Samsung and The Trade Desk leaders, both Hershey alums, on navigating the evolving media landscape

The only constant is change. It’s as true of marketing as any other industry. 

Over the past decade, marketers have navigated the rise of data-driven advertising and personalization alongside new privacy regulations and consumer concerns, all while the media landscape continues to fragment and AI rewrites the rules. 

Noelle Perez, head of U.S. media and partnerships at Samsung Mobile, and Vinny Rinaldi, The Trade Desk’s new vice president of client strategy and growth, have had front-row seats to this evolution throughout their careers. 

Along the way, they’ve learned valuable lessons about communication, navigating industry shifts, challenging established competitors and bringing colleagues along during periods of transformation. 

In a recent conversation, the former Hershey colleagues reflected on those experiences, balancing parenthood with demanding careers and the advice they’d give the next generation of marketers.

Vinny Rinaldi: Take me back to the first time that we got to cross paths.

Noelle Perez: You and I met about 10 or so years ago, and we were both at the Hershey Company. I was doing integrated marketing communications, but I think what was most memorable about our first meeting is that it wasn't really about our jobs. You were a new dad. I was pregnant with my first daughter, and I knew that you could probably relate to the fact that we were trying to be the best parents that we could be while working for probably one of the most memorable chocolate companies in the world. 

Rinaldi: We’ve both moved around a little bit since then. How did we stay in touch?  

Perez: This is a really good example of how we keep human and professional relationships going. LinkedIn is definitely a very easy business social platform if you want to stay connected. But I think that human connection also really works very well for us. I remember calling Michelle Villarroel, who was the GM at Hershey at that time. I said, “I know Vinny’s really busy, but I have so many questions about in-housing.” It was probably one of the most common questions I would get as a media lead. How do we in-house? What do we in-house? Who do we work with? What tool? What systems? What technology? And I was very curious to hear your perspective. That’s what’s critical in this business: picking up the phone, learning from other people, continuing to learn what other perspectives are. And I think that’s how you grow as a leader as well.

Perez: What’s one of the big industry shifts that you’ve had a front-row seat to? 

Rinaldi: Bridging the world of commerce media has played a really significant role in how brands show up in a different way. One of the hardest parts was really figuring out how [to] go from a physical to a digital shelf? What does that look like? And you uncover, wow, we’ve got to ship 20,000 content pieces out every day. How do you do that at scale? It’s incredibly hard. And really partnering cross-functionally to build those relationships. Sales teams at really large companies are unbelievable. How do you make sure that what they’re doing and delivering in-store is then partnered with you on how you show up in the commerce ecosystem?

Rinaldi: You’ve been at significantly large companies—Visa, Meta, Coca-Cola and now Samsung. What drew you to each of those places?

Perez: I’ve been fortunate in my career to be working for the largest global brands in the world. Samsung [has been] a different experience for me because this is the first time that I’ll be working for a challenger brand and so I thought that would be such a great part of my career narrative, to be part of that story where I help grow market share for the business. 

Rinaldi: How do you take a different approach when you face a challenger brand mentality versus something that’s been stable and growing and leading?

Perez: For me, it starts with I am not going to be a challenger brand. I’m going to be a leading brand and that is going to be my mindset and that is the goal.

Perez: What’s the hardest part of leading a marketing or media transformation inside a big organization?

Rinaldi: You want to move so fast because you see where everything is going and sometimes you have to take a pause, really shape the vision and then bring everyone along on the journey. I think we’re too quick to be like, “I know this and you don’t, and I’m just going to go do it.” Things like this at these big companies, they are massive shifts, like moving tectonic plates. How do you bring everyone along that journey? To me, that was probably the biggest aha moment because once I got the right people on board cross-functionally, we accelerated faster than we would have if I didn't.

Rinaldi: I think what’s also really important as a career trajectory is how you uplevel your conversation? The easier you can simplify your message upward, the easier you’re going to get cross-functional buy-in.

Perez: One of the things that is a more difficult conversation is your financing or investment groups, where you have to talk investment and strategy and try to get them to understand the marketing and brand approach. How do you do that?

Rinaldi: It’s probably the hottest question in the marketing industry right now. We really grounded ourselves in an investment philosophy framework, which was 70/20/10. How do you make sure 70% of your budget speaks to the tried-and-true things that will maintain and/or grow your business? How do you then take a look at your strategic growth targets? How do you use that 20% to go really hunt them? And then how do you take 10% and really test your way in? I used to joke, ‘Take the 10% and go buy The Sphere.’ Try something crazy because I don’t think that will impact the business the way you think, but it will give you an incredible learning to keep growing. And then the mantra was: How do those things you did in the 10 move into the 20, and then how does the 20 move into the 70?

Rinaldi: What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned about being a parent while also building a really demanding career?

Perez: I think one of the biggest lessons would be you can actually do both. I think what’s more difficult for me is being a female professional in a male-dominated environment. Remember, I was also working pretty long in tech when I was at Visa and Meta. And so what I want people to know is that there’s always room for one more female leader, and what I want to push for is that it is possible and support your fellow female leaders as well.

Perez: What’s the one piece of advice that you’d give to working parents trying to find that balance?

Rinaldi: Be patient. It’s really hard to be patient when you’re running around making breakfast. You’re trying to get kids out the door to go to school. You’re trying to get ready to run out the door to work. It’s taken me a number of years to learn that, but I do see the [difference in the] days I’m more patient versus way more stressed. I see the impact on my children. So I think having that just slowed down for a minute—we’re going to get through this. Get them to school and then go about your day.

Perez: So why The Trade Desk, Vinny?  

Rinaldi: I jokingly say this, but we have a Ferrari in our garage right now, and the insights and the intelligence that comes from us is not just a buying platform. And I’m really excited about where we’re taking AI and the future of our measurement ecosystem. So when I put all those pieces together and then I looked at all the challenges I face on the other side, to me it was a home run. How do I help shape that? How do I be a big voice? Because I’ve dealt with all of the things you guys are going through on the brand side and I’d love to just be a strategic collaborator. 

Rinaldi: Where do you see the opportunity to work even deeper together? 

Perez: One thing that I always tell our partners is what I’m looking for are people who actually can work with us as a brand, who can tell our story and not just focus on—while very important—data and the technology. For me now, I actually need help in terms of how we synthesize and understand what the key takeaway is that will move the business forward. It’s really knowing the brand. How do we get people to switch to a Samsung Galaxy device? I would like to understand the reason behind the clicks, the reason behind the linger, and not just how many clicks or how many sales.

Rinaldi: There is a lost art on how [to] take this data overload that we have to turn it into intelligence, to then build out what a consumer really feels when they think about my brand and how they look at our products. I think it’s one of the most important things that the industry is starting to realize again because a world of just constantly CPA and last click and all that isn’t growing our brands anymore.  

Perez: Who do you look up to in marketing or media? It can be an icon or someone behind the scenes.  

Rinaldi: I grew up playing hockey. It’s my life. My son plays hockey. I think Heidi Browning, the CMO of the National Hockey League, has done a tremendous job with a sport that probably isn’t the most watched, but over the last 10 years has probably become one of the most talked about in a really good way. She’s done a tremendous job of building that brand. And I really am inspired by the things that she’s done, both from a marketing perspective, [and] also that she’s brought hockey to more communities. It’s like bringing my passions together.

Rinaldi: Who is somebody you look up to?  

Perez: One person who definitely stands out is Bozoma Saint John. She’s one of the female leaders who is able to humanize and do great storytelling for brands and focus not just on performance metrics or sales metrics, but truly understand brand storytelling. And again, being a woman in marketing, there’s so much story to tell, not just about the companies that we work for, but how we got to where we are and the struggles and the success and the achievements and the relationships that we’ve had throughout our careers. 

Rinaldi: What’s one thing that you would tell someone coming up in this industry today? 

Perez: If I had to say one and a half things, it’s [to] be good and be curious. It’s such a small industry. You never know who you’re going to work with, work for, or who is that someone who can help open the door for you 10 years from now. At the same time, continuously try to learn because technology moves so fast. What I’m saying to you now could change in six months and so make sure that you’re humble enough to continue to teach yourself or learn from others.  

Rinaldi: Mine was [to] be curious. It’s one of my biggest mantras. I think people are scared to ask questions. Asking questions is the greatest gift you can have. It doesn’t mean you’re challenging someone. It means you just want to learn more. I think it’s so important because a lot of people don’t like to speak up. It’s okay to ask a question. And the half part is to be a sponge. Listen, read. There are times to be quiet and not ask questions and just listen to what’s happening around you. Go to an event once a year and just be a sponge.