Shopper Marketing - September 2016 - 70
PEOPLE TO WATCH M arcie Bracht was on the path to becoming a medical doctor when, one day, advertising put a jolt in her heart. Bracht, who now leads Starbucks' shopper marketing at Walmart and Sam's Club, was not feeling passionate about pre-med at Michigan State when she sat in on a friend's advertising class. "I was instantly hooked," she says. "I loved the creativity, but my analytical 70 y SHOPPER MARKETING SEPTEMBER 2016 Photo by Joshua Duke side loved the insights and 'why' behind consumer and shopper behavior." Bracht and her team are in charge of unifying the feel of a Starbucks location in the aisles. For them, relating with shoppers is called "the conversation." "In a world with so many distractions, how can we break through the endless amount of information that is presented to shoppers and connect with them in a relevant and mean-