People to Watch 2015: Rachel Krause, GlaxoSmithKline

For Rachel Krause, Minneapolis is not an icy outpost, half of the Twin Cities nor the site of the largest mall in the United States. It’s a cradle of some of the finest shopper marketing minds in the world – a perfect environment to learn and grow.Krause, GlaxoSmithKline’s shopper marketing manager for Target and the dollar channel, is surrounded by the challenges and influencers who can help her increase the success of GSK and further her career goals. “I’d love to gain as much unique and diverse perspective under my belt as possible,” says the 28-year-old. “There is so much to learn from the wealth of talent in Minneapolis in the CPG and Target community. I’d love to cover a sales desk, a category management desk, and eventually lead a cross-functional team.”Krause joined GSK in her current role in January 2015 after nearly two years at Geometry Global. She was account lead on the SC Johnson-Target shopper marketing team, orchestrating annual marketing planning, budget allocation and reconciliation, and execution of all programming to meet retail, marketing and sales objectives across multiple categories at Target.It was in that role she worked with Amy Dragland-Johnson, director of shopper marketing at SC Johnson and a 2015 inductee into the Shopper Marketing Hall of Fame. Krause calls Dragland-Johnson a mentor. “Amy taught me an invaluable amount about shopper marketing and what it means to set for myself the highest personal standards,” Krause says. “To never settle. She also always encouraged me to always chase what challenges me, and equipped me with the confidence to do so.”That boost was added to what Krause learned from her advertising studies at the University of Illinois and first job at News America Marketing’s Chicago office. “The program at U of I really drove home that nothing in marketing or advertising happens in a vacuum,” says Krause. “To be successful in that aspect of business, you need to consider everything your shopper is experiencing, from news and public relations to their home life and personal values.”In her three years in Chicago, Krause began her fascination with the CPG industry as an account supervisor in the News America Marketing trade and shopper marketing group. “Through working with so many clients in that role, I knew I wanted to be involved more in strategy and planning but found a passion for working directly with retailers,” she says.She moved to Minneapolis for a job with Integrated Marketing Services. She worked with brands like Barilla and Rubbermaid, with a focus on their Target business. Next was Global Geometry, then GSK to make her quest to work in CPG complete.Krause manages shopper marketing for the entire GSK portfolio of brands at Target and the dollar channel retailers. Her brands are primarily in healthcare, personal care and oral care. She says she is most proud of the work she’s done with Target’s digital vendor marketing team, both at Geometry Global and GSK, with a focus on home and healthcare. “I truly believe that they have a breakthrough strategy as an enterprise organization that reflects a forward-thinking view of the digital age’s retail landscape,” she says. “They’re willing to take calculated risks, and I’ve really enjoyed being a part of it.”Krause says her collaboration with digital teams meshes with how GSK views the term “omnichannel.” GSK has decided to see from the eyes of its shoppers, she says. “We see ‘omnichannel marketing’ as simply ‘marketing,’” says Krause. “Our shoppers certainly don’t see them as separate. We have a digital director who has transformed our company’s capabilities in that space, and a CMO who truly believes in evolving ourselves to the new reality. We fully embrace Target’s view of mobile as the ‘front door’ to their stores, and are ready to join them hand-in-hand to exceed shoppers’ demands in that space.”

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