This VP of marketing finds helping traditional brand clients understand and adapt to the online world a challenge.
Vincent Errico is the vice president of marketing at Waterfront Media with over 15 years of experience in marketing and strategic planning. He brings particular expertise in direct marketing and brand management. Errico began his marketing career at American Express where he held a variety of positions in customer acquisition, retention and brand advertising. Subsequent to American Express, he has held senior marketing positions at Visa International and, most recently Charles Schwab & Co. where he was vice president of eCommunications. In that role, he established and managed all aspects of Schwab's email marketing as well as email product development -- including online customer acquisition and retention. Errico has also worked as an independent consultant to Fortune 500 companies and start-ups alike, both domestically and overseas.
iMedia: It's near the end of the year. What would you say was your personal and/or your agency's biggest triumph this year?
Vincent Errico: Making what we thought was a tired brand work better than ever this year with some new ad buys and creative that fit the buy.
iMedia: What are you still struggling with or frustrated with that you thought would be history by 2006?
Errico: Continued increase in online media costs. I really thought it would level out by mid year.
iMedia: How has the role of your agency changed to meet the needs of clients in a world of fracturing media habits?
Errico: We continue to get more targeted and focused. We're finding ways of expanding into broader relationships beyond the usual banner buy.
iMedia: What are some of the latest ways your agency is integrating different media to achieve client objectives?
Errico: We're testing some print and radio in a very narrow, targeted way.
iMedia: What emerging media have you tested/are you using for clients?
Errico: Podcasting!
iMedia: What are clients most afraid of (either device, like cell phone or technique, like blogging)? Why?
Errico: None
iMedia: How is marketing/working with a small company different from working with a large company -- in terms of openness to innovation/experimentation/use of emerging platforms? Any industries more innovative, willing to take risks than others?
Errico: In my experience, both small and large are very open. Small companies are more concerned about blowing their testing budgets and need more proof that something is going to work -- but it depends on the price tag.
iMedia: If you develop an innovative campaign that is successful for one company, can you use that success story for companies in other verticals? How can you pitch it to convince other verticals that these results might apply to them too?
Errico: This is a very delicate area, especially since we do have a couple of clients who are considered competitors.
iMedia: What's the biggest communications problem that you have in your work -- either internal within your company or external with clients -- and what strategies work best for you in tackling this sort of problem?
Errico: Internally, it's making sure everyone is working from the same information and is up to date, especially since the information can sometimes be changing extremely rapidly. Externally, it's helping traditional brand clients understand and adapt to the online world -- including response techniques, interactivity, et cetera and how they apply to their brand.
iMedia: What are your goals for the coming year?
Errico: Continue to explore additional and innovative ways of working with publishers. Continue developing break-through creative.