Coworking with Justine Melman

Each week, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Justine Melman is CMO at Optimum Retailing, a retail management software company. She has held senior leadership roles at brands including BMO, Clearco, Postmedia, and Flybits.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? I’ve had the chance to work on a few rebrands. I love the process that goes into doing this because we have to be very specific about the needs in the market we are trying to address and the differentiated way in which we can solve them—and then wrapping that into new and exciting copy and design.

What’s your favorite ad campaign? My favorite is the Wrigley’s ad for Extra gum that celebrated the end of the pandemic. Watch the long-form version. There isn’t anyone who can’t relate!

What’s one thing we wouldn’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? I’m a single mom with four amazing kids (ages 22, 20, eight, and six) and finding work-life balance so I can be great in both roles is one of the most important things in my life. I am happy to say that most of the time I have really good balance!

What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? It’s an incredibly exciting time to be in marketing right now given the evolution to evidence-based practices that drive marketing effectiveness. I highly encourage all marketers to dive into the work by Previously Unavailable’s James Hurman, System1, WARC, MiniMBA founder Mark Ritson, System1’s Andrew Tindall, IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising), Byron Sharp, Les Binet, and all the others leading the charge for more effective marketing.

There are also excellent programs to educate yourself in this advanced practice, such as the Master of Advertising Effectiveness with James Hurman and WARC, which provides a strong foundation in the key principles that are driving this evolution.

What’s one marketing-related podcast, social account, or series you’d recommend? There are incredible podcasts that support education in marketing effectiveness from the leaders I mention above. One of my favorites is On Strategy Showcase with Fergus O’Carroll.