ASPIRE TO HER—Jess Anselmi, Seeding The Sill's Growing Brand

May 11, 2020

Meet Jess Anselmi, VP of Marketing at The Sill, a modern plant destination for the modern plant lover. Prior to joining The Sill, Jess held positions in PR, managing media relations and leading teams in breakthrough marketing, to product development and marketing strategy in Dunkin' and Panera Bread, as the Senior Brand Manager of Brand Innovation and Director of Innovation and Category Growth, respectively - further cultivating a deeper understanding of consumer habits and what drove brand affinity.

In this feature, Jess shares with us the skills needed to succeed in PR, why she pursued a part-time MBA, and how her passion for customer-centricity drew her into her current role at The Sill. Read along to soak up her incredible career advice for ambitious women, such as yourself.

***Jess Anselmi is our next guest on Her Hour, a "podcast interview meets coffee chat" approach to sharing the incredible stories of trailblazing women in business in a virtual, small group setting. We'll dive into Jess’ early career via a podcast-style interview with you, the live audience, chiming in as desired. Sign up here!

Early Career

Your first position was an Associate at RF|Binder where you handled PR, media relations and corporate communications in the retail and consumer tech space. During this time, what skillsets did you realize you needed to succeed in this field?

In PR, a few skillsets are key to success, and they translate to any field. In fact, I lean on many of them to this day. Three I’ll highlight:

A ‘we before me’ attitude: As part of an account team, you’re taught to always communicate with clients by saying “we” vs. “I.” The rationale is two-fold - it regularly reinforces the fact that individual successes pale in comparison to team success and on the flip side, reinforces that any fumble is a team fumble.

Results-oriented mindset: Media coverage that generates brand awareness is great, but coverage that builds the brand while driving meaningful sales is even better. The best PR pros find ways to ensure their craft delivers on key business metrics.

Attention to detail: You’re the face of the brand/company you represent and as a result, communications have to be on point. Attention to detail is what sets you apart in PR.

You led the Nature Valley Trail View launch project that debuted at SXSWi in Austin, TX and was honored as the year's best Digital Marketing Campaign at the 2013 Digital PR Awards. What was your key for success here?

The Nature Valley Trail View launch was a collaboration between General Mills, McCann Erickson and Cone Communications (where I was working at the time). Our team was tasked with Trail View’s press launch & experiential marketing at SXSWi. We partnered with Mashable to position Trail View as the technology feat it was - the first “Google Maps’ of the national parks. Partnering with Mashable gave General Mills the street cred it needed, as a CPG company, to launch at SXSWi. We generated significant event attendance and by introducing the tech community to the technology in such a big way, were able to shatter our web traffic KPI’s in just two months.

After 5 years in marketing and brand innovation, you left the industry and went to get your MBA at Boston College. Why did you decide to go back to school, and what advice do you have for those contemplating getting an MBA?

After 5 years in public relations, I realized I wanted to try my hand at setting product development & marketing strategy. To me, a public relations skill set and agency experience transitioned nicely into a marketing innovation role at Dunkin.’. While I got the job, I quickly realized many of the Brand Managers held MBA’s and decided to further my education. So, off to Boston College I went – working full-time and going to school part time for 3 years. It was a lot to juggle but if getting an MBA is something you’re thinking about, I recommend doing it as you’ll never regret bolstering your education, especially in a field you love.

The Sill

You’ve held senior positions at Dunkin Brands and were a Director of Innovation & Category Growth at Panera Bread before starting at The Sill. What played into your decision to make this career switch?

I'm going to need a stairway just for my Sansevierias✨ Plant goals by @plant_momma_

18.1k Likes, 268 Comments - The Sill (@thesill) on Instagram: "I'm going to need a stairway just for my Sansevierias✨ Plant goals by @plant_momma_"

The Sill believes in connecting people to plants through community. A common thread throughout my career has been customer-centricity, especially at Dunkin’ and Panera - cultivating a deep understanding of the consumer and what drives brand affinity. In the restaurant industry, that expressed itself in the form of new product development, innovation and marketing campaigns to support consumers’ changing tastes. So I don’t view The Sill as a career change, but rather as a natural extension of my strengths and interests.

What does your role as VP of Marketing at The Sill entail? What do you do in your day-to-day?

Our team is focused on building the best possible customer experience across all touch points. From educating the consumer about the benefit of houseplants to bringing new products to market, we aim to make the process of plant parenthood as wonderful as the plants themselves. Day to day, that expresses itself differently - be it creating long-term product road-maps to assessing brand positioning or curating events for plant lovers near and far. We have a stellar team, one I’m honored to be a part of.

The Sill is known for their creative direct-to-consumer marketing practices. What about their marketing future are you most excited about?

Our community is so, so strong and in today’s environment, taking time for yourself is so important - after all, plant care is self care. So as houseplants continue to grow in popularity, we believe society as a whole will benefit from slowing down, breathing deeper and appreciating the little things, which really are the important things. We’re excited to be a part of this evolution.

Advice

What do you wish you knew when you were first starting your career?

I once heard the phrase “perception is the co-pilot to reality” and it couldn’t be more true - positive self talk works wonders, while negative thoughts can easily become your truth. How you view yourself manifests in your day-to-day; be aware of that.

What advice do you have for young women in their early career who are interested in pursuing a career in Marketing?

While the world is large, the brand community is small - stay connected, network and maintain relationships. Paths will cross again.

***Jess Anselmi is our next guest on Her Hour, a "podcast interview meets coffee chat" approach to sharing the incredible stories of trailblazing women in business in a virtual, small group setting. We'll dive into Jess’ early career via a podcast-style interview with you, the live audience, chiming in as desired. Sign up here!