The goal of this interview series is to inspire and help people to transition their career into a new or next experimentation related role. In this edition Brian Poe shares his journey. Brian was up till recently Director of Optimization and Personalization at Zion & Zion and is now open to work.
Investing in relationships is one of the best decisions you can make. Technologies will change, and certifications will expire, making it the most effective long-term strategy I’ve discovered.
Brian Poe
Please introduce yourself to our readers.
I have built my career in digital analytics and optimization here in Minneapolis, Minnesota, beginning almost 14 years ago. My journey started at Target Corporation, where I collaborated with engineers and consultants to create technical and solution-oriented documentation for Omniture SiteCatalyst, focusing on website tagging and tracking. I then moved to Best Buy, where I led their experimentation program and managed a team of CRO and digital analytics analysts. Since then, I’ve worked at several agencies, including Speero (formerly CXL), Blast Analytics, and, most recently, Zion & Zion. In these roles, I have managed or consulted on CRO and experimentation programs for notable organizations such as Verizon, Bouygues Telecom, David Yurman, Sonesta Hotels, Ulta Beauty, and many others. What I’ve cherished most about the latter part of my career is the opportunity to lead teams, support individuals’ professional growth, and embrace the entrepreneurial aspects of my roles, which have led to the development of some innovative products and services.
What is your current experimentation role and what do you do?
Most recently, I served as the Director of Optimization and Personalization at Zion & Zion, where I was tasked with building a new experimentation practice—eventually naming it Experience Optimization (EXO)—and leading some of the analytics work there. To achieve this, I relied heavily on partnerships that I developed from scratch with AB Tasty, Kameleoon, and FullStory. These partnerships opened doors for us to work closely with brands that we otherwise wouldn’t have had access to. In 2023, our efforts were recognized when we received the FullStory Excellence in Delivery Award for North America. Additionally, in late 2023, we became an exclusive onboarding partner for Kameleoon. While developing these partnerships, I led a cross-functional team consisting of analysts, researchers, designers, developers, and a data scientist which was incredibly rewarding. My entrepreneurial spirit means that I thrive on the opportunity to build, experiment, and develop new competencies and processes to support those initiatives. Immersing oneself in an entrepreneurial environment isn’t for everyone, but it is deeply important to me, largely because I place immense value on relationships. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
How did you enter the experimentation space? What was your first experimentation related role? Share your origin story here.
Like digital analytics, I stumbled into it. Over 11 years ago, while leading the Adobe Analytics and Adobe Workbench projects at Capella University, we identified a significant opportunity to optimize leads, prompting us to start running landing page experiments with Adobe Target. I spearheaded this initiative, fueled by my interest in merging my skill set in quantitative digital and behavioral analytics with qualitative insights and research. At that time, the organization was developing many new design assets, guided by thorough user research, making it an ideal moment to embrace experimentation. This experience, in many ways, has shaped my perspective on the critical importance of experimentation. Looking back, I’m deeply grateful for such a distinct opportunity in the early days of marketing-led A/B testing.
How did you start to learn experimentation?
I dove headfirst into my role at Capella University. Like any new experimentation program, there was a significant amount of upfront learning and process development involved. I consumed as much content from CXL as possible, set up internal processes, built relationships across departments, developed methods for analysis, and established research and prioritization methods, among other tasks. As this audience is already aware, experimentation is akin to a team sport, involving a diverse array of skill sets, personalities, and technologies. However, the process of building is what excites me; it’s what keeps me in the industry.
How do you apply experimentation in your personal life? (what are you tinkering with or always optimizing?)
Separating my work life from my personal life has always been a challenge for me. More specifically, turning off my thoughts after stepping away from my computer is difficult. I genuinely wish it were as simple as flipping a switch. Since I can’t trust myself to do it naturally, I’ve adopted journaling as a strategy to maintain a detailed record of my personal and professional goals, health, relationships, and even my spiritual journey. Initially, I started with a physical journal called “Self Journal,” but carrying it around all the time became inconvenient, and I wasn’t a fan of the format. Consequently, I customized a journaling template in Notion to suit my needs, which I find much more satisfying.
What are you currently doing to keep up with the ever-changing industry?
Keeping up with everything and filtering out the noise is challenging. Part of my strategy involves getting my information directly from original sources and from people I know and trust. One way I achieve this is by subscribing to a select number of newsletters and unsubscribing from those that provide the least amount of value if I can’t keep up with them.
Another method I use is interviewing people myself, which is one of the reasons I started conducting roundtable events in December of 2023 and publishing insights in my EXO Field Notes newsletter. Since then, I’ve had conversations with 20 individuals in the field of experimentation but if I weren’t holding myself accountable to publishing every month, I wouldn’t have had these conversations. While it’s a lot of work, and the format might shift as I experiment with video, it’s providing significant personal value to me and to the nearly 300 (and growing) subscribers.
What recommendations would you give to someone who is looking to join the experimentation industry and get their first full-time position?
My general advice for anyone new to their career is to avoid the knee-jerk reaction to try to learn and know everything. When I review a resume and see that someone has started their professional career three years ago but has 20 random platform certifications and work related experience ranging from SEO to advertising, CDPs, TikTok ads, and UX design, it becomes challenging to understand your brand or where your strengths lie. Early in my career, I focused heavily on my digital analytics background, which became my strength and was well-recognized by everyone. Now, with my extensive background, experience, and time in the industry, people know me for leadership and problem-solving. However, that wasn’t my initial goal. Your professional brand is crucial to future employers. If you’re unsure about yours, ask 3-5 people you’ve worked with about your strengths. Once you’ve gathered enough responses to identify a consistent theme, take it as a key part of your brand and professional identity. Then, figure out how to connect the dots to experimentation. You don’t need to know everything—no one does—but if you’re just starting out, make it as easy as possible for an employer to understand who you are and the skill set you offer. Being clear about this will attract the right opportunities, allowing you to build on your skills and develop in areas that interest you.
Which developments in experimentation excite you? How do you see the field changing in the next 5 to 10 years? What will stay the same? What’s not going to change in the next ten years?
As with all industries, the field of experimentation will evolve with the continued growth and adoption of AI technologies. While predicting the future is beyond our grasp, it seems reasonable to anticipate that many aspects of current roles, particularly those involving operations and program management, will see automation through various AI technologies. For instance, ideation processes are already being enhanced by AI, signaling a trend toward broader adoption and accessibility. Consequently, some of the process oriented skill sets that are valuable today may undergo significant transformation in the not so distant future. However, I believe that the demand for softer skills, which might not be as emphasized today, will increase as these technological shifts occur. There will be a growing need for a deeper understanding of the business, higher emotional intelligence, analytical and left-brain thinking, and stronger relationship-building skills within organizations.
Is there anything people reading this can help you with? Or any parting words?
Investing in relationships is one of the best decisions you can make. Technologies will change, and certifications will expire, making it the most effective long-term strategy I’ve discovered. At some point in both your personal life and career, you’ll find yourself relying on the support of your community. It might not seem necessary now, but that time will inevitably come. Therefore, don’t try to navigate everything on your own. Don’t neglect to build bridges. Foster connections and cultivate a supportive community intentionally. Your future self will be deeply appreciative that you did.
Which other experimenters would you love to read an interview by?
I’m keen to engage with the hidden gems of our community—those not frequently active on LinkedIn. I try to find the quiet innovators, the talented individuals working behind the scenes, whose rare appearances on LinkedIn might give the illusion that our community is smaller than it truly is. The people who intrigue me the most are the ones I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting, potential future contributors to my roundtable series and EXO Field Notes newsletter. I aim to uncover and learn from these quiet achievers, giving them a platform to share their work and amplify their voices within our community.
Thank you Brian for sharing your journey and insights with the community.
