In Conversation with 360i’s Shelby Jacobs

Welcome to DENTSU CREATIVE US's employee spotlight series, where the team showcase the exceptional talent from across the company. Meet Shelby Jacobs, Manager, Social Marketing and Strategy who works closely with our Sour Patch Kids clients.  

We spent some time with Shelby to learn about her favorite projects, what inspires her and what she’d be doing if she didn’t work in advertising.   

Q> How would you explain your job to a small child? 

Shelby> I write tweets for SOUR PATCH KIDS. Here, have some candy. 

Q> Tell us about your favourite project you’ve worked on and why?  

Shelby> Olivia Rodrigo! Working with her team on such a scrappy project that yielded insane results was so rewarding. When she announced the title of her new album, SOUR PATCH KIDS saw the perfect opportunity to respond in real time.  

Within days the Tweet became our highest performing Tweet in April. The engagement it received was incredible and all of the pieces just fell into place. The tweet led to a partnership between SOUR PATCH KIDS and Olivia Rodrigo, with fans going nuts for the special edition signed candy boxes. You can even find some on eBay today! 

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Q> What was the most interesting job you’ve ever had? 

Shelby> Definitely my current role. I also worked on an organic farm for a few months which was amazing. Fresh air, open land, and quiet. 

Q> What TV show are you currently binging? 

Shelby> Everything. Ted Lasso, What We Do In The Shadows, and any reality TV show that centers around hot influencers finding love in a villa or on an island. 

Q> What is your secret superpower? 

Shelby> Professionally, I am always on top of real time opportunities and trends, but secretly my superpower is crisis communications on social. I did a lot of customer service at Birchbox and learned how to make the customer feel heard. 

Q> What is something on your bucket list? 

Shelby> I just generally want to travel more. I'd also love to fly a plane. 

Q> Tell us about your career path. 

Shelby> I started in food and I'll be sure to end in food. I started doing general marketing in the small food startup space, then ended up as a community manager at Birchbox. A Tweet sent my way about another agency who was in need of a community management lead and a great manager is what started my journey in agency life. From there I jumped to another agency, FIG, but when I saw a snack role open at 360i, a place I had been looking to work for some time, I had to go for it. A year and a half in and I love it! 

Q> What is something that inspires you?  

Shelby> Internet culture in general is so fascinating and encompasses so much. It dictates what is considered funny, the way people communicate with each other, it’s the breeding ground for almost all larger trend movements, and changes at the speed of light. 

Q> What is your biggest career accomplishment thus far? 

Shelby> Dentsu Creative Champion, getting the SOUR PATCH KIDS TikTok to over 1m followers in 12 months, and again, the Olivia Rodrigo project. 

Q> How is your job uniquely creative? 

Shelby> We have an excellent relationship with our client and have built a high level of trust with them. This trust allows us to think without limitations and be faster in our execution. 

Q> Have you ever met anyone famous? 

Shelby> I met Olivia Rodrigo during my project with her! She could not have been nicer. 

Q> What was your dream job when you were younger? 

Shelby> Marine biologist because I love the water. Now? I would love to own a small cafe in a beach town (either in the US or a small coastal village in Europe). No thoughts, only pastries. 

Q> What advice would you give to your younger self? 

Shelby> Trust that you're on the right path and that every mistake is not as bad as you think it is.