Curious how to become the youngest managing partner at a powerhouse agency?
In this week’s episode of Earned, CreatorIQ CMO Brit Starr sits down with Shanice Engel, Managing Partner & Director Business Development at oona.agency.
To start, we dive into Shanice’s transformative journey from the early days of blogging to the vibrant era of Instagram content creation, highlighting the pivotal role of Instagram Stories in the evolution of marketing strategies. Shanice shares the art of crafting genuine connections with influencers and innovative brand partnerships across various lifestyle fields, which propelled her forward. As the youngest partner at her agency, Shanice offers a unique perspective on balancing career success with personal milestones such as starting a family, and how these experiences have enriched her leadership style. Switching gears, we explore the exciting future trends in marketing, including the integration of AI capabilities and the resurgence of offline experiences. This episode captures the essence of personal and professional growth in a rapidly evolving industry, and will leave you inspired by Shanice's journey of empathy, human connection, and relentless pursuit of excellence.
Check out highlights from the episode below, or or tune into the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen!
The following interview has been lightly edited for concision.
Shanice Engel on Crafting Moments for Real Connection: “What we always say at oona.agency is don't do your events for the 20 people you invited, but do it for the thousands that will see it. That storytelling and that content creation at a live event is something that still works really well.”
Brit Starr: Okay, we're talking about energy and momentum. I want to talk about what's next, but I'm going to ask it across a couple of different lenses. I'll start with influencer marketing. What's next for influencer marketing? Then I want to hear about what's next for oona.agency and what's next for you. What are some predictions that you have for 2025 and how are you helping your clients prepare for what's ahead?
Shanice Engel: That's a good one. It's also very industry dependent. We work for Polestar in the EV industry. It's a very different challenge for them compared to what Levi's is doing or what IKEA is doing. One of the main things I see coming within the Benelux and also the larger scope of Europe, is that idea of how we can go from content to conversion. With performance marketing being so close to everything which is paid performance, and paid performance being an integrated part of your social media strategy. It's inevitable to talk about what real impact influencer marketing brings on sales. We're moving into different ways of measuring that impact, looking at new ways to look at KPIs, but also new ways of working in an experimental environment like the Benelux, where a TikTok shop is not present yet. Where you need to find ways to do affiliate marketing without necessarily lagging behind other markets. So that's a really big one that comes into conversion. Another one I'm also really happy for is the fact that things are happening offline again.
Brit Starr: Yes, bring back the real life events and experiences.
Shanice Engel: Of course, we had two years where it was super clear how influencer marketing was growing at such a rapid pace. It was the best channel for brands to be in, because people were not offline.
That boosted the industry a lot. We see now, a few years after the pandemic, people are tired of being on their screens all the time. It's sometimes very overwhelming for younger generations to know how to detach sometimes from the online world. I really look forward to the fact that more and more brands are again investing in offline moments where they can set up their brand in the real world, tell their brand story and move just beyond product story time. We see that on a global level that more brands are investing in that again. What we always say at oona.agency is don't do your events for the 20 people you invited, but do it for the thousands that will see it. That storytelling and that content creation at a live event is something that still works really well. I always love doing those events. You meet new people, the excitement of what has to happen within that time frame of two or three hours. It's something you cannot create if you're just doing video content and online storytelling.
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