Thinking
Grill the Arsonist – Kevin S.
Kevin S. is our go-to media strategist — the guy who makes sure the right message lands with the right audience at exactly the right time. With a background in media, psychology and digital marketing, he sees media as more than a channel; it’s the delivery vehicle for influence at scale.
In this edition of Grill the Arsonist, Kevin shares why curiosity is a marketer’s secret weapon, how the medium can make or break a campaign and the dream brand he’d love to work with. When he’s not fine-tuning targeting strategies, you’ll find him producing chillwave tracks or helping local nonprofits make a bigger impact.
What drew you to media planning and the digital marketing world?
I’ve always been fascinated by psychology, and I’ve spent my career with media organizations and brands adapting to a digital world. When you ask questions like, “Where is time, energy and attention spent?” “How do ideas spread?” — the answer is always media.
In paid media, the ad creative often gets the spotlight, but media planning is what makes sure the message sticks, by meeting the right people at the right moment. You can’t have a memorable campaign without the medium, and you can’t market effectively without understanding what makes your audience tick.
Targeting, tracking, trends — there’s a lot flying around. What’s one skill you think media pros can’t afford to sleep on right now?
Can curiosity be a skill? Curiosity is the single most important quality of successful marketers. Why? Because curiosity, discernment and taste are all attributes artificial intelligence does not possess.
If I could offer advice, it’s to channel your curiosity toward something you’re genuinely interested in, and share what you learn on LinkedIn, YouTube or TikTok. Someone else will find your discoveries valuable, plus you’ll be leveling up in your craft and building your network.
If you could run media for any brand out there, who would it be and why?
As a musician, I’d love to work with RØDE. They’re an audio technology company that’s built a reputation for professional sound quality and have recently leaned into making microphones and accessories for the creator economy.
Their gear is everywhere, from film sets and podcasts to YouTube studios and Twitch streams. That puts them in a unique spot with both B2C and B2B audiences, serving independent creators and in-house content producers.
I’d love to produce a media campaign for the very people who create media. There’s something perfect about that kind of symmetrical irony.
Let’s pretend someone’s just getting into the media game. What’s a piece of advice you wish you got when you were starting out?
Media professionals are experts in connecting media strategies to the business goals of their organization. If you’re considering running a media campaign that isn’t tied to one clear, specific objective, it might be worth asking if you should be running paid media at all.
For those who are just starting out, look into courses on Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads Manager. Your organization’s website serves a business function, whether its e-commerce, lead generation or donations. Getting acquainted with both GA4 and Google Ads helps you better understand your customers. Plus, rooting yourself in the Google ecosystem pushes you to stay at the forefront of large language models (LLMs) such as Gemini.
You support local nonprofits — what fuels that passion, and is there one cause that’s especially close to your heart?
There’s something in all of us that wants to get “outside” ourselves and serve others. I’ve always been drawn to help people in moments of crisis, which is why I’m a big supporter of the American Red Cross. I’m fortunate to serve on their Biomedical Marketing Committee for the Quad Cities & Northwest Illinois Chapter, alongside other amazing marketers, to raise awareness and encourage new blood donors.
When you’re not deep in media strategy, you’re making music. What genre do you gravitate toward when producing?
In the 2010s I started making down-tempo, chillwave music because it felt like bringing new life to the synth sounds of the ’80s. From there I branched into recording guitar riffs, pitch shifting and experimenting with samples. It’s mostly noise, but the kind you can study or relax to.
Like all crafts, music production is a never-ending journey. That said, I’ll always come back to my Taylor acoustic to rock out to “Drive” by Incubus.
Has your idea of success changed over time?
Success is reaching your potential — whatever you believe that to be.
I think few people can look at their lives and say, “mission accomplished: we’re done here.” To me success is in the doing. Am I meeting or exceeding key benchmarks for my campaigns? Is my work making others feel more successful? Did I make my wife smile today?
Rinse, repeat and never stop growing.
