At Experian, we are committed to powering the digital-first approach for marketers and helping them become more data-driven in their efforts to build trust and establish a human connection with consumers. We take great pride in our ability to support our clients in the evolution of the marketing landscape. So, it was an honor when our President of Marketing Services and Data Quality, Genevieve Juillard, was recently acknowledged as one of Crain’s Chicago Business’ 2020 Notable Executives in Marketing.
We sat down with Genevieve to ask her about the award, her role at the helm of Experian’s Marketing Services and the future of data-driven marketing.
Q: Can you tell us about your role as the leader of two major businesses within Experian?
Over the span of my more than 12-year career with Experian, I have held many different roles across several global markets—each providing growth opportunities and professional nourishment. But my current role is perhaps the one I am most enthusiastic about.
We’re observing more and more consumers become reliant on digital; at first, it was out of necessity, but individuals are beginning to appreciate the convenience and tailored experiences. There’s an even stronger expectation to only receive relevant communications and experiences. And in order for the digital economy to work, we need data. We need to understand how consumers want to be communicated with, how they engage with brands and what messages are going to resonate with them. That’s where Experian comes into play.
Our mission is to help brands use data, responsibly and securely, to create value for consumers and reach them across devices and channels. We understand that identity underpins the entire marketing ecosystem, and as consumers continue to move to digital, hundreds of thousands of digital touchpoints are created every day. Experian can stitch the data points together to create a single identity, helping brands build a connection with consumers.
But we also understand that to build a connection, we need to build trust with consumers—leveraging data is privilege. We need to help brands be relevant and create valuable experiences for consumers; otherwise trust erodes quickly. The digital ecosystem will continue to evolve, and helping our clients adapt and deliver value to consumers is mission-critical. The concepts of data, identity, trust and human connections are leading the way.
Q: Is data-driven marketing more important today than before?
Digital has overwhelmingly become the channel of choice for consumers, but it can be a bit more complicated for marketers, particularly without the right resources. People consume information and engage with brands via multiple devices; smartphones, tablets, laptops, TV, etc., all while bouncing from device-to-device and throughout the day. Add to that, the deprecation of third-party cookies and the potential changes to IDFA, and the digital identity has become a challenge for marketers.
While digital is important, brands also need to still consider offline touchpoints, when someone visits a brick-and-motor location. A consumer may visit a retail location to look at new home furnishings but ultimately purchase the pieces later that week online. These transactions need to be connected in order for the retailer to see the whole picture. To be relevant and tell a consistent story, brands need to implement an intelligent, data-driven marketing strategy; one that connects these digital and offline touchpoints together. That’s how you reach the right consumers and attract new ones.
Having the right data and technology allows brands to resolve consumer identities and communicate effectively with their audiences. At Experian, we help them leverage advanced analytics, such as machine learning to connect the hundreds of digital touchpoints, whether that’s transactional data, connected TV IDs, mobile, etc. Brands need to create a connection with consumers; the spray and pray approach doesn’t work—particularly now. Understanding the challenges facing consumers and how brands can address their most pressing needs is the key to creating those personal and relevant experiences that resonate.
Q: How does Experian factor into the future of the marketing ecosystem?
With digital adoption becoming the norm, identity will continue to evolve—particularly with third-party cookie deprecation. We’re seeing more digital identifiers, such as IPs, connected TV IDs and MAIDs, becoming prominent and factoring into customers’ identities. And those identifiers will continue to evolve, and we can expect different components to be added to the list.
Before the implementation of any marketing campaign, brands need to resolve identity. Experian remains at the forefront of identities, both offline and digital, and is committed to helping brands stitch the touchpoints together. But beyond the use of identity to build audience segments, Experian is also a leader in data activation and measurement. Our world-class data and technology aim to help our clients improve the customer experience, build trust and create value for consumers.
Q: How does it feel to be recognized among some of the Chicago area’s top marketers?
During my tenure with Experian and exposure to different parts of the business, I’ve had an opportunity to gain experience as a management executive. While leading Experian’s Marketing Services is a new role for me, my past experiences in innovation, global product scaling and consumer impact have helped prepare me for my current responsibilities—determining how best to leverage our data and technology to help brands deliver an improved customer experience and provide value to consumers. As a business, we’re committed to helping brands across the globe become better marketers, and I am very honored to be recognized among some of Chicago’s leading marketing executives.