Sparkling Sips: Reading the Tea Leaves with Fluent's Jessica Batty

Sparkling Sips: Reading the Tea Leaves with Jessica Batty

What if one of the biggest assumptions in commerce today is already outdated?

In this episode of Sparkling Sips, Cristina and Jacqui sit down with Jessica Batty, SVP of Marketing at Fluent, to unpack a shift many marketers are feeling—but few are willing to say out loud: consumers are tired of social media.

Jessica shares her perspective on the growing disconnect between endless scrolling and meaningful engagement, arguing that marketers have become trapped in fragmented ecosystems designed to serve platforms more than brands. As consumers seek more intentional, human-centered experiences, she believes the future belongs to companies that can earn attention—not just buy it.

Drawing on more than 15 years of experience across Salesforce, Thomson Reuters, Taboola, Protege, and now Fluent, Jessica reflects on what it takes to champion ideas before the market is ready. From trusting your instincts to navigating skepticism, she offers a candid look at the leadership required to identify emerging trends and bring others along for the journey.

The conversation also explores:

• Why social media may be losing its power as a discovery engine
• The hidden cost of fragmented measurement and platform incentives
• How brands can build deeper, longer-lasting consumer relationships
• Why "what got you here won't get you there" has never been more relevant
• The importance of balancing data, intuition, and conviction as a leader

One of Jessica's most memorable observations? Brands have often been "buying a first date and calling it a marriage." The future of commerce will belong to those who invest in relationships that last far beyond the first click.

This is a conversation about consumer behavior, marketing evolution, and the courage it takes to see what's coming next before everyone else does.

Because at SHeCOMMERCE, we're always looking beyond the basket and asking: what's next?

Bold Brands. Fierce Women. One Sisterhood.

SHeCOMMERCE: 

Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/
LinkedIN:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/shecommercepodcast/ 
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@SHeCOMMERCEPodcast

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from SHeCOMMERCE Podcast or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SHeCOMMERCE Podcast. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

SHeCOMMERCE Podcast expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

Transcript

0:08

Welcome back to Sparkling Sips, our short, sharp pour of insights here at Gommerce, where we pull up with women who are not just watching commerce evolve, they're calling where it's gonna go next. And today's guest is exactly that kind of voice. We're joined by Jessica Batty, senior vice president, a marketing affluent, a commerce media company built on earned attention, connecting brands with high-intent consumers in ways that actually drive measurable outcomes. She is. Jess is one of those women who reads the tea leaves early and then actually does something about what she sees. Jess brings 15 plus years of experience. Yes, that's right, ladies and gentlemen. Jess started at 15 years old herself. Across Protege, Taboola, Salesforce, Thompson Reuters, and now Fluent, one of the companies helping shape what's next in commerce media. Thank you for being with us, Jess. We're so happy to have you here. Yes, no, it's great to be here. Thank you for having me. Excited for this. Well, let's jump in. So we want to hear the real truth, no filters. What, in your opinion, is something everyone in e-commerce is still getting wrong, or commerce in general? And how long do you think they have before it's really going to start costing them? It's a great question. And definitely something as both a consumer and a marketer, I think about. I feel like something is shifting that doesn't really get named clearly enough. People are exhausted by social media. Social media used to feel like discovery. Now it almost feels like an obligation. There are companies coming out with things to, you know, a brick as an example to block your social media, set the time that you're on it. Uh the scroll is infinite, and you know, somehow nothing really sticks anymore. In spite of everything going on in the world, a lot of people are, you know, moving back toward being more human and more intentional, more real. So I think that's sort of a massive blind spot and in how commerce media actually works. I'm definitely not the same person I am when I'm doom scrolling as I am when I'm like doing something on purpose or something that is exciting me, booking that next trip or buying that shirt or that dress because I'm going to Can Lion. You know, I'm excited about what I'm doing. I'm excited about what I'm looking at. And that moment has better context at this point in time than just opening up some of those social media apps and being served something that you're really not paying attention to anymore. So I think, you know, the problem with the industry is it was not necessarily built to see that distinction. Every channel has its own measurement system. And then, you know, within that, every platform has its own incentive. So, you know, marketers unfortunately have become the ones that are trying to figure out how to get the system to work when the system was a little bit not rigged for them. So, you know, we're finding that at Fluen in particular. Um, you know, as we as we talk to marketers, the fragmentation uh is something that we know wasn't accidental and you know, it's a business model and and we're trying to help them solve what's going on. I mean, you called it, Jess. You're the first person, the first person this year, I kid you not, that I've spoken to who said, done with social media. It is not working. Uh we need to call it, and you called it, which takes this perfectly to where we wanted to go next. You've built a career making cases for things before the market was ready. What did that actually require of you? Um honestly, it's a grind. It's you know, it's it doesn't come easy. I wouldn't say that's because anyone I worked with is hostile. Uh it's just that, you know, at times you're walking into a room, a combo, and you're trying to sort of stake a claim that hasn't been named yet. And the hard part isn't defending that idea. It's the skepticism, which is usually pretty reasonable, right? You're bringing a couple of, you said it earlier at the gym, tea leaves together and saying, Hey, this is what my gut is saying, this is what the industry research is saying, and you know, putting something out there that is not necessarily always understood or defined. So I would say that, you know, for me, what I always go back to is uh, you know, my gut hasn't steered me wrong. And I've been able to sort of stake that claim towards, I'm convinced that this is the way that we should go, and you know, double down and sort of have some of those conversations internally. Fluent becoming a commerce media company was one of those. Um, as I started, it was more of a performance marketing organization. Um and that history took them really far. But seeing where the industry was going, seeing the technology and the infrastructure that they had that they were leveraging just for their own and operated operations, I knew could go a lot further if we were able to extend that to other e-com shops or other businesses. We age old saying, what what got you here may not necessarily get you there. And it's it's good to call that out. Uh, but I think it's it's also about that leadership piece. And it's never just about having insight or having that gut instinct, as you said, but it's about how do you influence, how do you bring the people with you? Yes, no, definitely. And I think, you know, a lot of what I try to think about as the relationship with the consumer is, you know, before now, a lot of brands weren't, they were buying a first date with a consumer. They were then calling it a marriage versus being able to bring a consumer to the table and know that they're going to be there in 90 days. So that's something that, you know, we are super hopeful that we can continue to help like bridge that gap between the consumer and the brand in such like a fragmented, saturated point in time. Jess, this is exactly the kind of conversation we love having here at G Commerce. Honest, sharp, but especially in your case, forward-looking. Yes. Thank you. I just said reading those tea leaves. Jess, thank you so much for joining us for this sparkling sips moment. And for everyone listening, this is just the beginning. We're actually going to be catching up again from Cannes to see what the room got right, what it still missed, and where the conversation goes next. Compliments of Jess. Again, reading the tea leaves for us and reading the room. Awesome. Thank you guys. I appreciate the time. Thank you, Jess. And that leaves me to say old brands, fierce women, one sisterhood. And we're done.