digitalmediamarketinggbc - Tumblr blog

[digitalmediamarketinggbc]

Reflections - Careers Path & Networking

In recent weeks, I have brought here some reflections on professionals linked to the Marketing career, their trajectories, experience and perspectives. Today, I would like to bring my perspective on everything that has happened and that I have observed and learned in recent months.

As I mentioned, I had the opportunity to hear from several professionals, which was very important to me, not because at 21 I have millions of doubts about my future, but because I didn't and that's weird to say the least (SOS). I've always made a million plans and figured I needed to know every step I was going to take into my career, when and in which direction. One of my biggest lessons was seeing the curves, changes and adaptations that these professionals had during their time in the market and that everything is fine.

I believe that each person took from this semester something specific that they needed to hear and, without a doubt, for me that was the great point. Despite my millions of plans, I live extremely worried about what my trajectory will be like and it really keeps me awake at night (don't worry, I'm already in therapy 🤣). I'm not going to say that I'm a less anxious person or that now I have everything sorted out, but I think it helped me to understand that I don't have everything sorted out and that these professionals often didn't have it either, and even so, they feel fulfilled and satisfied with what they do. 

I really enjoyed following the professionals at Valtech because I saw very bright, intelligent women with an absurd potential (in a good way, obviously). I believe that in so many bad experiences of women in the market, it was very good to see them occupying spaces that are so competitive and that, generally speaking, are occupied by men (in my country, this is unfortunately still quite common).

I also really enjoyed hearing from Christy Varicat (from Tangerine) for having such a distinguished background academically speaking, but who made her career in an unexpected way in a field different from her training and in companies that would be my dream. It also felt like another warning to my perception that a career necessarily needs to follow certain steps and go in a single certain direction all the time.

Also, thinking about what I want for my future, what I most enjoyed understanding about was Blair Roebuck's career within Marketing Science. I always believed that the more analytical side of Marketing would be my favorite part and I've had that impression since I was in college, but I really enjoyed understanding it from someone who sees it every day in practice and at what point it mixes with the strategic part. 

Much is said about the creative side in advertising and, when we think about the process behind a campaign, the analytical and data-based study is hardly the first to cross someone's mind, but she brought points that show that even the management and handling of data and how you are going to use them in your favor, also involves creativity and critical sense.

I understand, like and admire all the professionals who took the time to talk to us, but for me, without a doubt, she was THE BEST.

Listening to these professionals and their tips and advice also made me recognize even more the importance of a well-built network. As I said, I have a million plans and at the same time a million uncertainties and I confess that this affected my networking here in Canada a lot because I focused on building it in my country and ended up neglecting it here.

My efforts in this regard were basically to get in touch with professionals in whom I saw a career that would make sense to me. I even asked for help from Professor William Seidner that we had classes with last semester. He was incredible, helpful and recommended great books about it like "Friend of a Friend", about the power of networks and "Startup of You", about career planning.

So far I haven't mentioned the Co-op with the people I've contacted and I'm only using LinkedIn, Indeed and the careers tab on the brands' websites for my search, but I understand that this search could be much easier if I had invested more on my network here.

I also participated in some summits and met some people from the Digital Marketing field who were very receptive and open, but I also felt difficulty in how to keep the dialogue open without thinking that I was being inconvenient

I also joined some groups on Facebook and ended up helping more people than being helped because I even have contacts, but outside the area I want to work. Even so, it was a great experience to see other people succeeding in what they set out to do.

On a given week during this semester we also discussed what our biggest struggle was when it came to networking and mine definitely is being afraid of being told "no". I believe that there has been an improvement in this aspect but it is still an insecurity that needs to be worked on, mainly because life is made of "no's" and I will still hear many, besides that, this insecurity probably limits me and deprives me to meet amazing people and have wonderful opportunities. 

I don't feel very much in a position to give advice because I still have a lot to work on and learn but I think the advice I need to hear is: just go for it. Most insecurities are just that and aren't real. Making plans is not a guarantee of anything and incredible paths can emerge if you don't limit yourself to them. Be more open to meeting new people because they may have more to offer than you think you need.

I believe it was a semester full of reflections on our next steps and we had the opportunity to meet exceptional people and that is certainly priceless. Learning appears in different ways and touches people in different ways, but I think that regardless of the form, it made me see things in a different way and rethink a lot of what I had already defined as non-negotiable and certain. 

[digitalmediamarketinggbc]

Ashley Walsh and Influencer Marketing

We all have some brand in our heart or some brand that is part of our day to day and special moments. When I think of a brand that is always with me, I think of Starbucks because that's where I start every day.

In addition to offering products that I really like, Starbucks is also impeccable when it comes to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The brand has already communicated several initiatives in favor of the community in several countries where Starbucks has stores, such as granting donations to causes aligned with the community impact goals of the Starbucks Foundation, including youth empowerment, inclusion and diversity, social services, fight against hunger, economic opportunities and support for coffee, tea and cocoa producing communities.

Additionally, Starbucks has donated $50,000 to the Lavender Rights Project to support the provision of low-cost legal services to low-income transgender and queer people, and $50,000 to the National Center for Transgender Equality to increase understanding. and the acceptance of transgender people in the United States.

Many brands are so focused on improving the environment around them that they forget what happens inside their headquarters and offices, but that's not the case with Starbucks: For the 11th year, Starbucks has earned a score of 100% on the Corporate Equality Index of the Human Rights Campaign, based on corporate policies and practices for LGBTQ equality, in addition to including gender transition in the coverage of its employees' health plans.

In the face of the growing debate on equal pay, the coffee shop chain has also managed to make men and women of all races and ethnicities earn the same salary. The brand demonstrates its commitment to tackling social inequalities in different ways and on different fronts, always aiming at the well-being of its employees and the community that surrounds them.

Recently, there has been a trend on TikTok in which several users (mainly Canadians) post videos with "POV: You are ordering at Starbucks X you are ordering at Tim Hortons" and demonstrate the difference in how they are treated in stores of both networks. In the videos, the treatment at Tim Hortons is downright nasty and Starbucks is a million times better in that regard. Many commented that Starbucks employees must be very pressured and even psychologically abused to have such positive service and, in parts, I did not disagree because many people are there because they need to pay their bills and survive and may not be satisfied with the environment. workplace, as everywhere in the world. But I believe that working for a company that cares about its employees and demonstrates various initiatives for their well-being is very different and much better, probably being less of a burden and having more desire to treat its customers well.

I thought it was important to advocate for Starbucks because we don't have so many brands doing so many things and having such positive attitudes and I think it's important that people are aware of this so that they start to demand more from the brands they follow and also for Starbucks to be recognized for everything.

During our conversation with Ashley Walsh, director of accounts at North Strategic, she addressed five trends in influencer marketing and the one that stood out to me the most was prioritizing short videos because personally, I find it exhausting when a video is longer than 2 minutes.

We live in a reality where we are bombarded with information and stimuli and the time we have available for things is getting shorter and shorter, so it is imperative that platforms adapt to this format. Personally, I really like this model of short videos and I believe that, seeing the results of influencers and brands that have joined, we can conclude that this preference is not just mine.

The influencer marketing career is indeed attractive to me, in fact, I think it is a part of marketing and a strategy/tool within a structured plan and, because it is something increasingly present in people's lives, it is a way important within the marketing practice that we already know and that covers different fronts and this is one of them. But I wouldn't want to limit myself to just that as I think there are many possibilities within this area of study.

[digitalmediamarketinggbc]

Blair Roebuck - Marketing Science: Unifying Business & Technology

This Monday (29th), we had the opportunity to talk to Blair Roebuck, Vice President of Marketing Science at Valtech, and get his points of view and arguments in relation to this area of knowledge within the job market.

She started talking a little about herself and her trajectory. She said that what most defines her trajectory is "non-linear". In the digital environment everything is always evolving, developing and changing and we need to keep ourselves nimble, we need to learn and get used to the fact that the study will be constant.

She went to Western University and graduated from the media information technoculture program. Throughout her university experience she had this notion that she wanted to do marketing and advertise, but she didn't really know what that meant. She concluded that the key way to find that answer she was seeking was through internships and real world experience. Her first key role was at a company called Cornerstone Group of Companies, which is actually now a part of Deloitte Digital, and she was able to focus on data management and digital marketing. At that moment and with the subsequent transformations that took place in society and in the business environment due to the advancement of technology, Blair says it was the first time that she saw data as a commodity and as a superpower

After a few years of working there she realized she still had this fascination towards the traditional ad agency space, so she decided to go to the traditional ad agency world at KBS and worked as a strategist there. What she loved about the strategy position was that she was really ingrained in the business problems and speaking with clients first hand to understand what makes them tick and what the opportunities could be. But she was still missing the data side, she was looking for balance between both. And this was when Google analytics really became a primary tool on the scene to apply business hypotheses and insights using data to validate assumptions. She felt this was a light bulb moment for her and that was what led Valtech to her.

Now the team she leads is the data and analytics practice of Val Tech, North America as the unification of business and technology and data being that unifying factor. Their goal is to translate data into business insights and then apply it in real time to achieve an ROI and that notion of return on investment. She explained there are 3 lenses to view ROI as pertains to the marketing science team:

Taking stock of what you actually have versus what you want to achieve is crucial, and making sure that you can unlock the capabilities of tools (CRM, CMS) is essential in order to make sure that you're getting a return on your investment from your technology stack.

Consumable for any audience of any data literacy levels. Many people and companies acquired and store a ton of data and now they are lost in excess and do not know how to handle or deal with the information they already have, much less extract insights, trends and ideas

Making sure they feel that they've gone to return their investment from working with the company and with marketing science.

Speaking of the 3 pillars of Science Marketing in general, Blair highlighted

analytics and data

technology

business

highlighting that there are intersections shown in the image below (these 3 pillars coming together is the sweet spot where marking science shines)

Blair understands the complexity of this issue and is very proud of the team she supports. She identifies extremely relevant characteristics in these professionals and tells us that she looks for "unicorn" professionals and defines them as "they are multi-faceted individuals and multifaceted rules, so to do into 4 pillars is a bit reductionist, but bear with me. There is that balance of left brain, right brain that is present in this role". She believes that an ideal professional is the combination of 4 factors:

data wrangling

data analysis 

subject experience

communicator

As learnings brought about by the conversation with Blair, I separated the three most relevant ones:

In Marketing Science, not only do you need to have the technical knowledge to apply to your work, but you need to actually have the business knowledge. In this role, you're predominantly client facing But you're also behind the scenes.

Within Marketing Science we have: measurement strategy, data, analytics, data visualization, SEO and optimization.

There will always be challenges, regardless of the area in which you work. but data can be a way of clarifying and unifying concrete information, so it is often important to turn to them

I believe that these were important points, as they gave me a more detailed view of what Marketing Science really is, and also because they brought up career-related issues that, as a 21-year-old who has just graduated from college, are always very important. come as guidance. Seeing Blair's footsteps showed me that the market is very diverse and broad and it's possible to identify her interests and strengths and work with them.

Without a doubt, it's an area that I'm interested in, I've always been good with data analysis and, not only do I understand, but I agree with Blair's speech about data bringing us clarity and objectivity. It is an area that can still grow a lot and I believe that, in the time that I still have in the market, there may be many advances and changes, but the use of data will always be important and essential.

During the 4 years of college I took several classes on the subject and studied several cases. In my work I was also able to put this into practice and I believe that staying active in this sense is the best way to develop and improve. I realized that the time between my leaving work to come to Canada and this moment, I felt "rusty" doing it again.

In the activity carried out, it was possible to perceive in a practical way the usefulness of the data as a guideline for the construction of conclusions and definition of strategies. As it was a group activity, it was also possible to see how the balance between left brain, right brain that is present in this role and that, at that moment, each person can contribute differently by manifesting these differences.

[digitalmediamarketinggbc]

Jennifer Stoll - Leveraging Digital Marketing Strategy to Elevate the Customer Experience

When we see people like Jennifer in places of such prestige and success, it's easy to assume that it was easy or quick to get where she is, but I was able to learn more about her journey and would like to share it as a way to stay optimistic and give everyone that feeling that "it won't be easy, but it will be amazing".

In the past 20 years of her career, Jennifer has gone through different areas and done a little of everything: she has worked with accounts, content, social media, SEO, as an analyst and Community Manager. She started her career at General Mills and spent a lot of time there and it was there that she fell in love with the business behind marketing. After that, Jennifer joined Field Trip, a company that used technology to generate connections, hence her passion for technology. In 2011, she joined Iris and immersed herself in the strategic planning environment, more specifically in the B2B field, but felt limited in terms of learning and growth, so she decided it was time to leave the company. After that, in 2018, Jennifer was hired by Isobar, a company focused on B2C and was able to work on several projects that brought a different level of knowledge and skills. In 2020, Jennifer hooked up with a former boss and was asked to join Valtech.

Seeing this path traced by Jennifer made me realize that each place and each company will always have something to offer us and make us grow as professionals in terms of learning and that no experience is in vain or disposable. I see that it is possible to develop in different ways and it is not necessarily limited to what is my field of study or what I am comfortable with. I believe these insights will be reflected in my job search, which could be much broader than it already is.

After talking about her career, Jennifer put her efforts into defining what strategy actually is. According to her, strategy is answering questions, providing direction and evaluating from different viewpoints. She explains that the way to do this is through convergent and divergent activities, mainly through research and synthesis and, after that, ideating and planning. It's important to have a lot of baggage and content from different perspectives in your mind before shaping a strategy.

She couldn't be more right. I believe that, before formulating any strategy, it is important to do a lot of research about consumer behavior and different types of consumers. We are often biased by our own beliefs, customs, ways of thinking and consuming, but it is essential to expand our perspectives in this regard. Analyze different sources and conduct different surveys, surveys, focus groups, ethnography to define who we want to reach and what is the best way to do this. In a past activity (case study) we were able to start thinking about this and whether a certain company should create websites for its subsidiaries and daughter brands. But the question goes far beyond that, who are the consumers? who would be the target audience? Is a website the best way to reach these people? thinking about the necessary investment, would the return generated by this public be enough? Several factors need to be considered before we can be sure if a strategy is smart and valid, so when Jennifer says that research is a starting point and that she studied a lot for it, she gives an overview of how important this is.

Jennifer brought several cases and what she says and what she thought about each one, showing how much her activities within the Digital Strategy are relevant, grounded and interesting. We cannot deny that this is interesting but, more than that, how much is necessary, thinking about how much we can do and how many people we can impact in the digital environment but, in my opinion, I believe that the word "digital" after "strategy" ends being limiting. In my opinion, "digital" is a way/means of conducting a strategy to achieve a goal, but it is not the only one.

We live being bombarded with content, ads and stimuli all the time and, in a way, this ends up being kind of exhausting. I believe that there are several ways to generate buzz, impact and results, and that digital is one of them among many others. I imagine that, at this point, the consumer is starting to get calloused and tired of traditional forms of advertising and expects disruptive means to get their attention. An example of this is the success of Travis Scott's show for Fortnite in the metaverse in which advertising appears in the form of entertainment (non-interruptive) and moved a huge audience. Another example was the NBA House, a form of brand experience, which was structured in Brazil and received an audience of more than 30,000 people (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpYUVmgXeIo ). All this to say that, yes, for me, Digital Strategy is an attractive career path, but I would like there to be an opening beyond digital.