“So, what do you do?” is an infamous conversation starter. Then again, it’s also something your relatives ask when they want to brag about you to their friends. Although it’s a simple question, I’ve never been sure about how to articulate the intricacies of my dynamic day-to-day. Here’s my best shot.
My name is Vish, and I’m a Digital Campaign Manager at illumin.
The role of a Digital Campaign Manager is challenging, ever-changing, but most importantly, rewarding. I get to help clients from across North America overcome their marketing challenges using our journey advertising platform.
No two clients are ever the same, and one of my favourite parts about my role is that I get to solve new and interesting problems to help organizations reach their marketing goals. Some clients may want to build awareness—like a leading pharmaceutical company that’s just developed a new treatment for patients of a rare disease—while others may focus on conversions and persuade you to eat more of their classic chicken sandwiches! Others may take a full-funnel approach, testing ad creatives and audiences to see what works best and nurturing consumers all the way from awareness to conversion.
Allow me to take you on a journey through my day.
6:00 AM: I prefer to wake up early. I’m going into the office today, so after I go to the gym and shower, I skim through the news and listen to a podcast as I make my commute.
9:00 AM: I arrive at work. The first thing that I do is head to the kitchen: I can’t work on an empty stomach. Luckily, illumin agrees with me and provides a catered breakfast every morning. While eating, I network with my colleagues and chat about the day ahead.
9:15 AM: Time to get down to business. First, I go through my to-do list and prioritize what I need to do urgently. One of my responsibilities as Digital Campaign Manager is to make sure all my marketing campaign budgets are on pace with the expected spend.
illumin’s proprietary AI handles our campaign’s budget pacing, spending and performance needs, but my job isn’t that easy. Every marketing campaign I manage is diverse, with various facets working simultaneously. I must optimize and counterbalance these factors to provide my clients with the best return on advertising spend.
For example, I’m working on an advertising campaign with a click-through rate goal of 0.08%, a display ‘viewability’ goal of 70%, and a fluid budget. The tactics used to achieve these performance metrics will not necessarily work for an audio campaign. A Campaign Manager’s role involves data analysis and experimenting with new strategies to deliver on performance goals.
1:00 PM: I have a pod meeting, so I need to get my reports and campaign performance metrics ready. Pod meetings are held amongst members of our Sales, Client Success, and Advertising teams on the same accounts to collaborate on ways to improve client experience and optimize campaigns. Occasionally we have to jump on a call with a client to have a technical discussion about their campaign.
2:00 PM: After getting a lot of my work done, I like to unwind around this time. Thankfully, I have my free massage session booked today! Our in-house massage therapist is exceptional at her job and employees can book with her up to once a month. When I leave the hour-long massage, I am feeling refreshed and at ease.
3:00 PM: I prefer to have my lunch around this time. I know some people think it’s strange, but at illumin, we are empowered to do what works best for us. Bon Appetit!
3:30 PM: Now that I have had my massage and lunch, I need to join one last meeting for the day. It’s a debrief with my senior manager. We talk about work updates and any issues or challenges we may have had throughout the day.
5:00 PM: After checking in on my campaigns one last time, I have completed my work for the day. It has been a productive and eventful one. Time to pack up.
What I love about my life as a Digital Campaign Manager at illumin is that not only does it allow me to challenge myself at every turn, it also gives me an opportunity to work with some of the best minds in the industry. The mentorship and support I get is unparalleled. illumin truly provides me with limitless potential to experiment and build a cohesive skill set for managing multiple campaigns across several industries.
I just wanted to take a moment to thank my mentors, teams and colleagues for always supporting me. They all help me to be my best self, both professionally and personally.
Want to read more on our “Day in the Life” series? Check out the Day in the Life of a Product Director.
