People to Watch 2016: Carrie Keller, GSK Consumer Health

Carrie Keller knew the direction she wanted to go in her career. She took college courses that taught her about building strategies and thinking about brands in creative ways. But what prepared her even more, she says, is seeing herself as a consumer. “It’s easy to get caught up in the science of it all or the specifics of the tactics. But I often think, ‘Is there something that would get me to buy this brand or that would change the way I think about it?’ It’s so easy to get away from that.”From working at News America Marketing in Atlanta (calling on Dollar General) and her native Chicago (working on the Walgreens business), Keller honed her traditional media skills early in her career. She then joined IN Marketing, responsible for overseeing the drug class of trade, and strengthened her planning and strategy-building skills. Most recently at MaxPoint, she was able to take a deeper dive into digital media.When she assumed her post at GlaxoSmithKline in March, she says her career had come 360 degrees. “It all led me to this role,” she says.Today, as the sole shopper marketing manager for Walgreens, she works across 23 different brands (including Flonase, Excedrin, Tums, Theraflu and Sensodyne), partnering with the retailer to build strategic campaigns that will help both win with shoppers. She’s proud of being in on high-level joint business planning discussions right from the start. “I was immediately seen as an asset, resource and partner, which only helped develop my relationship at Walgreens,” she says. “We’ve been able to have really strong conversations and strategy meetings, and it’s been exciting to help lead those, to own those plans and to partner with them.”Keller says there’s no denying that shoppers are getting smarter about the way they shop, and with so many resources available, the pre-shop mentality and omnichannel strategies are imperative. “Both organizations are taking big steps to be leaders in the industry in this area,” she says. “Walgreens’ incredibly successful mobile app is being used in a very smart way to continuously engage with shoppers and to grow the numbers using their app, and GSK wants to be a part of that. We need to be talking to our shoppers via mobile and digital and really creating a whole omnichannel experience.”GSK’s transition from traditional marketing into digital marketing has been slow, she notes, considering how fast digital and personalized marketing is evolving. That’s a challenge she sees her team and many others facing today. “It’s hard to keep up with, but the reality is that shoppers want to be directly spoken to. We know where we need to go but it’s a scary area to play in and can be risky, especially when so much is co-branded with the retailer. We must continue to test and push that envelope with more personalized messages because everyone wants to stay relevant in this space.”Keller says she learns from her peers, watching how others approach business and mining what has been the most successful. “I’ll keep pulling together the pieces to carve my own path and to approach my business in a way that will have the most successful results down the road.” Motivated by being on the forefront of change, she hopes to continue to watch the shopper marketing space evolve. She’s up for the challenge: “The role I might be in five to 10 years probably doesn’t even exist right now, and that’s very exciting to me.”

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