Hey Henry, thanks for your time! I find that most people don’t set out to work in ad tech. Can you tell me a bit about your background and how you ended up in the industry?
For sure. I studied marketing at Ohio State University. I was always interested in advertising and technology, and had a few classes where those interests overlapped. When I was looking for a job postgrad, I stumbled upon the ad tech space and it just made sense. It was the right kind of role for me at the time, and account management has given me a wonderful platform for professional growth, and learning a lot of important soft skills. It’s helped me propel myself further than other paths would have.
What’s your day-to-day like on Jun Group’s client services team? What types of projects do you work on?
While every day can look different, there’s one consistent through line — overseeing the relationship between internal and external stakeholders, and ensuring we’re executing and delivering on our clients’ goals.
My role typically starts once a campaign is sold in. I work alongside the client and Jun Group team members to ensure all of the creative and deliverables are assembled properly, then applied, set up, recorded, and analyzed. Some days are focused on client meetings. Others are in the weeds with data and analyzing different metrics. Ultimately, my goal is to make sure the client is happy at all times, excited about how things are progressing, and that our team is available to help them out in any way they need.
Jun Group’s client services team is split between two types of account managers — one that focuses on data and analysis, another that focuses on client relationships. Which side do you fall into and what are the key differences between each role?
I’m a Client Success Manager, so more of the front-end representative for our team. In other words, I’m on the calls communicating with clients and the voice in the inbox. My primary objective is to make sure the relationship is healthy, answer requests in a timely manner, and translate data into actionable and insightful deliverables that are easy to understand. On the back-end, we have Digital Campaign Managers. They’re analyzing reports, pacing campaigns, and managing setups across platforms to ensure everything is running smoothly.
What’s the most challenging part about your role?
In digital advertising, there’s a constant need for campaigns to go live fast. You need to be an effective communicator who can make sure external stakeholders understand their needs are being addressed as quickly as possible, while ensuring internal teams have the opportunity to do their job productively. The most important thing is the ability to manage various tasks in a way that’s proactive and always taking that next step.
What advice do you have for people just getting started in account management?
Take the time to prioritize strengthening your communication skills across various platforms, whether on the phone, on video calls, in-person, or email. There are also a lot of acronyms people use in our industry that aren’t always understood universally, so it’s super important to make sure everyone shares a common understanding of the language.
Also, establishing yourself as a team player is huge. As an Account Manager, you need to be an expert at working with different types of teams. Always remember that the voice on the other end is a human being. Kindness, patience, and smiley face emojis go a long way.
Sounds like you’re quite busy. What do you do to relax and unwind outside of work?
I’m a big reader, both fiction and nonfiction. I keep up with a lot of movies — I’m a Letterboxd power user. I also like to run in my free time.
To wrap things up, do you have any book or movie recommendations for our readers?
For books, I recommend Boom Town, How To Watch Basketball Like A Genius, and The Inheritance Trilogy. For movies, check out Love & Basketball, Past Lives, and Theater Camp.
Follow Henry Stromberg on LinkedIn and learn more about open roles on Jun Group’s client services team here.
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