Why Raquel Wilbun Is Adweek's 2021 Media Rising Star

In less than five years, Raquel Wilbun went from being an account assistant focused on print media to juggling three accounts as integrated media supervisor for IPG's Mediahub. Wilbun wasn't looking to pursue a career in advertising when she graduated from college. But after a few years in government and politics, she felt burned out, and the IPG media agency is all the more fortunate because of it. Looking for a fresh start, Wilbun landed her first advertising job at Novus Media as an account assistant before moving on to a position as a strategist on the S.C. Johnson account for PHD. She joined Mediahub as a planner three years ago, and since then, she has quickly become a rising star. After building relationships with clients Ulta Beauty and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in media planning roles, Wilbun was elevated to integrated media supervisor in March 2020, just in time to help both clients navigate the pandemic. Still a planner at heart, Wilbun faced disruption of her own in 2020. Unable to plan campaigns out for months when the uncertainty of the pandemic necessitated constant adaptation, Mediahub and Wilbun remained flexible, pivoting quickly and responding to changes in the marketplace. That constantly evolving process drove business results for new and established clients by helping them understand the pandemic's impact on consumer behavior and react accordingly. “The unknown can be scary. ... Clients were trying to figure out how to move forward, and we were trying to direct them," Wilbun says. "We were in the weeds on data to figure out what other brands were doing and in constant communication with them.” Wyndham, for example, faced an existential crisis when travel suddenly came to a halt last spring. Utilizing Mediahub’s weekly newsletter on the pandemic as a guide, Wilbun led a strategic pivot for Wyndham to a hyperlocal approach targeting people who wanted to travel closer to home. “There were people still traveling; it just looked different … road trips, small family vacations, people just wanting to get out of the house,” Wilbun says. The targeted pivot worked—the campaign delivered an average of 10 times more direct conversions (consumer actions taken) during a period of deep uncertainty than Wyndham's previous campaign. Meanwhile, Ulta Beauty faced a different challenge: how to transition to ecommerce and reimagine its business goals. Wilbun took the lead on Ulta's efforts to reach a multicultural audience. She was responsible for handling the brand's $20 million commitment to diverse media, which included Ulta's exclusive partnership with Refinery29 launching its Somos platform celebrating the community, identity and visibility of Latinx communities. Wilbun was also instrumental in onboarding the NBA account after the league named Mediahub as its media agency partner last fall. That included leading digital strategy, partner mix and execution for the NBA's start-of-season campaign in December. The league saw first-month ratings jump 37%, according to Nielsen, as Wilbun spent the fall and winter juggling work across all three accounts. NBA lead media strategist and planner Juan Colon commended Wilbun for ensuring the NBA’s digital activations were grounded in insights and cultural resonance, noting that she "recommended new test-and-learn ideas … to help the NBA strike the right tone with our campaign placements." Wilbun is also a co-founder of the employee resource group Black@Mediahub, which introduced a referral system and a cultural consultancy last year and has grown from a group of five in 2018 to over 65 today. “It has been a fantastic experience to not only build but watch it grow,” Wilbun says. “Long past my time at the agency, the structure and benefits to employees will live on.” Even with her track record of success, Wilbun says she's still learning and observes that the next year will be pivotal for shaping the future of advertising in areas such as workplace culture and data privacy. "There's so much conversation that is going to be needed between all parties," she says. "I'm excited for where the industry is going to and thrilled to have been a part of it so far." Check out our full list of 2021 Media All-Stars here.

Media All-Stars

How Raquel Wilbun Is Leaving a Lasting Impact on Mediahub's Clients and Talent Alike

Introducing Adweek's 2021 Media All-Stars Rising Star

Erik Oster

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Erik Oster