Karen Lai

About Karen Lai

I’m a product marketer who loves to evangelize industry-leading advertising solutions. I’ve positioned, launched, and scaled ad products across top organizations that have led in bringing together media and commerce, from BuzzFeed and Roundel (Target’s media network) to my current role at Instacart. My past experience spans the full lifecycle of ad innovation, inclusive of informing product roadmaps to bringing them to market through compelling narratives and GTM strategy. I’m passionate about translating complex ad tech into clear value for advertisers, and making big ideas come to life through collaboration. I love building meaningful connections and learning from others in the industry, so don\'t hesitate to reach out!

Experience

1. Senior Manager, Product Marketing (Off-platform Ad Solutions)

   Instacart

   Sep 2024 — Present

   Leads the development and execution of go-to-market strategies and product positioning for Instacart\'s offsite ad solutions and partnerships, including Meta, Google, The Trade Desk, Roku, NBCUniversal, Pinterest, TikTok and more• Built revamped narrative and value propositions for Instacart offsite solutions in close partnership with Sales, with Sales leadership attributing narrative enhancements as a key enabler to driving 2x YoY Meta revenue increase in Q4 2025 and exceeding Q4 revenue goal by 81%• Drives Voice of the Customer for off-platform solutions and leverages market feedback to advise on product prioritization, such as driving a 160% increase in closed won rate for YouTube beta offering by partnering with Product and Sales to incorporate product enhancements based off advertiser feedback• Generates awareness and leads for Instacart offsite solutions through paid media and thought leadership across key industry events and trade publisher moments, such as crafting positioning that drove a 3x higher CTR for Digiday paid email newsletter placements compared to Digiday average

Education

• UCLA

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Communication Studies and Psychology

  2011 — 2015

Skills

• Photoshop
• Social Media
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Operative Dashboard
• Microsoft Office
• Social Networking
• Research
• Social Media Outreach
• Marketing
• Advertising
• Copywriting
• Cantonese
• Email Management
• Mandarin
• Doubleclick for Publishers
• Twitter
• Google Docs
• Instagram
• Social Media Marketing
• Powerpoint
• Graphic Design
• Ad Serving
• Email Marketing
• Publishing