Magnite’s Rebekah Kennedy Explains Brand Partnerships To A Teenager

Millions of people spend hours daily consuming content on the web, social media, and television. They also view many advertisements, but many people overlook why they received those ads and the business behind it all. That’s why it’s fascinating to learn about companies in the space and Magnite is the perfect example of this. 

I had the opportunity to talk to Rebekah Kennedy, the Director of Brand Partnerships at Magnite. She is able to meet with people and get them on board to use Magnite’s technology, which she credits to be her favorite part of her job. After speaking with her, I realized that so many people my age might find this job enjoyable especially because of the networking and partnership aspects.

Thanks Rebekah for a great interview!

Jensen Muller:
So – what is your name? And what do you do for a living?

Rebekah Kennedy:
Well, firstly, Jensen, thank you for your time today, we are excited to speak with you. My name is Rebekah Kennedy, and I am a Director of Brand Partnerships at Magnite.

Jensen Muller:
What does that exactly mean, you’re a Director of Brand Partnerships. What does a day-to-day basis look like?

Rebekah Kennedy:
Yeah, I'll explain a little bit about what Magnite does. Magnite enables billions of people like yourself to stay informed, engaged, and connected. We power the advertising that makes streaming platforms, websites, and mobile apps content-free, so they can keep making content that you love. What I do is consult with brands to help them make sure their campaigns are reaching the people who are most likely to want to engage with and buy their products. I also work with companies to set up their retail and commerce media businesses.

Jensen Muller:
Okay, so you basically just meet with people and get them on board?

Rebekah Kennedy:
That's the best part of my job, yeah.

Jensen Muller:
Is that your favorite thing to do?

Rebekah Kennedy:
Yeah, I enjoy consulting with brands. I used to work at a brand, so I like speaking to people and helping them work out how best to market their products.

Jensen Muller:
For the audience, what exactly is a brand in this case?

Rebekah Kennedy:
It's a good question. A brand could be anyone that is a retailer or selling products in a store, an e-commerce brand, a hotel, an airline – It really runs the gamut. I get to speak to a lot of different people, which is always fun.

Jensen Muller:
Do you mainly work with TV advertising? Or what kind of advertising do you do?

Rebekah Kennedy:
We power all types of advertising, but streaming advertising is really exciting. During the pandemic, a lot of people changed their habits, staying at home and watching more content, so we saw a big boom in streaming. Additionally, there was a big spike in e-commerce purchases as people couldn't go to stores anymore and were buying things online. Both of those things intersect. Brand advertisers can now use that purchase data and what they know about you to show you ads that you're most likely going to engage with, find interesting, and buy more of their product.

Jensen Muller:
I think this is a good transition. How exactly does AI and the current revolution of AI play into what you do?

Rebekah Kennedy:
Yeah, you hit the buzzword for sure. AI, in my instance, involves technology that helps brands buy their advertising smarter. It uses different signals to improve that process. However, there's a lot of buzz around AI, and it's important to remember that much of what we do involves machine learning.

Jensen Muller:
How exactly did you get into this?

Rebekah Kennedy:
It's a good question. I fell into ad tech because I really needed a job after university. A friend of mine was working for a company in Australia that I joined. Then I wanted to work and live internationally, so I moved to that company's UK branch. I started working with one of our brands, Heineken, and then came to the U.S. It was really all about networking and speaking to different people. I think that's the most important part of what I do.

Jensen Muller:
So networking is key here?

Rebekah Kennedy:
Networking is key, yes.

Jensen Muller:
What's your advice to young people who want to get into this? What would you do, and maybe, what would you study in college as well?

Rebekah Kennedy:
I was just speaking to a friend who mentioned that Cannes offers a lot of passes for students. Doing things that challenge you is important; things that make you slightly uncomfortable always mean you're going to grow. There are a lot of options and people doing very specific things like what we do. Networking and speaking to people are crucial. As for what to study in school, I don't think it matters much. Everyone I work with studied different things. It's hard to know what you'll end up doing long-term. Going to university and having a good time is always a good start.

Jensen Muller:
That's awesome. So it's really a lot about networking here. Well, thank you.

Rebekah Kennedy:
Of course, thank you for your time.