Life and Career Lessons from OMD USA

Melissa York’s journey at OMD shows how data, creativity, and curiosity can shape a thriving media planning career

3 min read

In the advertising world, where creativity meets analytics, media planning has quietly become one of the most influential careers of the future. At OMD USA, one of the world’s leading media agencies, professionals like Melissa York are redefining what it means to build campaigns that connect brands with audiences in smarter, faster, and more human ways.

Melissa’s career path—from early internships to becoming Manager of Integrated Media Planning—is not just inspiring, it’s a blueprint for how young marketers can grow in this industry.

From College Internships to Media Agency Leadership

Melissa didn’t stumble into media planning; she built her career step by step. While studying at the State University of New York, Plattsburgh and later at Bond University, she embraced every opportunity to work in marketing.

  • At Bookburgh Books, she explored customer engagement and grassroots marketing.

  • At OAK Digital Agency, a startup in New York, she learned digital marketing hands-on—competitive analysis, Google Ads reporting, influencer research, and affiliate marketing.

  • At JA Worldwide, she managed social media and helped plan events, proving she had both creative and operational instincts.

These experiences gave her the confidence to take on bigger challenges.

Her professional breakthrough came at MediaCom, where she worked on Mars Wrigley brands like KIND, Chewy, Walmart, and Sam’s Club. Starting as an Associate in Digital Investment, she quickly rose to Senior Associate, leading campaign deliverables and mastering the intricacies of retail media. She became fluent in translating numbers into insights and building relationships with partners.

This foundation prepared her for her next leap — OMD USA.

Inside OMD: Melissa’s Role in Integrated Media Planning

When Melissa joined OMD USA, she immediately made her mark. In just under three years, she grew from Associate Manager to Manager of Integrated Media Planning, trusted to lead strategies for global clients like Barilla and Clorox.

Her responsibilities go far beyond spreadsheets. Melissa is:

  • Designing strategies that align with client goals, consumer behavior, and market trends.

  • Leveraging tools like Omni, Nielsen, Pathmatics, and Comscore to uncover insights and make data actionable.

  • Optimizing campaigns across digital channels—programmatic, social, and search—so that every dollar spent delivers results.

  • Acting as the main client partner, balancing expectations while keeping internal and external teams aligned.

  • Conducting deep post-campaign analysis to identify what worked, what didn’t, and how the next campaign can be stronger.

In short: Melissa ensures that media plans don’t just reach people, but resonate with them.

The Media Industry Today: Why This Career Matters

Media planning used to be about where to place ads. Today, it’s about building experiences across multiple touchpoints—from TikTok feeds and connected TVs to podcasts and retail media.

Melissa has seen this evolution firsthand. And she knows the next wave is AI-powered media planning. AI tools now help predict consumer journeys, optimize ad placements in real time, and personalize messaging at scale.

But Melissa believes the human side of media planning—understanding culture, context, and psychology—is what makes campaigns truly powerful. Data tells us what people do, but only humans can explain why they do it.

What Makes OMD Different

OMD isn’t just another media agency—it’s consistently recognized as one of the best global networks. What sets it apart is its philosophy of “Better decisions, faster.”

At OMD, decisions aren’t just about efficiency. They’re about:

  • Cultural relevance — making sure campaigns reflect the world people live in.

  • Sustainable growth — helping brands grow responsibly, not just quickly.

  • Integration — ensuring every campaign ties paid, owned, and earned channels together seamlessly.

Melissa’s role reflects this perfectly: she blends creativity, data, and client trust into strategies that scale.

Skills and Tools Young Professionals Should Learn

For students and early-career marketers looking to follow Melissa’s path, here’s what matters most:

1. Technical Skills

  • Media Tools: Nielsen, Comscore, Pathmatics, Omni

  • Digital Platforms: Google Ads, Meta Ads, programmatic DSPs

  • Analytics: Excel, Tableau, data visualization tools

2. Soft Skills

  • Communication: Explaining complex data simply and clearly.

  • Adaptability: Thriving in fast-paced, ever-changing environments.

  • Curiosity: Asking the right questions to uncover insights.

3. Mindset

Think like both a strategist and a problem-solver. Media planning isn’t just about placing ads—it’s about understanding people and predicting what will move them.

Melissa’s Advice for Young Marketers

Melissa’s journey offers timeless lessons for those dreaming of careers in media or marketing:

  1. Start small, but think big — every internship, even at a bookstore or small agency, teaches transferable skills.

  2. Be curious about people — marketing is about human behavior, not just numbers.

  3. Balance creativity with discipline — the best media planners are both imaginative and data-driven.

  4. Stay future-ready — AI and automation are here to stay; learn them early.

Final Word

From grassroots internships to managing multimillion-dollar accounts at OMD USA, Melissa York’s career proves that young professionals can carve powerful paths in media planning by combining curiosity, adaptability, and hard work.

Her story isn’t just about climbing the ladder—it’s about building bridges between data and creativity, clients and culture, brands and people.

For today’s students and young marketers, Melissa’s journey is a reminder: the future of advertising belongs to those who can connect insights with imagination.