Strategic. Collaborative. Ambitious. Forward-thinking. Just a few of the many words that exemplify what it means to be a successful marketer. And while each of those words have always been used to describe Natalie Travaglione, Senior Director of Global Product Marketing for Experian Marketing Services, on September 29, it became ‘official.’ During the 40 under 40 awards ceremony in New York, Natalie was among 40 marketers under the age of 40 who were recognized by DMN for their remarkable efforts in reshaping the marketing landscape.
We recently sat down with Natalie to get her thoughts on being recognized as one of the top 40 young marketers in the industry, as well as where she sees marketing heading in the future.
Q: What does this recognition mean to you
NT: Being selected for this year’s DMN 40 under 40 list is quite humbling. That said, I don’t feel as though the award is just a reflection of my work, but my team’s as well. Their collective commitment to collaboration and execution against our larger product marketing vision has truly elevated the profile of our team internally and established our position as a critical, connective tissue among the business.
Q: What advice have you received that you feel has had the greatest impact on your career?
NT: A mentor and former boss once advised me not to succumb to the expectation that you need to be constantly “on”–immediately responding to each email, question, and comment the moment they cross your path. She cautioned that the danger in doing so is that you begin to confuse hasty output with actual progress.
With that guidance in mind, I’ve put in place guardrails that have helped me to be more cautious and thoughtful in what I react to, as well as how and when I do so. As a result, I’ve stopped spending time and energy adding to the buildup of low-impact material and distracting chatter, and instead have focused on consistent delivery of quality, value-add work that has helped advance the strategy and productivity of our business.
Q: What current trend in marketing do you see having the most influence on the industry?
NT: Delivering thoughtful, personalized exchanges and experiences with consumers. With seemingly unending options of channels and devices available to all of us as consumers, our expectations and needs from brands have changed. We are no longer waiting for the right offer from the right brand to arrive before we react–where that reaction may be to make a purchase, sign up for a loyalty program, write a review, refer a friend, etc. Today, as consumers, we’re all in the driver’s seat, swerving in and out of channels and devices that are convenient for us depending where we are, what time it is, and what frame of mind we’re in.
Luckily the technology exists to help marketers create and deliver these rich, contextual experiences. Platforms, such as Experian’s Marketing Suite, enable brands to pull in data from multiple sources to create a comprehensive profile of who I am as a consumer, continually update that profile as they learn more about me, and use that data to create a relevant, natural-feeling dialogue with me at the right time, in the right channel, on the right device.
