Natalie Coleman is regional group account director at media platform Teads.
She has over 10 years of experience in digital media and programmatic buying, having served as the regional lead for top adtech firms such as MediaIQ, Global Radio, and Reach PLC before joining Teads. She has collaborated with brands across various verticals and worked alongside leading global media agencies to develop solutions that deliver both campaign and business goals across digital channels.
Coleman is also passionate about nurturing talent in the industry and draws on her experience as a young working mother in advertising to support others through industry bodies such as the Women In Programmatic North network.
Here, she shares her career journey and some words of advice.
How did you first get into your industry?
My most enjoyable subject at college was media, so I hoped to continue this further into higher education. After some research, I was intrigued by a new course that Manchester Metropolitan University had introduced called PR & digital marketing communications. At the time I wasn’t 100% clear on what PR entailed and digital was still very much in its infancy, however I felt that marketing communications would be similar but yet still an extension from my A-Level in media, so I chose this as my vocation.
Post-university, a recruiter referred me for a graduate role in a programmatic ad tech company. As I was only just entering the working world from the classroom, we’d never been taught the multitude of ways you can advertise through digital channels, let alone programmatic display. When searching online to find out more details, it still wasn’t clear to me what this was due to the complex jargon used around this new way of advertising. I then went to the interview pretty much blind with no expectations, but when they explained the digital ecosystem, how their company fits within the chain, and then explained what my roles and responsibilities would be, the role seemed well suited! I accepted the job which then became my first step onto the career ladder in the digital advertising / programmatic industry.
What do you love about your job?
There are numerous things I love about my job: That my knowledge is always growing as the digital landscape is forever expanding and the investment into this channel continues to grow at a fast pace.
I love my tight-knit network of peers in the regional market that I have amassed in the 10+ years I’ve been in this industry.
And above all, I love meeting brands from different industries and deep diving into their digital channels to propose advertising solutions to help them push innovation and growth.
Who – or what – has inspired you in your career?
I’d say the founding partner and managing director of my graduate job, Michelle Vint was the first professional that I aspired to be. In relation to the quote, “You can’t be what you can’t see”, watching her juggle young children, launching a start-up business, as well as heading up the various internal departments herself whilst still helping and sharing her knowledge to junior staff, showed me that it is possible to be a mum, be approachable as a senior stakeholder, but also have a career and a successful one at that. With this being my first full-time job, this set the bar in terms of what kind of leader I wanted to be, the positive work culture I’d want to create as well as further instilling my hard work ethic to drive success.
What are the biggest challenges about your job?
In advertising, we aren’t saving lives, yet it is still pressurised at times so can be stressful.
My job requires a lot of travel to meet brands across the UK and with me having a small child, I must be conscious of creating a balanced work/home life as best as I can to ensure neither side gets neglected. I continuously work towards this by ensuring I utilise flexible working and managing my diary to ensure all meetings are in core working hours so it’s not disruptive to the wider team. Since Covid, virtual meetings have been a useful tool to maintain communication with clients that I already have established relationships with and minimise travel so I can spend less time commuting and be more present at home. For any parents, I think an understanding of knowing that the balance between home and work life isn’t always going to be perfect but that we make a conscious effort to work as closely to that, is enough! All we can ever do is try our best.
What skills have been the most crucial to you succeeding in your career so far?
As the digital landscape is forever evolving, you have to ensure you stay up-to-date with market trends which can be done through comms such as subscribing to industry body newsletters, attending industry events, using LinkedIn etc. With this constant stream of knowledge and inspiration, this has helped me to become better consultant by strategically planning media, by leading with innovation to raise brand awareness, driving performance, but also creating differentiation from competitors.
With my career as a young black woman who is also a mother, opportunities are not always openly given due to conscious and unconscious bias from senior stakeholders that could delay or block my career progression. Therefore, the skills that have helped me to be successful are ensuring I set my own short and long-term career goals to stay on track, lean towards work allies, be assertive with my boundaries, interrogate everything to maximise my knowledge and continuously look to expand my network.
What was your first salary and what could someone getting into the industry expect to earn nowadays?
My first salary was for a graduate scheme. An entry level salary from 10 years ago was not particularly high or competitive, but in the words of Drake – ‘started from the bottom now we’re here’. Nowadays, I’d say anywhere from £20-£25k for a graduate / assistant role is acceptable when in an agency. Supplier / publisher roles may have slightly higher salaries due to the pressure of having to work towards hard revenue targets so you could expect a higher base and commission in these roles.
What education or training would be most useful for someone looking to follow your career path?
We can educate ourselves on a daily basis from everything around us. If you have an interest in media or advertising then take note of the adverts you are exposed to whether that be TV, online, print, or radio. Ask yourself questions: “Why would they choose that logo? Why did they choose those colours? Why are those words used in the messaging and what emotion are they provoking in me?” – Even asking just some of these questions from what you see in your everyday surroundings helps you to become a strategic thinker.
If you are planning a brand’s digital strategy across different channels you have to ask these questions continuously, not only for your brand but also their competitors, by looking at what works well and what others are doing better that you can then look to replicate and personalise. This leads to people having a better perception of your brand, creating memorability, and driving new or recurring visitors, which should then drive increased revenue. Everything is inspiration!
What advice would you have for someone looking to follow your path?
If you are at an educational institution, I’d suggest using their career specialists to help you find a placement, work experience, or your first job. They can introduce you to their network and expose you to companies or key stakeholders that you may not have been aware of otherwise. This will then present you with opportunities for work experience to get you on the career ladder.
LinkedIn is also a great tool. Make yourself known to recruitment agencies who specialise in the industry you want to work in; they will be exposed to businesses that you may not be aware of who may be looking for roles to fill that your skills and experience are perfect for.
