By Reagan Cooper, Recruiter & Digital Marketing Manager @ eCommerce Placement

This month, our spotlight is on Aaron Smith– Senior Marketing Executive. Aaron is currently open to new opportunities- although we don’t think that will last long!

Aaron has been in the eComm industry for 20 eventful years. From graduating high school at 15, pioneering the use of attribution in marketing in 2007, helping shape ClearSaleing as an early platform,  and being the youngest to make Associate Partner at Publicis– where he held the largest book of Retail/CPG clients- Aaron has proven himself a highly innovative trail blazer in the digital world.

Here is a little bit about Aaron’s journey to the top.

Let’s start at the beginning (a very good place to start). What sparked your initial interest in marketing? 

My interests have always been at the confluence of art and science.  Marketing marries these seamlessly at the intersection of people and data.

Would you say that was a realistic spark or are the things you love about it now entirely different from what you expected?

While the blend of art and science drew me into marketing I never imagined the thrill I’d get coming off of a big win. Marketing provides those opportunities. You leverage all the data you can, surrounded by the smartest people you can find, and you place a bet on those people and that data. It’s a calculated risk, and its one of the few fields where you’re always on, chasing that next win.

What’s your story? How did you get to where you are today? 

Back in 2000 I knew I wanted to be a builder of the internet, so I sought out the first accredited school that provided a degree in Web Development (vs. Computer Science). By 2003 I was building ecommerce websites, teaching myself PPC, SEO, affiliates, and analytics to support them. There was no school or curriculum for any of this. I’ve had the good fortune of broadening my marketing knowledge while at Publicis and Denstu agencies working with big brands, and kept pursuing my goal of becoming an expert full-stack marketer directly at brands afterward. Even today, I still pursue that goal. Marketing is constantly in flux, but staying closer to digital kept me ahead of that curve.

What would you say are some of the biggest obstacles you have faced along the way? How did you overcome them?

As my path to being a full-stack marketer was unconventional, I encountered two hurdles:

1) I went to a technical school and not a big name university (which Corporate America doesn’t favor).

2) Traditional-minded marketers did not view data the same way I did. I’d even say they were intimidated by a data-first approach.

In both cases, you must continue pursuing your wins. Sometimes that means creating business cases to champion your ideas, speaking with conviction, making friends and learning how to influence others, adapting (even begrudgingly) to company politics, and never being afraid to stand on data.

Data always wins, and everyone must answer to it eventually.

What projects/campaigns are you most proud of? Why? 

In 2015 I worked with a group of super smart people to reverse engineer a plan to get Toys ‘R’ Us out of debt. We literally locked ourselves together in a room to crush that goal, and while we succeeded, ultimately the company had too many liabilities to right itself. Still, our team delivered over $1B in revenue in just six weeks leading up to Christmas and shattered all previous records.

Beginning in 2016 at Mizuno, I was the first appointed head of Marketing and Digital that spanned all their lines of business. Being uniquely positioned, I helped steer the 110 year-old sporting goods company through a rebranding that brought all sports under one roof, now managed by a single budget, and brought to market via a single brand identity. Not easy with the HQ across the globe in Japan, but the payoff in efficiency, brand awareness, and ultimately revenue was worth every 3am meeting.

What do you do outside of work to stay on top of new trends and best practices?

Industry news is a must. MediaPost news alerts are table stakes and I highly recommend signing up. I also have a stable of ex-colleagues and friends who are specialists that I like to check-in with.

Your network is an incredible asset.  Want to know what the latest is with AI without all the noise? Find someone that can rant about it. Listening to an expert rant is worth 100x more than listening to the rave of a passive participant.

If you had to give someone at the beginning of their marketing career one piece of advice- what would it be?

Work until you’re proud. A simple task, a brief, an entire project should not be finished until YOU are proud.

I’ve often asked creatives, when presented with their work, “are you proud of it?” The answer is always immediate, and always telling. And they’d come back later with a revision and they would be beaming before I saw the work.

The quality of output is so different there is no comparison. So even if it’s organizing data in Excel, find a way to be proud of that end result.  If you aren’t, then you’re not finished.

On a more personal note, Aaron is the ideal candidate to work with from a recruiter perspective. His resume and track record of success speaks for itself, but the way he invests in personal connections stands out amongst the crowd.

Here’s a little bit about what makes Aaron, Aaron:

Who are you outside of work? 

I moved to Georgia years ago to take care of my father, and became a dad myself a few years ago. Personal accountability is very important to me.  I value quality time with friends and family, and being outdoors in nature over big city lights.

What are some hobbies you have that keep you sane?

I’m a runner, boxer, musician, and like to throw down in the kitchen. Food, wine, and music are always worth exploring.

How has your work/life balance evolved over the years?

As you might imagine, having a toddler reframes your priorities a bit. In the early days of one’s career you can expect more of a work/life “blend”.  Now, balance is critical to ensure I am accountable to those that need me. Developing boundaries is healthy and helpful in order to give yourself fully to each area of your life.

Aaron is currently open to new opportunities in the Atlanta area or fully remote.