1. Introduction
It’s often assumed that only economics or business degrees prepare you for digital marketing or retail media. However, a humanities retail media background can provide skills that employers value most. Moreover, these skills include empathy, collaboration, and critical thinking.
2. General Overview: Key Soft Skills for Humanities in Retail Media
- Empathy & Audience Understanding Studying literature, history, or philosophy develops the ability to see diverse perspectives and notice emotional nuances. As a result, you can craft campaigns that truly resonate with customers.
Employers’ Views on Liberal Education, AAC&U - Collaboration & Teamwork Debates, peer reviews, and group projects are staples of humanities study. Furthermore, these experiences build the communication and cooperation needed for effective cross-functional work. High-performing teams that share information well boost productivity by up to 25 percent.
New Global Research from Workday Reveals AI Will Ignite a Human-Skills Revolution, Workday - Critical Thinking & Narrative Sense Humanities students learn to question assumptions and evaluate evidence. Consequently, they can build strong arguments. These skills support data-driven marketing decisions and powerful brand storytelling.
The Most In-Demand Skills of 2024, LinkedIn - The AI Imperative AI now automates routine tasks and surfaces insights at scale. Therefore, companies increasingly value human judgment, creativity, and ethical reasoning. In retail media, this mix of AI tools and human skills drives better consumer experiences.
Elevating Uniquely Human Skills in the Age of AI, World Economic Forum
Skill Map: Humanities vs. Economics
| Humanities Soft Skills | Economics Hard Skills |
|---|---|
| Empathy | Quantitative Analysis |
| Narrative Sense | Financial Modeling |
| Critical Thinking | Reporting |
| Collaboration | Strategic Planning |
3. My Personal Journey in Retail Media
I enrolled in a Master’s in Humanities in Italy because I loved stories and human behavior. Then, I completed a Master’s in Economics and Management. This helped me develop quantitative and strategic skills. Little did I know that dissecting Dante’s verses and debating philosophical arguments would become my best training ground for:
- Crafting Customer-Centric Campaigns I applied empathy to map user journeys. Thus, I focused on emotional touchpoints rather than raw click data.
- Mediating Cross-Functional Teams During product launches, I listened carefully and negotiated between design, data, and sales. As a result, we avoided miscommunication and delays.
- Story-Driven Creative in Retail Media By framing the customer as the protagonist, I helped teams rewrite ad copy to achieve deeper engagement.
- Strengthening Team Leadership Through Communication & Empathy As a team manager, I used my humanities-honed communication skills to build trust, deliver feedback, and motivate diverse members toward shared goals.
4. Actionable Takeaways for Humanities Retail Media Professionals
- You might highlight your humanities background—empathy, collaboration, and narrative sense—in interviews or on your CV.
- Consider joining storytelling workshops, participating in reading groups, or leading interdisciplinary hackathons to keep these skills sharp.
- Try creating mini “academic meets marketing” case studies for your portfolio to show how literary analysis informs your campaigns.
5. Conclusion & Call to Action for Humanities Retail Media Careers
Tools and data remain central to retail media. However, human skills—empathy, collaboration, and critical thinking—truly differentiate top performers. How has your academic background shaped your approach to digital marketing? Share your story in the comments below!