PulsePoint's Trader Hall of Fame: Samantha Schwartz (CMI Media Group)

The PulsePoint team is committed to recognizing all of the amazing work that our clients do to improve health outcomes for the world’s population. That’s why we started a special series, the Trader Hall of Fame, dedicated to highlighting our all-star clients who have gone above and beyond to execute successful campaigns that foster a healthier world. This month’s inductee in the Trader Hall of Fame is Samantha Schwartz, Analyst, Programmatic, at CMI Media Group.

How Samantha Got Started with Programmatic Media

Samantha’s journey started while studying marketing at the Temple University Fox School of Business. She said this is where she learned how marketing can be the difference “between whether someone has a good impression of a brand or not… you can really help paint a picture and tell a story.”

After graduating, a friend introduced her to CMI Media Group and told her she thought programmatic would be a great fit. “It was something that I didn’t even know I needed because I had never heard of programmatic,” Samantha said. But it wasn’t long after joining the team that she realized the impact programmatic could have on a campaign. She said she’s enjoyed seeing how programmatic has become more relevant and important in the industry. “People are gravitating toward using programmatic to help their businesses, to help their lives using automation and algorithms,” she said.

Samantha’s Words of Wisdom

Programmatic is a new and rapidly growing facet of marketing and, as Samantha put it, “Things are always changing, always evolving.” Her advice to those just starting out in programmatic is, “Go into it always being curious and willing to ask questions.” 

Personally, she said she is continuing to challenge herself and her team members, even several years into her programmatic journey. She said the thing that has helped her the most is to “remain humble, curious, and keep learning from those around me.”

Samantha’s Favorite Part of the Job

As a self-professed lover of puzzles, math, and problem-solving, Samantha’s favorite thing about her role is that she gets to “use investigative skills and dive deeper and learn more about the data I’m seeing.” She said she’s always wanted to know the “why” behind things, and as a programmatic analyst, she’s able to learn from the past and make changes based on what worked and what didn’t. “I love being able to do that,” she said.

Samantha also said she’s grateful for the mentorship she’s received at CMI Media Group, specifically from the head of her team Jason Sibley and her manager Whitney Hoydis. “I’ve been able to learn so much… they’ve given me so much confidence because this is my first job outside of college, and it hasn’t been the most traditional first job out of college since programmatic is a relatively new field,” she said. She appreciates the one-on-one time she’s had with both of them. More than just the ins and outs of programmatic, Samantha said, “They taught me so much about being a professional and navigating life post-college.”

Samantha & PulsePoint

When asked about her partnership with PulsePoint, Samantha said, “They've been one of the best parts of my programmatic journey.” She said she appreciates that her PulsePoint team takes the time to “not only teach me about the PulsePoint platform but also keeps me apprised of programmatic best practices relevant to my role.” 

Of the platform itself, she said it has a user-friendly interface that saves her valuable time every day. “I love that there are so many levers that we can pull in order to optimize our campaigns,” she said. “It does exactly what we need it to and it goes even beyond that.”

She said there’s of course room for improvement, but they don’t have to wait years for improvements to be made after they share their feedback with the PulsePoint team. For example, she said she wanted a change log in the platform so she could go back and see a record of what’s been done. She said they’ve taken that feedback and built out a basic change log, and she’s hoping to see a more detailed version soon. “It’ll help us tell that story,” she said.

Samantha Outside of Work

Samantha said she’s a bit of an anomaly because “I’ve loved math and I’ve loved art.” To wind down at the end of the day, she said she’s busy painting, drawing, or doing something creative to help with stress. She also said she’s a big Philly sports fan, taking every chance she can get to cheer on the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, and Flyers.

She acknowledged the importance of downtime and self-care in her life. “Something that means a lot to me is prioritizing my mental health. You can’t give if you don’t have anything left inside you,” she said. It was clear that she enjoys her work, but she stressed that people have to “do what’s best for ourselves in addition to what’s best for our company and those around us… we give our best when we take care of ourselves.”