Jennifer Reese (IMC19)

Associate Director at OMD

After majoring in anthropology as an undergrad, Jennifer Reese (IMC19) wanted to expand her career. She knew that the IMC graduate program would provide her with the unique skills that she would need to make it happen. As an associate director at OMD now, Reese has met other Medill alumni at her company and credits the Medill name with opening doors in the marketing and agency industries.

Tell us about your career path so far.

During my undergraduate career, I did internships at both Spark Foundry (then SMG) and LiquidThread, covering financial, technology and custom content. I stayed on at Spark for an additional year after graduating, working on their digital investment team for consumer-packaged goods (CPG) and food/beverage clients. I joined OMD in July of 2018 to work on Automotive.

What are your main responsibilities at OMD?

As an associate director, I lead a hybrid team that oversees strategy, marketing technology, client services, and our media investment channels. Since joining OMD, I’ve touched automotive, insurance and global business. Currently, I work on an insurance client and the occasional pro-bono campaign. 

How do you apply the IMC way of thinking that uses both art and science in your job?

Marketing is a unique combination of science skills and creative thinking. Whenever we receive a brief from a client, I start with a solid base of science. We run numbers, do research, utilize our syndicated tools and craft recommendations based on science. Then comes the art--figuring out the unique opportunities that can make our client’s campaigns stand out. OMD is a media agency, so I focus on finding creative placements for our ads. As much as the science is foundational, a great marketer will also be creative and think outside of the box with their media recommendations. 

Why did you decide to pursue your master’s degree?

A big focus for me is continuing to challenge myself and grow my career. It can be hard to stand out in agency life, but I knew a master’s degree would help to set me apart from the competition. As an IMC undergraduate student at Northwestern, I was familiar with the Medill IMC master’s program and knew that the unique skill set it would provide would be imperative to achieving my goals.

Many people assume that my undergraduate anthropology degree and my marketing skills sit on opposite sides of the academic spectrum. I spent a lot more time in research labs as an anthropology student than I ever do now, but the reality is that the core of what you do is very similar. Anthropology is about understanding people: what they do and why. A successful marketer will know the same things about their core customer group--it’s the only way you can craft advertising that resonates with them.

What is an experience or class from the IMC program that stands out for you?

I loved Marty Kohr’s Capstone Class. We partnered with Bank of America to help them rethink their strategy within specific markets. In small teams, we went from brief to tactical recommendation in 10 weeks. It was great to have the client presentation experience and work with the rest of my team to create something new. 

How have the Northwestern and Medill networks in your career?

I know a few other people at my agency who also completed their master’s degree in IMC at Medill. The Medill name opens doors and helps make connections across the industry. My first internship was secured through a Northwestern connection, as was my second. Both of those experiences were instrumental to launching my career in agency life. At the end of the day, Medill Career Services is well connected to the major players in marketing, agency and client alike, and always ready to help. 

What advice do you have for someone considering Medill?

Get ready to be challenged. It’s not a walk through the park, but if you’re ready to do the work, the program is incredibly rewarding. I’ve met some great friends through this program, and I continue to reap the benefits of having an advanced degree.