The field of digital marketing is ever-changing. Jen Kincaid, marketing manager at Nike.com North America, graduated with her B.S. in marketing and psychology in 2008, right on the cusp of many new developments in the industry
We were able to hear from Kincaid and learn from her successful career. Check out her story and learn what advice she has for current marketing students at NIU today.
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Q: Can you tell us about your career journey and how that led up to your current position?
A: In 2008, I graduated from Northern Illinois University with my bachelor’s in marketing. I was so excited to begin my first full-time job as an account administrator at Diamond Communications Solutions. This direct marketing position was a great start to apply a lot of the skills I just learned at NIU. Unfortunately, after nine months, I was laid off like many others during the Great Recession.
Luckily, I always knew I wanted to get my MBA, so I was able to apply to a full-time program at Western Illinois University and worked as a graduate assistant for the College of Business and Technology.
After I graduated with my MBA, I got a job at JAK Creative Design as an account executive. This position helped me learn about digital marketing as we created content for display ads and emails for our clients. This work experience helped me to land a position at Allstate.
In my time at Allstate, I had the wonderful opportunity to lead a mini-content marketing team that was responsible for insurance education on Allstate.com. I was able to strengthen and grow my digital marketing expertise during my eight-and-a-half years at the company.
Without this experience, I wouldn’t have had the courage to apply to Nike more than two-and-a-half years ago. Right now, I’m able to use a lot of my past work experiences to help Nike.com be one of the best-in-class digital platforms.
Q: What do you think has been your biggest success factor?
A: Being resilient and always moving forward. All careers have a lot of ups and downs, but you must keep pushing forward to learn more, do more and get better.
Q: What do you think is the most important skill for digital marketers to have right now?
A: Obsess over the consumer experience. Strive to have your company’s digital platforms as frictionless as possible. Most of the time, you only get one chance to interact with a consumer, and if that experience is too cumbersome, you’ve just made it easier for your competition.
Q: Where do you see the digital marketing industry going in the future?
A: I think artificial intelligence is going to be a big shift for the industry as a whole. Digital marketers need to figure out how to partner with AI to make their digital platforms better. We can’t shy away from this technology, but need to figure out a way to use it to make best-in-class consumer experiences.
Q: What advice would you give your younger self?
A: Be fearless. Embrace job relocation. It’ll be scary but super-rewarding.
Q: What has been most important to you as you have searched for a job? What has been least important?
A: Most important: A job needs to sound stimulating to me, and I can see it as a growth opportunity for myself.
Least important: Location. I’m super flexible if a company wants to be fully remote or relocate me to somewhere else in the U.S.
Q: What advice do you have for our digital Huskies at NIU?
A: Be curious and hold on. None of us know where our careers will take us, but embrace the change and follow where your curiosity and passion take you. Some days are good and others not so much, but after a while, you’ll look back and won’t believe the fun career journey you’ve created for yourself.
Bio:
Jen Kincaid is the marketing manager at Nike.com North America. She holds a B.S. in marketing from NIU, ’08, and an MBA from Western Illinois University. She currently is a member of the NIU digital marketing advisory board.
