When mentoring someone who's new to retail media, what skills do you encourage them to develop? I've personally noticed an interesting pattern: the skills that drive long-term success aren't always the ones we focus on initially.
I recently posed this question to several industry leaders: "If you could go back to the start of your career and pick up a skill earlier, what would it be?" The answers provide valuable insight for both those managing retail media talent and professionals transitioning into the field.
Interestingly, none of the responses centered around technical skills like data analysis or spreadsheet mastery. Instead, these experienced leaders emphasized abilities that might surprise you - skills that aren't typically associated with retail media roles but proved crucial to their success.
Their insights offer valuable guidance for both early-career professionals and those mentoring the next generation of retail media talent.
Note: You can also watch this "panel" episode on the Retail Media Breakfast Club YouTube channel, and hear from these smart peeps directly!
Data Storytelling: Beyond the Numbers
Ben Galvin, Senior Director of Omnichannel Retail Sales and E-commerce at Monster Energy, emphasized the importance of storytelling with data. Coming from a background in business analytics at companies like Anheuser-Busch and Constellation, Galvin acknowledged that while he focused heavily on technical skills early in his career, he wishes he had developed the ability to craft compelling narratives sooner.
"I focused heavily on technical skills and results, but I wish I had developed that ability to craft a compelling narrative and translate those complex insights into actionable strategies for cross-functional teams," Galvin explained. He emphasized the importance of looking beyond single data sources to build better stories, suggesting professionals should consider multiple factors such as marketing activities, consumer panel information, and industry trends when analyzing performance.
The Art of Communication
Paulo Baccarin Fillo, Commercial Director at Tom's of Maine, shared a similar perspective about the importance of effective communication. As a self-described pragmatist, Fillo initially focused on hard skills like analytics and presentation creation, believing that being objective and facts-based was the key to success.
His perspective changed after learning about the 7-38-55 rule of communication: only 7% of impact comes from the actual content, while 38% comes from tone of voice and 55% from body language. "I was putting limited focus on what drives 93% of the impact," Fillo reflected, noting how this realization transformed his approach to presentations, negotiations, and team leadership.
Simplifying Complexity
Ash McMullen, Head of E-commerce at Advantice Health, emphasized the importance of data simplification. "Being able to take a lot of data and simplifying it into one or two key headlines" is a skill she continues to practice regularly, focusing on distilling complex information into clear, actionable takeaways.
Bridging Analytics and Creativity
AJ Patel, SVP of Global Growth at Ubeauty, highlighted the value of creative analysis. Despite his strong background in numbers and ROI analysis, Patel recognized the importance of understanding creative performance, particularly in digital advertising. "Understanding what nuances were driving higher customer intent when creating video assets, or what drives customer intent in carousel positioning - there's a lot of creative optimization that can be done," he explained.
Patel noted that developing this skill took time and patience, as it required a more qualitative approach than the quantitative metrics he was accustomed to. He developed this capability by studying patterns in successful creative assets and accepting that mastering this skill would take longer than developing traditional analytical capabilities.
These insights from industry leaders highlight a crucial truth about success in retail media: while technical skills provide the foundation, it's often the development of softer skills - storytelling, communication, simplification, and creative analysis - that truly accelerates career growth and impact.