Seth Hagerty is Senior Director of Channel Strategy and Activation at Best Buy, where he leads a media team of in-house talent and agency-supported centers of excellence. His team delivers channel-level strategy and execution for the company’s enterprise brand and its fast-growing retail media network.
Before joining Best Buy, Hagerty served as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps and held leadership roles at Merkle and 3M. His career has centered on the intersection of media, data, technology and consumer behavior. As new platforms and changing shopping habits reshape media, he focuses on anticipating what those shifts mean for his team, its strategy and the business.
Named to our Marketers to Watch list, Hagerty shared his perspectives on AI’s role in product discovery, the convergence of content and commerce, and why curiosity matters for marketing leaders.
What book or podcast do you recommend to marketing leaders?
I listen to The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway regularly. What I like about it is that it isn’t just focused on marketing. He talks about business, technology, culture and the economy and how all of those things intersect. As marketers, I think it’s easy to get too focused on what’s happening within our own industry. Some of the best ideas come from understanding the bigger forces shaping consumer behavior and business. I don’t agree with every take he has, which is also part of why I enjoy it. It makes you think, challenges some conventional wisdom and usually gives you a different perspective on what’s happening.
How are you and your team currently using AI?
AI is already embedded in more of our media work than people probably realize. A good example is algorithmic and AI-enabled ad serving and optimization. The platforms we use are increasingly making real-time decisions about audiences, placements, and investment based on performance signals. Our job is becoming less about manually making every optimization and more about giving those systems the right signals, inputs, guardrails and measurement to produce stronger outcomes. We’re also using AI to synthesize information, analyze data and speed up manual parts of our work. For me, the opportunity isn’t AI replacing marketers; it’s figuring out where AI can make our teams smarter and faster while allowing people to focus on the decisions that require human judgment.
What’s a prediction you have for marketing over the next few years?
AI is going to fundamentally change product discovery. The traditional journey of seeing an ad, doing a search, visiting a website and making a purchase is going to become less linear. More people will ask AI platforms or agents to research products, compare options and help them make decisions. Eventually, those agents could take on more of the transaction itself. For marketers, that means we’ll have to think beyond whether an ad or webpage is visible to a person. We’ll also need to think about whether our brands and products are understandable, relevant and discoverable to the AI systems increasingly influencing those decisions.
What’s the most innovative or exciting project you’ve worked on recently?
One of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on recently is the launch of TikTok Shop at Best Buy in October. What makes it interesting is how it overlaps across media, content, creators and commerce. Instead of asking someone to see an ad, leave the platform and continue their journey somewhere else, we’re thinking about how discovery and shopping can happen much closer together. It’s also forcing us to think differently about how teams and partners work together because it doesn’t fit neatly into one traditional marketing channel. That kind of convergence is where the industry is headed, so getting to work through it in real time has been really exciting.
What’s the most pressing business challenge you’ve faced in the last year, and what have you done to solve it?
The biggest challenge has probably been managing the pace of change while still delivering against what the business needs today. AI is advancing quickly, consumer behavior is shifting, the media landscape keeps changing and there’s always another new capability worth exploring. You can’t chase all of it. I have tried to be much more deliberate about identifying the areas that can create value.
What leadership muscle is most important for marketers to exercise?
Curiosity. Marketing changes too quickly to assume that what made you successful five years ago will make you successful five years from now. I think the best marketers are genuinely interested in how things work, why consumers behave the way they do and what’s happening outside their immediate area of expertise. They’re also comfortable asking questions when they don’t know the answer. As you become more senior, I think that gets more important, not less. It’s easy to feel like you’re supposed to have all the answers. I’d rather work with leaders who are constantly learning, challenging their own assumptions and asking questions.
What’s the most game-changing piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t wait until you feel completely ready. Some of the best opportunities in my career have been the ones where I wasn’t totally sure I was ready for them. It’s easy to convince yourself that you need another year of experience or that you need to know everything before taking on something new. A lot of growth comes from putting yourself in situations where you have to learn quickly, ask for help and get comfortable not having every answer on day one. I’ve found that the opportunities that make you a little uncomfortable are usually the ones where you end up learning the most.
What gives you energy and inspiration outside of work?
Spending time with my family is definitely what gives me the most energy outside of work. I’m also a big sports fan, especially basketball (Timberwolves!) and hockey, and I love going to games whenever I get the chance. At the other end of the spectrum, I also enjoy fishing. It gives me a chance to slow down, get outside and completely disconnect for a while. Whether it’s spending time with my family, being at a game or being out fishing, those are the things that help me recharge and keep everything in perspective.
Marketers to Watch is a recognition series that spotlights highly innovative and forward-thinking marketing leaders in the community. If you have someone you’d like to nominate for the series, apply here.
