Rowena Crabbe explains, “I used to not know what a career in marketing would look like for me. I wasn’t the most creative person. Looking back on it now, I realize that being a numbers person was a key to entering the industry because data drives many decisions in marketing. Having the ability to think critically, research, and understand data is essential.”

    Not many people begin their career with a company as esteemed as Nielsen, but that’s where Rowena landed after finishing her Masters in Marketing at VT in ‘07. “I moved around the country every few months to work with on high priority projects for about two years”. Rowena was 26 at this time, and before she knew it, she packed her bags and set off on her next adventure.

    Her every-day work consisted of segmentation and targeting strategies for brands like Redbull and Anheuser Busch. She loved it, but she was hungry for a job that had a greater social purpose. Rowena stumbled across a job at Nielsen in Corporate Social Responsibility and Diversity and Inclusion. She became one of two employees that led the CSR efforts for their worldwide employees for two years.

    “At first, you think work is all about the paycheck. After a while, you realize that might not be what motivates you to get out of bed every morning”, she said. “It can be a struggle to find a job that makes the impact you want to have in the world”. After returning to school for her Ph.D., she found a happy medium between the two. Being a professor, Rowena gets to do research, which she loves, and impact the lives of students by passing on insights that she has learned in her career.

    “It’s my goal to have students that are so engaged that nothing will distract them, not even all of the technology that disrupts attention in classrooms today”, Rowena shared. She loves seeing students engage with data inside and outside of the classroom. “That’s the kind of thing that will help you on the other side.”




If you would like to know more about her work for Neilsen, or ask her any questions, feel free to set up an appointment with her at Crabbe@vt.edu. She is teaching MKTG 4304 for upperclassmen.