Topic
- Media
By Denise Ocasio, Executive Director of Investment at Mindshare
There is something about “firsts” that just sticks with people. First steps, first friends, first job, first relationship: it all shapes who we become in adulthood and how that “first” affects those around us. For me, being the first in my family to graduate from college meant I would need to navigate a world that wouldn’t always be eager to include my voice. Using that voice has helped guide my career and what I hope to give others: confidence that speaking up with mindfulness, authenticity, and professionalism is how you grow to become a trusted colleague and business partner.
On my team, we value and encourage skills that empower us to make the best investment decisions and drive business results for our clients. While we’re eager to embrace new ways to augment what we do with technology, the throughline in our work is the culture we’ve nurtured and how we uplift one another. I’ve come to appreciate the power of four interconnected principles I use to build belonging and grow my team through shared success. These principles are just as important and applicable to marketing as they are to leadership.
“Authentic Intelligence”
Artificial intelligence has been part of our industry for a while, and generative AI’s explosive surge into the mainstream has only increased its presence in how we work and interact with others. Alongside the excitement of AI, I’ve heard clients praise the authenticity and, crucially, the humanity we bring to our investment strategies and how we understand their business. GroupM and Mindshare are future-focused and committed to exploring new technological horizons, but our people will always be our differentiators. We are, after all, humans working with human clients to serve human audiences. Many brand missteps seem to come from a lack of human awareness and an overreliance on machine learning. Our intuition and subjectivity can make a difference when it comes to advising our clients and leading our teams. Lead with authentic intelligence — support with artificial.
Impact Over Impressions
I often see executives touting the scale of teams they oversee, with numbers in the thousands suggesting massive leadership ability. As we’ve seen with marketing moving from a reach-based model to one focused on impact, however, I feel a shift toward measuring ability through a leader’s impact — on their people, business, and clients — and away from the “impressions” model. Scale without substance is just a big number, and buying mass impressions is relatively easy compared to buying impactful impressions. How much more can you achieve when you aim for something greater? What drives measurable impact as a leader? As a brand? Does your team understand how their work contributes to your business goals and the teams they work with? Navigating both an impactful organization and an impactful media buy nets greater lifetime value for you and your brands.
Productivity Over Busy Work
My team is at its best when we’re all confidently rowing the boat in the same direction, even if our tasks differ. To achieve that, it’s on me to articulate the company’s vision to my direct reports and empower them to filter that down so we all know why these things matter. When taking on expanded roles and responsibilities, it’s easy to look busy with back-to-back phone calls & meetings, but I often feel I’ve accomplished little of value at the end of those days. There’s no “one size fits all” criteria for productivity, but the best way to find and avoid unimpactful busy work is to tackle projects with purpose and presence instead of drifting along. The brands we are charged with “doing more with less” for need to do the same — talk to prospective consumers and make every buy productive, measurable, and meaningful.
Aspire to Inclusion
Every day I work hard to make Mindshare and GroupM a place people don’t want to leave. We all want to be excellent at what our job asks of us — I certainly will always pin myself to being a pretty decent negotiator — but I also always want to be known as an approachable and inclusive leader. My Latina roots are always with me, whether I’m encouraging my team to speak openly and honestly with me or speaking with our valued clients and business leaders.
We can all lead through listening in a way that builds trust — for others to know we’re working for their benefit. Our clients’ goals should be our goals, something we discover and refine with their input and partnership, not by dictating from on high. Our teammates also have goals, and making them feel empowered and valued fosters loyalty and shared productivity. Brands, too, must listen to consumers and understand their place in culture to build the strongest connections that lead to brand loyalty. Making people at all levels feel valued, trusted, and invested in our business gives them the respect I believe we all deserve.
Ours is a competitive industry, and it’s always (really) nice to win a big piece of business, but my best days are when I see someone on my team flourish and feel heard or get recognition from clients by name. The very best days? Those are the days when our clients’ successes mirror my leadership successes. Those are the days we finish — together — in first place.
This piece was written by Denise Ocasio, Executive Director, Investment, Mindshare at GroupM in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. As a Hispanic woman and marketing leader, Denise shares her thoughtful insights and leadership lessons for those working in the media industry.
