Hidden Layers

Lately, when talking to friends, the topic of insurance has come up a lot. Whether it’s the rising number of catastrophic events, from floods to wildfires to tornadoes, or simply an increased awareness of the need to be prepared in case of any emergencies, a lot of people I know are focusing more time and effort on finding the right insurance providers. So, for the latest edition of Hidden Layers, I sat down with Andrea Collins, VP of Marketing at Hippo Insurance, to learn more about the insurance industry and, in particular, how homeowners’ insurance has changed with the times. 

Insurance is typically thought of as a fairly dry, unsexy industry. Since Hippo burst onto the market in 2015, however, the company has set out to redefine homeowners’ insurance - and with it, the relationship people have with their homes. As Collins notes in our conversation, traditional coverage tends to include items like fur coats and pewter bowls, neither of which are common household items today. Instead, Hippo’s goal is to focus on providing products and services that modern homeowners need that will protect the joy of home ownership.

In the episode, we talk about the obstacles that Hippo faces as a challenger brand in an industry with many heavy-hitters, some of which have seemingly bottomless advertising budgets, as well as the steps that the company has taken to overcome them. We also discuss how the company has leveraged technology, from smart home kits to satellite imagery to telemaintenance, to develop a more proactive approach to insurance.

Summer may have just ended, but I am already looking forward to snowy winter days. My latest guest on Hidden Layers, Josee Larocque, knows all about that feeling, having worked at Burton Snowboards for 22 years. Formerly Burton’s Senior Vice President of Operations, Larocque currently oversees the company’s digital transformation on its journey to becoming a consumer-centric, digital-first retailer. 

 

I sat down with Josee to talk about why Burton decided to make the transition from a wholesale business to also having a large direct-to-consumer business, and the challenges - and successes - that the company encountered along the way. We talk about the changes internally that Burton needed to make, from implementing new data management platforms to focusing on last mile delivery, as well as how the pandemic affected their plans for the future. We also may or may not have mentioned a certain Vermont senator’s viral inauguration get-up — listen to the podcast to find out!

In the United States, Nespresso is usually associated with high-quality coffee - not to mention those George Clooney ads. This week on Hidden Layers, I sat down with Justin DeGeorge, the Vice President of Marketing at Nespresso USA, to talk about how the company achieves its mission of providing the best coffee experiences to consumers in a sustainable way, as well as what Nespresso’s experiences over the past year have been like. 

 

As a largely D2C brand, Nespresso was well-equipped once the pandemic hit to keep people caffeinated in the comfort of their own homes. At the same time, the company had to think of ways to give people the kind of top-notch service they had come to expect without being able to interact with them in-person. As Justin points out, coffee-drinking is a sensory experience - so being able to replicate that at home required a lot of creative thinking, as well as a detailed understanding of what customers want from the brands they use. 

 

I also spoke with Justin about how the company uses data and machine learning to get a better understanding of its consumers and identify the kinds of experiences that will keep a customer loyal to the brand, as well as the importance of sustainability to Nespresso’s core mission.

On the latest episode of Hidden Layers, I sat down with Andrea Brimmer, the Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer of Ally Financial, to talk about how a bank that started in the worst days of the financial crisis would eventually become one of the largest financial institutions in the country, despite not having a single brick-and-mortar branch. 

 

The biggest struggle for any new company, let alone a financial services company, is acquiring customers. I spoke with Andrea about how Ally has used its digital savvy from the very beginning to raise awareness and drive people to digital experiences designed to make them convert, and how that process has evolved over the past twelve years to focus on incrementality. We also discussed the benefits of in-housing and owning your own data to make marketing processes more efficient and effective, as well as how Ally is utilizing new channels like Twitch to appeal towards younger audiences.

Since the company’s launch in 2011, HelloFresh has carved out a name for itself in the meal kit industry, offering its devoted user base fresh, delicious, and easy-to-make recipes shipped straight to their door. For the latest episode of Hidden Layers, I sat down with HelloFresh’s associate director of brand and creative marketing, Hayley Raymond, to talk about the role that the company and its products serve in the marketplace, the secret to HelloFresh’s lasting popularity, and what to expect from the brand in the future. 

 

I spoke with Hayley about how HelloFresh is able to foster brand loyalty and develop lasting relationships with consumers, from regular surveys to Facebook groups to interactions on social media. We also discussed how the company is able to use that data to develop new recipes, determine what product lines consumers want to see, and gain a deeper understanding of the journeys their customers undergo on their paths to becoming HelloFresh regulars.

What does buying a used car look like in the digital age? For Peter Scherr, CMO of Vroom, the answer lies not with the traditional dealership experience, but with a purchasing journey that takes place entirely online. 

 

On the latest edition of Hidden Layers, I sit down with Peter to discuss how his company has been able to take something nearly universally loathed - the car buying experience - and reinvent it to provide transparency, assurance and convenience to the consumer. We also talk about how Vroom uses data and AI to manage their inventory and ensure their vehicles are priced appropriately.

On the latest edition of Hidden Layers, I sat down with Monica Belsito, the CMO of LOLA, one of the most dynamic and exciting CPG brands on the market today. LOLA got its start in 2015 as a subscription service for tampons made with 100% organic cotton; since then, it has become a leader in the reproductive health space as well as a regular presence in brick-and-mortar stores. 

I spoke with Monica about the company’s journey from monthly subscription service to lifestyle brand dispensing everything from tampons to multivitamins to medical and expert advice, and 

how LOLA has built a dedicated community of women who are fully engaged in everything the company does. We also talked about how the company uses data to inform product development, provide value to retail partners, and acquire customers in a competitive market.

As a longtime super fan of Ardbeg whiskey, I was especially thrilled to sit down with Luis Freitas, the director of omnichannel and CRM at Moet Hennessy, for the latest edition of Hidden Layers. Moet Hennessy is home to many iconic brands, and I was excited to discuss the unique marketing challenges that the alcohol and spirits industry faces, as well as the innovative solutions the company has found to address those challenges.

Because spirits companies are generally not allowed to sell directly to consumers, understanding the customer journey and how to influence it are key elements of Moet’s marketing strategy. I spoke with Luis about how the company is fostering direct relationships with its consumers, and the role that technologies such as artificial intelligence and dynamic creative optimization can play in that process. We also talked about the impact of the upcoming deprecation of third-party cookies and IDFA, and why it is important for companies to be taking steps now to safeguard their data and mitigate the fallout.

What happens when two of the oldest, most established legacy banks in the country merge their operations? After all, technologically speaking, even the most sophisticated companies often struggle when implementing another business’s tech stack into their organizations. I spoke with Karen Rogers-Robinson, Assistant Vice President and Digital Marketing Automation Platform Specialist for Truist Bank, about how Truist - the result of a merger between SunTrust and BB&T banks - has been able to make that transition, as well as the effect it has had on the new bank’s marketing endeavors. 

 

Over the course of this episode of Hidden Layers, Rogers-Robinson and I discuss the difficulties of integrating two established brands, particularly as it relates to customer interactions. Customers of one bank might be accustomed to a particular style of communication, while other customers might expect a more sophisticated, hands-on experience. However, as Rogers-Robinson notes, most people are comfortable at this point with using some kind of technology to manage their accounts, whether they are uploading checks via smartphone or researching mortgages from their laptops.

 

We also touch upon what marketers should look for in an email marketing platform, as well as how Truist uses the tools at its disposal to map out the customer journey and better respond to its users’ needs.

If you have even a passing interest in ad tech or developments in the digital world, it is highly likely that at some point, you will have come across Allison Schiff’s work. As a senior editor for AdExchanger, Schiff covers mobile, Facebook, privacy, measurement, cross-device, and the app economy - all huge topics that have a profound impact on our daily lives. Many in our industry look to Schiff for her clear-eyed assessments of the latest news and trends, so it was truly a pleasure to sit down with her on the latest episode of Hidden Layers for a wide-ranging, thought-provoking discussion on all things marketing.

 

We of course had to talk about the biggest development in digital advertising currently: the impending elimination of third-party cookies from web browsers, and whether advertisers will be able to successfully replace them with an alternative ID system or adopt a contextual model instead. As Schiff notes, “the cookie is definitely crumbling” as advertisers scramble to find alternatives and vendors selling so-called “cookieless solutions” jockey for attention. 

 

We also debate what effect the growing drive by publishers to take control over their first-party data will have for the way that digital advertising is conducted in the future, and whether this will reduce advertisers’ reliance on Google, Facebook, and the other big walled gardens. Of course, no episode of Hidden Layers would be complete without a mention of deep learning - and this one is no different, as Schiff and I discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming the industry.