Corporate
Reinventing Roles for a New Era: Marketing
5/29/2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is not only changing where and how we work, it is reinventing job roles — possibly permanently.
As part of a Q&A series, Samsung employees across business areas are sharing their views on how they have redefined their roles for today and what they expect their roles to look like in the future. They are also are offering advice to those now entering the profession as the collective workforce discussion shifts from what now to what next.
Name: Michelle Engel [LinkedIn]
Title: Head of Partnerships, Programming, Influencer
Location: Samsung 837, NYC
Years with Samsung: Close to eight years
1. What inspired you to pursue a career in Marketing?
I consider what I am doing my fourth career. If I am addressing what inspired me to be where I am, the answer is music. As a child, I immediately saw that music and entertainment connected people that had nothing else in common. Ask someone about their favorite song, album, artist, concert. They light up and you learn so much about them. I knew I needed to harness that power and find a path for myself. My interest in music got me started on a career path that lead me to be on-air radio talent, a producer, a program director, and a marketer.
I came to Samsung via a company they acquired (mSpot) where I lead Content for music services. Over time, I moved to the Marketing side of Samsung to run Music Partnerships. I expanded to Integrated Marketing, and then to Influencer, Strategic Partnerships, and Programming for Brand Experience. I love the world that I work in because it intersects pop culture with technology, and democratizes creation and storytelling for all.
2. How would you describe your day-to-day role pre-COVID?
No two days are the same when working on the Brand Experience team. My team is responsible for the programming of consumer facing experiences like Samsung 837; influencer strategy and management for the brand; strategic partnership relationship management; and industry/consumer trade shows. Most days were comprised of 1:1 meetings with team members, presentations to partners, interviews with talent, off-site face-to-face meetings with strategic partners, and events at Samsung 837 into the evening. Each day also included budget management, spreadsheet maintenance, presentation development, and fire-drill exercises. The open floor plan of Samsung 837 had me situated within two feet of each of my team members. Today, the element that stands out as most different is how the “Michelle, do you have a minute?” from VP HL Ray as he would pop his head out of his office is now a KNOX message!