Nicole Antin on Chasing Discomfort
On February 22, 2022, MCMP had the opportunity to talk with Nicole Antin, Manager at Wavemaker.
Nicole graduated from the University of Michigan in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Psychology. During her time at Michigan, Nicole was the Vice President of External Relations for MCMP, known then as MACS. While in school, Nicole also worked as a PR intern, but she knew it wasn’t where she wanted to be. After graduation, Nicole was hired as Assistant Brand Strategist at Horizon Media. Nicole enjoyed brand strategy because she was able to work with all of the internal teams at the agency and with the client directly. Working with so many different people is what helped Nicole discover what she was truly interested in – she knew she wanted more of an analytical role over a creative one. Nicole was promoted to Senior Business Solutions Strategist and was with Horizon for almost three years, working on a variety of verticals including consumer packaged goods, pharmaceutical, skincare and real estate. Working across many different industries helped her grow as a person and continue to learn new things through experience. However, she needed a change of scenery. Nicole told us that you never want to feel too comfortable – feeling comfortable means that you’re not being challenged and you’re not growing.
After Horizon, Nicole took a job at a different media agency called Wavemaker where she continued to grow her career and got promoted to Planning Manager. She currently works with IKEA, through which she has learned a lot about the retail industry. Nicole shared that it’s important to be open to any brands or clients because you can learn and grow a lot by working on new accounts, even if you don’t initially think something is for necessarily you.
In her role at Wavemaker, Nicole places ads and devises the media strategy on where to place them; this is brand strategy. Nicole explained that strategy is a decision on how to get from point A to point B, and in order to make that transition for a brand, you need an understanding of your clients’ situation. There are some key questions to ask: How can the brand grow? What is the brand's current situation? How do consumers view the brand?
The brand strategy process is as follows:
The client provides a brief
Understand the purchase journey and category
Develop a cohesive strategy to achieve key business goals
Media tactical planning
Nicole then shared some case studies with us. IKEA focuses on seasonal opportunities throughout the year (holidays, spring cleaning), but this was during a time when everyone was stuck inside due to Covid-19. To combat this, they planned a campaign aimed at converting consumers’ backyards into the dream vacation spot. The goal was to get people out of their homes in the midst of Covid-19, but not farther than their backyard; IKEA brought the vacation to the customer. They partnered with Pinterest on the campaign to create an automated chat bot that asked consumers three questions and returned product ideas tailored to those specific customers that would help them achieve their dream location. They called this bot an A.I.Gent, and it also delivered customized IKEA Pinterest boards to customers that helped the customer envision their dream getaway as reality. The campaign drove a 17% increase in Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS) for eCommerce campaigns on Pinterest.
Nicole also told us about the Tiny Home Project, which derived from a push for sustainability. The idea was that customers could walk into a tiny home and receive tips for making their home more sustainable. This project increased brand engagement and Nicole said it was a challenging but awesome experience.
During the Q&A portion of the presentation, Nicole told us that she was interested in media agencies because she viewed them as a good place to start; she didn’t want to pursue PR, and thought brand strategy would relate to both psychology and communication, which is right up her alley. She said that one of the best takeaways from Michigan was that the school taught her how to work and how to prioritize and meet deadlines. She also noted that if you start a job remotely, as she did, it’s important to make an effort to get to know people and make connections. Asking a colleague to join you for a virtual coffee hour is a great way to start. Nicole told us that for every project you work on, it’s important to keep the big picture in mind: contributing to team success and keeping your clients happy. She advised us to not be afraid to be honest with your managers and to show your excitement and eagerness to learn. For interviews, she recommended that you do research on the role and company beforehand and come in with questions.
Nicole shared that her favorite places to be on campus were the Big House and the Reference Room. Nicole also loved the cognitive psychology class she took during college, and she uses what she learned in her psychology classes to this day.
Thank you Nicole for speaking with us and sharing your experiences!
—- Rachel Coffield, February 2022
