Susan Thronson

Senior Vice President, Global Marketing
Marriott International

 Susan Thronson is a veteran Marriott marketer who also cares about giving back to her industry.  Despite a formidable job with responsibility for leading the company’s marketing strategy across 17 lodging brands representing 3700 properties in 74 countries, she has just completed a term as Foundation Chair of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI), an organization that has provided research and educational resources for the hospitality sales & marketing practitioner.

 She recently commented on the how the role of the marketing director has changed in the past 5 years by sharing three key points that are relevant to many marketers beyond the hospitality category. According to Ms. Thronson, today’s marketing upheaval is characterized by the fact that the target customer is changing, source marketers are changing, and go-to-market strategies are profoundly changing. 

 She elaborates by discussing how today’s generation of travelers views services like connectivity as a right, not a perk.  She adds that when people change what they value from a service organization, it undoubtedly affects the proposition of the brand. Plus, she now sees a different mix of global travelers from new markets visiting an expanding list of locations.  Susan Thronson advocates becoming expert in the cultures and current events about those source markets.  In fact, she believes that today’s marketing directors should achieve a new level of sophistication in understanding more about the peoples of the world, while keeping up with all the new channels of communications.

 Marriott is taking Susan’s thinking to heart as the company has been “reimagining the guest experience” while transforming lobbies and public spaces for a new generation of business travelers who blend work and play, demand style and substance, and desire high tech and high touch.  The company is introducing new concepts, such as purpose-built spaces for smaller collaborative meetings that are specifically designed for the way Gen X and Gen Y work. Marriott is also testing innovative technologies, such as applications for booking meetings on demand, to further differentiate the customer experience at its hotels.

 We have no doubt that Susan Thronson will continue to not only “reimagine hospitality,” but reinvent many new marketing best practices in the process.

Sarah Wyse

Head of Marketing Strategy
Coutts

There is no question that the banking industry has experienced the kind of upheaval over the last several years that has profoundly affected all issues surrounding the marketing of financial institutions. Coutts, long known as bankers to the Royal Family, is not only one of the UK's major private banking houses, but it is also the world's 7th oldest bank. Wholly owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS), which in turn is majority-owned by an investment arm of the British government, Coutts international subsidiaries were renamed as RBS Coutts Bank in 2008.  However, in 2011, RBS Coutts decided to drop the RBS initials from its logo and simply rebrand itself as Coutts, as the firm appears in the UK.

 Sarah Wyse as Head of Marketing Strategy was responsible for the thinking behind all of Coutts marketing worldwide-- from the UK to the Middle East, to North and South Asia and Switzerland.

 Certainly, the RBS affiliation had its pros and cons.  It is one of the world’s biggest banks with the benefits of broad infrastructure, yet it had also been associated with negative press.  Nonetheless, the goal of Coutts was to reach consumers in markets where it did not have a strong share of voice in order to grow its non-UK business to roughly 60% of the total in just five years.

 Sarah Wyse describes the new values of Coutts throughout the world in language that is not often used by the banking industry: connected, cosmopolitan and human.  Her belief is that Coutts’ contemporary principles resonate well with today’s business ethos.

 In fact, the move to Coutts proved to revitalize the brand.  This success may also be instrumental in a bank marketing trend toward highlighting smaller sub-brands that bring new consumer credibility, rather than focusing on big bank associations.  Interestingly, Ms. Wyse also admits that despite the separation of logos, there is now a greater collaborative spirit between the two brands.

Sarah Manley

Chief Marketing Officer
Burberry
Burberry is deservedly heralded as a champion of digital innovation.  The global luxury brand has not only reinvented itself, but has taken bold risks in a world that has become far more socially relevant.  CMO Sarah Manley, a Burberry veteran with deep roots in luxury marketing, has undertaken daunting initiatives to insure that Burberry’s brand potential resonates with new generations in a fast-changing media world.  Despite nearly 160 years of history, Burberry behaves in a modern way.

Today’s social media aficionados may bear few similarities to the traditional Burberry trench coat wearer of earlier decades, yet the ability to create one’s own bespoke trench online via “The Art of the Trench” and London Fashion Week’s first ever Tweetwalk are just two ways that the brand has captured the attention of younger shoppers and fashionistas of all ages.

Although many are involved in the reinvention of any brand, it was Ms. Manley who championed the Burberry World website in six languages and 45 countries.  She also advocated multimedia and 3D technology to create interactive campaigns with motion-responsive images and videos. Her global infrastructure became the foundation for the brand’s digitization that has driven Burberry’s marketing and communications strategy in its four key regions around the globe-- Americas, Europe, Asia and Emerging Markets.

Each region has responsibility for developing specific plans, appropriate to their part of the world, based up on a worldwide marketing strategy.  Yet, Burberry still creates a number of initiatives centrally to drive consistency—their “one vision, one point of view and one marketing” approach.  It is critical, particularly in an age with such extensive online access, that in-store customers have a consistent experience whether in London, New York or Hong Kong.

In fact, Sarah Manley would admit that the company now acts in many ways more like a media brand than a luxury retailer. There’s no question that she is a keen observer of changing patterns of consumer behavior and believes that being at the forefront of digital marketing is central to the Burberry’s overall strategy.

 Prior to joining Burberry in London, Ms. Manley was an executive in New York for internet luxury accessories retailer Luxlook.com where she oversaw their Public Relations and Advertising strategy.  Earlier in her career, she spent four years at Yves Saint Laurent and six years at Polo Ralph Lauren, where she was responsible for all Public Relations & Advertising in the UK for both brands.

Linus Almqvist

Group Head of Brand Communication and Partnerships

Vattenfall

 How do you take a state-owned energy giant and make it more consumer-friendly, responsive and contemporary? Not an easy task, especially in an increasingly environmentally-conscious world that requires enhanced consumer and corporate marketing programs.  However, Linus Almqvist, Head of Brand Communication and Partnerships of Vattenfall, has some innovative answers. His role is to improve the company’s reputation, support its business operation and position its market image.

Vattenfall-- Swedish for "waterfall" and an abbreviation of the original Royal Waterfall Board-- is a Swedish power company that also operates in Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom.  Its goal is to create a strong and diversified European energy portfolio, comprised of electricity, heat and gas, while also being a leader in developing environmentally sustainable energy production.

Linus Almqvist championed Vattenfall as the official sponsor of Swedish skiing and the International Ski Federation to serve both national and international interests by underscoring “energy for winter sports.”  Vattenfall emphasized how it produced electricity to make the skiing experience better—with energy to light slopes, run lifts and power snow-making equipment.  The introduction of their King of the Slopes app for downhill skiers with smart phones became their successful activation tool in the program and an inventive step forward for the company.

King of the Slope helps skiers of all levels monitor their performance, while results can be compared with other skiers at the same ski resort or throughout the world and easily shared on Facebook. Thousands of ski resorts are registered in the app’s database, which automatically sets a specific ski system via a mobile’s GPS. Anyone can add a favorite resort to the app via Vattenfall’s website. Plus, the Swedish national Alpine team tested the app.

Linus has been at Vattenfall in brand and marketing communications since 2004.  His prior marketing experience included Nordic regional roles at SAS/Scandinavian Airlines, Barilla Italian Foods and Arla, the largest producer of dairy foods in Scandinavia.

 

Nancy Deck

Vice President, Multi-Brand & Loyalty Marketing

Hilton Worldwide

 

Nancy Deck and her team have built one of the world’s most successful loyalty programs for the hospitality industry.  As Vice President of Multi-Brand & Loyalty Marketing, she is globally responsible for championing the Hilton HHonors brand and developing worldwide marketing strategies that create awareness, preference and market share for HHonors and the ten distinct hotel brands in the Hilton Worldwide portfolio.

 Recognizing that we live in the era of “the empowered customer,” she insures that HHonors guests receive more choice, more customization and more personalization.  As a global organization with 10 hotel brands, 3,800 properties in 90+ countries and millions of travelers each year, the program’s size and scale offered an unparalleled opportunity to understand guests’ needs and desires. Extensive consumer research enabled her to shift the conversation from points to possibilities, and effectively re-launch the Hilton HHonors global brand.

 In addition to overhauling the HHonors user experience by providing greater flexibility and a simplified tiered point system through a global website redesign, she appointed regional marketing directors to determine market needs and better tailor messages. For example, in China, a greater understanding of rewards membership is required, while North America emphasizes the unforgettable memories gained through HHonors.  Her initiatives with social media from a virtual treasure hunt for “Fast Ways to Free Stays” to a “Virtual Concierge” test program have been extremely well received.

 The HHonors’ member benefits extend beyond free hotel rooms and upgrades and programs with travel partners. They include a Global Shopping Mall with 20,000 products that can be purchased with points; Experience Rewards, which allow members to redeem points for once-in-a-lifetime experiences, like flying a fighter jet; and Charitable Programs that provide points to members who make contributions to certain organizations, while also providing both cash and in-kind donations.

 Nancy Deck is also recognized by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Industry Association as one of the “Top 25 Minds in Hospitality Sales and Marketing.”  We think her mind is of interest to all in marketing—regardless of the business category.

Janice Alfini

Director, Global Brand & Marketing
Diners Club International

 Janice Alfini recognizes that any multinational campaign must adhere to consistency in the marketplace, yet allow for local market relevancy in execution.  When describing her dedication to a global role, Ms. Alfini’s team members describe her ethos best: “Janice handles the balancing act between brand enforcer and market supporter with efficient governance.”

 They continue, “Janice is on the front line, supporting an expansive global franchise network. As the point person for branding and marketing, she constantly promotes the value of establishing one global look and feel across the world.”

Diners Club International, owned by Discover Financial Services, is a globally recognized brand serving the payment needs of select and affluent consumers. When established in 1950, it was the first multi-purpose charge card in the world-- launching a financial revolution in how consumers and companies pay for products and services. Today, Diners Club continues to deliver on its original brand promise, and through a global branding campaign called “Belong,” celebrates cardmembers and honors the experience and sacrifices required of people to achieve success. “Belong” portrays cardmembers as citizens of the world who are always expanding their horizons through experiences—be they large or small.

 In 2012, Diners Club International announced its first global partnership with 20^th Century Fox for the release of the film, Life of Pi.  The best-selling book by Yann Martel was deemed a natural fit for the “Belong” campaign as it describes a young man's incredible survival at sea against almost impossible odds.  This first global entertainment partnership was designed to bring the brand values of Diners Club to life.  "We are incredibly excited to help promote a film that celebrates a very unique, transformative journey," said Janice Alfini.

 The partnership also celebrates cardmembers' well-traveled, yet unending journeys through a worldwide photography contest. Aspiring photographers could submit a photo of a significant journey in their own lives to be judged by Claudio Miranda, cinematographer for "Life of Pi" and Andy Anderson, "Belong" campaign photographer.

 Janice Alfini is also a two-time honoree of The Internationalist 100.

Bonin Bough

Vice President of Global Media and Consumer Engagement
Mondelēz International

 Bonin Bough has a way with words.  He has rallied an industry with concepts like “Digital Fitness” that characterizes most corporations as living in a Jurassic period of digital engagement and  “Don’t Let Perfection Be the Enemy of Good,” his rallying cry for inviting innovation and experimentation within an organization. 

 But he also has a way with moving an industry forward.  A natural risk taker, he constantly discovers ways that brands can interact in a new era of consumer engagement and media choice.  He is an advocate for challenging convention and creating a culture of change-- particularly within the marketing department, if not across the entire corporation.  He believes in the “beta economy,” a new business model in which change is constant and can lead to a “re-skilling” of any corporation. Bonin Bough is keenly aware of how marketing insights need to be shared globally across the organization.

 In fact, he recently stated an ANA conference on mobility that “I need to create a culture that deems change is important.”  The result is Mondelēz International’s Mobile Futures, or “the Future in 90 Days,” which provides their brands the opportunity to work directly with startups on fast-turnaround pilot programs in areas key to mobility, such as location-based advertising, in-store marketing and social TV.  According to Bough, “It’s not about bringing startups inside, but learning how to work in a time-pressured, fast-thinking entrepreneurial environment.  This helps to re-skill an entire organization through a collaboration model that brings new partners to the table.”

 

Bough’s role as Vice President of Global Media & Consumer Engagement at Mondelēz is a just a few months old.  He joined Kraft one year ago in the same role after serving as Senior Global Director of Digital and Social Media at PepsiCo for more than three years.  Before Pepsi, he was in a global director role at IPG’s Weber Shandwick Worldwide.

 

Mondelēz International is comprised of the global snacking and food brands of the former Kraft Foods Inc., following the spin-off of its North American grocery operations in October 2012. The Mondelēz name was created from employee input with Monde deriving from Latin for world and delez with an association todelicious. Its portfolio includes such billion-dollar global brands as Cadbury and Milka chocolate, Jacobs coffee, LU, Nabisco and Oreo cookies, Tang powdered beverages and Trident gums.