Leadership/Data to Solve a Problem

C: Discovered through analyzing customer data that Biscuitville’s customer base was aging.
A: Identified TikTok as a platform to reach younger consumers that weren’t in our current media
mix, and developed a strategy to pitch to the client around the platform.
R: The client approved a test campaign, of which more than 60% of our reach was to users
under the age of 40. And 25% percent of total reach was to users aged 18 - 25. We also
received higher view-through-rates than our Meta and YouTube video campaigns. TikTok was
then incorporated into our annual media plan.

Situation:
In an annual report of their customer base that Biscuitville provided to us, I analyzed the data
and found a red flag. It indicated that their customer base was continuing to trend towards 65+,
while younger customers were declining. Seeing this, I was immediately concerned that
Biscuitville’s current customer base would only continue to dwindle as the population grew
older.

Task:
We needed to start reaching a younger audience through the channels we had available. Meta
was an issue because the way the platform optimizes provides less control in what
demographics we can reach with our limited geographic scope. Our campaigns typically spent
mostly on Facebook as the platform determines where the ads run according to the objective. I
needed to find an alternative route that would be an awareness driver for the brand, and would
tell the story of the Biscuitville brand through video content.

Action:
I realized that TikTok was a great opportunity for us to reach this younger and engaged
audience that was missing in our current media mix. I put together a strategy and presentation
to convey the value of investing in Tiktok. I focused on the synergies between the Biscuitville
brand and the TikTok platform, pointing out the authenticity of the brand which would appeal to
a millennial and Gen Z audience (as I had confirmed through combing through consumer
research platforms). I first presented it to my internal team. After getting approval from my
director, I looped in both the social and creative departments within my agency. I wanted to
make this a cross-functional pitch to provide the correct expertise to the client, as this platform
was very different content-wise from anything that Biscuitville was currently producing. We had
a few meetings to pull together a pitch to the client, and I ran point on organizing the project. I
pitched the idea to the client, and though it was a hard sell because they were previously
uncomfortable with the idea of organic/less produced content, they bought in and gave us the
greenlight to build out a TikTok strategy. The client started posting organically on TikTok within
3 months and started paid ads two months after that.

Result:
The result only a few months later showed approximately 60% of our audience was under the
age of 40, giving us hundreds of thousands of more impressions per month of our target
younger demographic. The platform was then incorporated into our overall media mix, and our
relevancy and perceived reputation in the next year’s consumer report of younger customers
saw a significant lift.

Teamwork/Dealing with a Bad Actor/Conflict on a Team

C: A campaign I had put together was not performing well, and a conflict with a coworker who
was our expert in the platform was stalling progress.
A: Called a meeting to understand what was happening on my coworker’s side, and learned the
platform myself so I could approach the client to inform them of what changes needed to be
made.
R: Met campaign spend goals and resolved the conflict, ultimately reinforcing the need for
transparency and honesty, both internally and with our client.

Situation:
I was overseeing a test campaign for audio for Biscuitville. A new coworker of mine had been
assigned to run the campaign via DV360, as she had experience in the platform and I did not.
From the outset, the campaign faced significant problems: the ads were not spending correctly,
and we were seeing placements on random and unsafe sites. By the end of the second week,
only $200 had been spent, less than 10% of what should have been spent to appropriately pace
the campaign.

Task:
My job was to monitor the campaign and ensure that we adhered to our budget and met
campaign objectives, while my coworkers assignment was to set up the campaign on the
platform and make optimizations. During a check-in meeting with our Director, this coworker
intentionally misrepresented the metrics, claiming that the campaign had spent far more than we
actually had and that everything was running smoothly. This presented an ethical challenge as it
was clear accountability was not being taken. I needed to decide how to handle the situation,
needing to prioritize transparency and maintaining trust within our team and that of the client.

Action:
After the meeting, I called a meeting with my coworker and explained that her actions had made
me uncomfortable, as integrity and accountability were key values on our team. I was always
taught to own up to my mistakes, as it is much easier to fix a mistake now than to wait for
someone to notice. She explained that she did not know how to fix the issue, as it had been a
long time since she had been in the platform. I then took the initiative to step in and correct the
technical issues myself. I called a meeting with the client to inform them of the issues with the
campaign, explaining the targeting we initially agreed upon would need to change for the
campaign to spend. With client permission, I went into the platform and adjusted the bids, site
lists, and targeting, and reworked the campaign to ensure we hit our spending goals.

Result:
Thanks to my adjustments, the campaign recovered and met its spending objectives by the end
of the test period. I called another meeting with my coworker to explain to her my frustrations
and let her know I would need to explain to our Director what had happened, as it would be
evident in the performance and affect how we analyzed the sales numbers. She was
understanding but concerned for her position, so I agreed that the early performance was also
under my purview and took accountability. During a debrief with our Director, I disclosed the
challenges we had faced and how I had stepped in to fix the issues. While the late surge in
spending impacted the results of the test, our honesty about the situation ensured that the
Director and client understood the full picture. This maintained our credibility with the client, as
well as internally, and reinforced the importance of transparency.

Overcoming Adversity

I was laid off in my previous job due to a massive restructuring, hence the gap in my resume. It
was extremely unexpected and really discouraging considering it was my first full time job out of
college. I had been with them for almost three years, loved my job and my coworkers, and
thought I excelled there. However, even before this happened, I had been wanting to return to
school. I took it as an opportunity to focus all my attention on the GMAT for the first few weeks.
In order to make the long-term investment in my career, I decided that the value I would receive
from a higher GMAT score would be more worthwhile than finding a short-term job for a few
months.

After I had achieved a score I was happy with, I began doing some freelance marketing work. I
supported a real estate company in my hometown with developing brand identities for a few
different subdivisions. I just got to see my work in real life when I went home for fall break and it
was really satisfying to see the completed signage. The developer said that a quarter of the
homes have already been sold even though only a small fraction of the homes have been built,
and that customers have consistently expressed that the signage makes the neighborhood feel
more upscale and gives it character.

I also took the opportunity to travel with a family member of mine who is a successful standup
comedian, filming and editing organic social content when her agency was unable to put
someone on the road with her. During this time, I not only got to be with my family, but I was
able to see the world of the entertainment business from behind the scenes. I learned about the
operations of event venues, heard from Netflix executives about how they decide which
comedians they want to develop relationships with, and was ultimately able to use what I
learned as a media planner to shoot interesting social content that is relevant to her audience.

Looking back, I appreciate that this happened to me. It was the final push I needed to pursue
my goals and offered me an opportunity to explore other career paths while continuing to hone
my marketing skills.