The future of Canada’s marketing industry will be shaped by its youngest talent—the super-worldly, plugged-in, brilliant and creative youth who are already making a name for themselves. Marketing put out the call to the industry to find the top 30 standouts under the age of 30 who have already made their mark on the industry.
From PR to advertising to media and beyond, our 30 Under 30 showcases the smartest, bravest and most creative ones to watch in the business
Jennifer Dunn, 28
Senior product manager, display advertising, Mediative
If Jennifer Dunn has it her way, you’ll never see another ad for a Russian bride. Unless, of course, her data suggests you want a Russian bride.
As senior product manager of display advertising at Mediative, it’s Dunn’s job to target consumers with relevant ads. Using data gleaned from both the web and Mediative’s parent company, Yellow Pages Group, Dunn helps clients reach consumers with the potential to spend.
Most recently Dunn built a suite of mobile products that deliver ads at a hyper-local level. If, for example, a consumer is at a pool, they’ll see ads for bathing suits. The suite also uses other contextual data, like time and weather. If it’s 5 p.m. and a user is on the road, they’ll see ads for take-out or grocery stores. If it’s raining, the suite serves up ads for DVDs.
Dunn says these new data-driven tools are more efficient than casting a wide net. “For advertisers, their ROI is going to be much better,” she says. “You’re not throwing away dollars on irrelevant consumers.”
Dunn is currently pursuing an accelerated MBA from Queen’s University while working full time. With a focus on strategy and innovation, Dunn says her studies will further her understanding of the finances of marketing.
In 2010 Dunn traveled to Uganda and South Africa with the Stephen Lewis Foundation as part of a volunteering initiative with Aeroplan, where she was a manager of marketing and brand communications for over two years.
The trip was the start of a long term relationship between Dunn and the foundation. Since then she has led several awareness presentations in Quebec and is a consultant to the foundation, assisting it with its digital marketing strategy.
“I’m a great fan of hers,” says Zahra Mohamed, director of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. “She takes her role as an ambassador for the foundation to heart.”
For lots more of the 30 Under 30, pick up the the Sept. 10 issue of Marketing magazine.
Photo: Mike Ford
