d like to do this year that you’ve never done before?
You are unfortunately late, I have done it already! I always wanted to ride my motorbike on a racing track and two weeks back I actually rode it on both Nürburgring tracks, Nordschleife and Grand Prix. It was an amazing experience and would definitely recommend it to any petrolhead like me out there.
Can you share three big inspirations that have helped you grow within the company?
I’ll just stick to one. Robert Wildner is actually an inspiration for me within the company. I truly admire his knowledge and the way he is tackling challenges. Robert and I are very much like-minded in the ways we think, process, and execute actions. Therefore I see a lot of similarities, but of course, I acknowledge the fact that he has double the experience I do. There is a saying for leaders going like “ leading by example” so right now in my case I am just “following by example”, the example that Robert sets.