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Experian has been ranked as Britain’s Most Admired Company in the Business Support Services category at Management Today’s prestigious ‘Britain’s Most Admired Companies’ awards 2016. Experian also posted a top ten finish in the overall rankings. It’s the second time Experian has had the honour of winning the Business Support Services category after picking up the honour first time around in 2013. Commenting on the accolade, CEO, Brian Cassin said: “This is a clear recognition of Experian’s strategic focus on helping businesses and consumers achieve better outcomes, whether that’s creating greater financial access, preventing fraud or facilitating business growth. I also believe it’s a testament to our 17,000 colleagues around the world who work every day to service and power opportunities for all our customers.” Organised by Management Today magazine, the BMAC Awards give an insight into the corporate reputations of UK businesses with the winner determined by a poll of the biggest companies, which evaluate their peers. You can see the full list of 2016 winners on the Management Today website. Photo: Experian’s Bill Floydd and Tom Blacksell receive the BMAC Award from Lord Michael Heseltine    

I am a Senior Business Analyst in Experian’s office in Bulgaria. When refugee camps in my country first began filling up with Syrian refugees, I went to help as a volunteer. Since Experian had helped with similar initiatives for those in poverty in Bulgaria, I thought it would be a good idea to volunteer so I could inform other Experian employees of ways they could volunteer in the future. And now I can see that happening, as Experian is about to embark on a new volunteer project as a result. When I first stepped into the refugee camp as part of my own volunteer efforts, it was evening and nearly winter. I came with two volunteers, each carrying bags of clothes and food. No one can really prepare you for the conditions you witness in the camp, and they’re difficult to describe, too. Families had staked claims in small spaces by hanging up curtains, and while some families had the luxury of a bed made from a basic mattress, most people slept on the ground. As I made my way through the camp, I met a family of 12, including a small baby. I was overwhelmed by the welcome they gave me as they invited me to stay and talk with them. A few of them spoke some English, but the rest just wanted to communicate to me in whatever way they could. They graciously prepared me a dinner in traditional Syrian style — couscous, with vegetables and sauces. The meal was like a small celebration for them. They were delighted to even have my attention. Before I left, they sang me a traditional Syrian song that brought tears to my eyes. These people were a normal family — just like mine. They may be from a different country, speak a different language and have different cultural traditions, but I felt a strong sense of kinship to them. My experience grew in me a desire to do more for refugees coming to our country and bring more people along to help. I decided to apply for funding for Experian to work alongside the Refugee Project in a joint initiative to make a bigger, long-term impact on these people. This funding would give other Experian employees a chance to volunteer and provide refugees with the supplies they need. Additionally, Experian is in the process of organizing workshops for families who wish to stay in Bulgaria. These workshops will provide financial education to help them open a bank account, learn how our financial system works and give them the financial information they need to rebuild their lives. It means a lot to me to see what a difference we’re making and how we’re changing lives. I love knowing our work is helping people find a place to live, get a job and start their own business, as well as introducing Syrians to our local culture and customs. Read more #ExperianStories from our colleagues around the world. Photo: Tram in Sofia, Bulgaria

Experian is honored to be among a select group of companies recognized by the Orange County Register as among the best places to work in Orange County, California. This is Experian’s fourth year participating in the TopWorkplaces survey and the fourth time we’ve been recognized as a TopWorkplace. We’re very proud to be among this select group of companies, achieving continual recognition for our positive business culture. Over each of the past four years, Experian’s position on the list has continued to rise, and it’s a cause for real celebration across our workforce of nearly 1,300   people in Orange County when the rankings are announced. We believe this is a reflection of the true passion and commitment the people of Experian demonstrate in our business every day in our efforts to better serve consumers and businesses. On a personal basis, I started with the business nearly 40 years ago, when the company was known as TRW Credit Data, headquartered in Anaheim. And I’ve watched the business grow from the simple concept of credit reporting to what is now an incredibly complex and powerful global business that powers opportunities by understanding how to make information and technology work for the benefit of consumers, businesses and the communities in which we operate. Experian’s employees realize that what we do impacts the lives of millions of people every day. Lenders rely on our information and technology to make decisions about extending credit to people millions of times every day, which means we’re enabling people to buy cars, get mortgages and fulfill their dreams of home ownership, pay for college educations, and fund the development of small businesses. After all, it’s access to affordable credit that underpins the development of all economies, and on a global basis, Experian is there to help. We are very proud of what we do and we’re equally proud of how we do it. We also realize that we have a responsibility to actively participate and contribute to our communities.  Across the globe, we refer to our community engagement programs as “the Heart of Experian,” it’s central to the passion and commitment the people of Experian feel about the company. Our employees are strongly incentivized to be engaged in community support efforts, and Experian provides ample opportunities for employees to volunteer time and money to support local food banks, raise donations for organizations like Children's Hospital of Orange County and Susan G Komen For the Cure. We work with individuals in homeless shelters to help make them credit worthy to be able to afford to move into housing. We’re also committed to continuously searching for top-level talent to bring to Orange County to support our business. Our senior leaders participate in the advisory councils of major universities, including University of California Irvine, and our recruiters travel to universities throughout the United States searching for some of the brightest minds to join us. As I see it, it’s easy for business leaders to make throw away comments such as “our employees are our greatest asset.” In today’s highly competitive world, it is essential that businesses do more than say, but rather treat all employees as their greatest asset. Companies build the atmosphere to treat employees as their greatest asset by providing challenging work and vexing problems to solve, the best training and development available, opportunities for career development and progression, a healthy respect for diversity, and a reward systems that recognizes every individual’s contribution to the success of the company. Experian’s mission oriented environment is one that attracts and retains top talent in Costa Mesa, as well as our other locations across North America. Our employees are committed to helping to create better tomorrows in our communities through corporate social responsibility activities, and through our everyday work and business purpose. Peg Smith is Executive Vice President of Investor Relations Photo of Experian employees accepting the award courtesy of the Orange County Register.  

  During the holidays, you can always expect to see the malls and local shopping centers filled with consumers purchasing gifts for their families and friends. It can be quite a hectic adventure. So much so, many consumers find themselves shopping online to circumvent some of the holiday stress. After all, shopping online can be an efficient strategy year round. But with many consumers choosing to shop online, comes the potential of the abandoned shopping cart. We’ve all been there. We receive an important phone call just as we begin to checkout, and forget all about it. How can brands entice those of us who abandon our shopping carts to come back to the website and complete our transaction? According to Experian’s Q3 2016 Email Benchmark Report, customers who received multiple abandoned shopping cart emails were 2.4 times more likely to complete a transaction than customers who only received one. However, that doesn’t mean that brands should bombard customers with multiple emails. In order to toe the line between burdensome and effective email messaging, brands need to take into account how their customers behave. By testing email suppression strategies, brands can find the right balance for successful messaging. For more information on the analysis and a complimentary download of the report, click here. To view the full press release, click here.

Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the past couple of weeks, you know the holidays are in full swing. And while spending time with family and friends are holiday staples, another holiday pastime is shopping. By that, I mean Black Friday. While we’re still a little over a week away, many consumers have already begun planning their Black Friday strategy. But who are these consumers? What are their interests? For marketers who want to target these consumers, understanding who they are is paramount to those efforts. The more they understand, the easier it will be to reach them. We recently leveraged our Social Media Analysis tool to conduct a study* of active social media users who mentioned #BlackFriday in posts, and we got a glimpse into the television shows, restaurants and types of brands they were more likely to follow and engage with on social media. Top television shows These are the social media handles for the television shows that #BlackFriday enthusiasts are more likely to follow than the overall population. Extra TV – 20.12 times more likely Stranger Things – 17.29 times more likely Jessica Jones – 16.64 times more likely Daredevil – 15.14 times more likely Gotham – 13.89 times more likely The Flash – 12.36 times more likely Star Trek – 10.95 times more likely Robot – 10.82 times more likely Empire – 10.67 times more likely Agents of Shield – 10.15 times more likely Top restaurants These are the social media handles for the restaurants that #BlackFriday enthusiasts are more likely to follow than the overall population. Little Caesars – 24.43 times more likely IHOP – 18.82 times more likely Krispy Kreme – 18.77 times more likely Red Lobster – 17.94 times more likely Applebee’s – 14.87 times more likely Dairy Queen – 13.96 times more likely Outback Steakhouse – 13.93 times more likely KFC – 13.88 times more likely Olive Garden – 13.59 times more likely Burger King – 13.42 times more likely Top brands types These are the types of brands that #BlackFriday enthusiasts are more likely to follow than the overall population. Household-Toys – 26.09 times more likely Stores-Consumer Electronics – 9.68 times more likely Beauty-Skincare – 8.70 times more likely Stores-Department – 7.15 times more likely Services – 6.94 times more likely What marketing fuel does this provide? There's no doubt that core demographic and geographic information are key components to understanding a specific consumer population, but marketers that want to stand out also need to understand the psychographic and lifestyle characteristics of their audience. These insights give marketers a glimpse into what makes the #BlackFriday consumer tick; what they like; where they eat; etc. When you tap into this type of rich, organic, consumer-generated data, you have the power to start making marketing decisions that may not have been obvious before. In this case of our #BlackFriday analysis, a brand who wants to reach the Black Friday shopper who is willing to put down their turkey day casserole and take out their holiday cash, may consider revising their media buy. For example, perhaps a brand doubles down on TV ad buys and commercials during Extra TV in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. And since three of the top five shows are OTT (over the top or streaming), they could also consider pivoting to other channels or partners to help get the word out. Who knows – maybe you could reward parents shopping at Toys R' Us with a free pizza from Little Caesars to take off some of the holiday stress. The data shows there could be synergy in partnerships or promotions that hasn't been tapped before. When people hear the word 'data,' they may have visions of people pouring over spreadsheets and numbers into the wee hours of the night. But when I look at Social Media Analysis, I see billions of pieces of data that have been distilled into audience intelligence that marketers 20 years ago would have fought over. This data cannot only fuel great business decisions, but more importantly, a ton of creativity. And backed by data, creativity is where brands can crush it. I can't wait for this holiday season to reveal which marketers have used data successfully with the hearts, minds…and pocketbooks, of the people they are looking to attract. For more information on the launch of Social Media Analysis, visit https://www.experianplc.com/media/news/2016/social-media-analysis/ *This analysis is based on SpotRight's active Twitter user profiles, and is derived from consumers tweeting about "#blackfriday" between August and November 2016. Active is defined as consumers who have tweeted in the past 12 months.

Technology is a high priority for most brands. Organizations often want to bring in the next technological prodigy to develop a successful platform or gadget. But successful technology teams go beyond the end product. Successful technology teams are constructed of team members who have a sense of purpose, and understand the goals they are working towards. But in order to create a powerhouse team, technology leaders need to invest time into their people. In this Entrepreneur article, Emad Georgy, chief technology officer for Experian’s Cross-Channel Marketing discusses daily practices all leaders should adopt when building a winning team. By incorporating these practices into their work environment, leaders are better positioned to build a successful team, and make a positive impact for their clients.