Q&A: Adam Ross of SiriusXM Media
Adam Ross
Director - Shopper Marketing & Retail Media Partnerships
SiriusXM Media
Main job responsibilities: I lead commerce and retail media revenue across the organization, working to evangelize audio as a growing platform for commerce. Internally across the sales organization, I'm a subject matter expert to sales partners while also working with marketing to create content and internal resources to support audio in commerce. I work externally with client and agency media teams while working with retail media network partners to educate RMN sellers on audio and support marketing as well as partnership teams across all things audio.
How you help clients during uncertain economic times: In uncertain times, there are a few mediums that shoppers turn to most often. Streaming audio is one of those platforms. Audio has the power to connect with people in meaningful ways while reaching shoppers wherever they're naturally consuming media all along the path to purchase. Retail media network growth is incumbent upon new channels like audio. Advertisers can reach new bespoke audiences through audio, where we can do more advanced storytelling and complex, long-form messaging.
New marketing tactic that you use: Network-level podcast buying to engage shoppers across a new medium. Thanks to RMN partnerships, we can get more advanced with targeting across podcasts than ever before. Demand side platform technologies like household graphs power this capability to layer advanced first-party data and measurement across podcasts. We also work with our RMN partners to offer exclusive omni-audio packages and incentive offers to help suppliers new to audio in commerce drive exceptional results.
What you are listening to right now: I am on a country kick right now, listening to a lot of Zach Bryan and Chris Stapleton. But I have to admit my go-to, feel-good jams are 80s rock and all the hair bands. I recently went to a Foreigner concert. On the podcast side, I listen to "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend" all the time, as well as Dr. Drew and Joe Rogan.
Best career advice you’ve received: Find mentorship. Build your network. Put in the time because success does not come quickly. Look to learn from those you admire.
Memorable aha moment in your career: When I first came to work at SiriusXM (which was just Pandora at that time) about 8 years ago, I sat down for coffee with one of my friends who had some tenure at the company. I asked him if they had found anyone focused on the shopper marketing vertical. At that time, streaming audio wasn't a platform that was being tapped into very often for commerce
I was blown away when I learned that advertisers could leverage the same level of third-party audience targeting across audio that they were already applying to other tactics like display. And we had the same data signals to be able to leverage sales lift measurement methodologies that rivaled what advertisers were getting across tactics like display.
I raised my hand and said I wanted to be the person who talks about this in market. I saw a massive opportunity for brands to leverage a new platform in streaming music, one that has a direct connection to our souls, is brand safe, and can deliver the kind of storytelling and long-form product messaging that can influence shopper behavior all along the path to purchase.
Recent travels: During the summer, I went to Mexico with my wife and my four daughters. We had a wonderful time sailing, snorkeling and even swimming with dolphins. I'm headed to Punta Cana this month for my wife's birthday. As you might have picked up, we are beach people.