An interview with Ginger Conlon

Ginger Conlon

Thought Leadership Director at Genesys

Key Topics:Customer Experience, Marketing

Location:New York, United States

Bio:

An award-winning editorial leader who has covered marketing and CX for the majority of her career, Ginger Conlon is currently thought leadership director at Genesys. Additionally, she serves as president of DMCNY. In her prior roles as chief editor of Direct Marketing News, 1to1, and CRM magazines she set the vision and editorial strategy, which led to increased readership, reader engagement, and revenue.

How did you get to become an expert in your key topics?

During my first editorial job at a defunct publication called Photo/Design, I got hooked on the power technology has to enable marketing and improve the customer experience, as well as the influence marketing and CX can have on customers’ attitude and behaviours. I’ve covered all that to varying extents over the ensuing years, learning about and sharing the myriad perspectives on it all.

What sub-topics are you most passionate about?

I believe that some elements of great marketing are basically customer service and that outstanding service experiences are great marketing. Similarly, the handoffs between marketing and sales have evolved over recent years. So, one sub-topic that interests me is the blurring lines between the three customer-facing areas and how those teams can and should collaborate to deliver the best (and most profitable) customer experience. Another sub-topic that jazzes me is using data to better understand and serve customers. This is an incredibly rich topic; it has a deep history and continues to evolve with every new data source, privacy regulation, and shift in customer perception.

Who influences you within these topics?

You can find many of them in your recent “Who’s Who in CRM” report. I follow a broad swath of analysts, business leaders, and journalists in CX and marketing primarily, as well as CRM and sales, to stay abreast of the strategies, technologies, and trends making an impact.

What challenges are brands facing in this space?

No surprise here: The biggest challenges the brands are facing in terms of CX and marketing include ever-escalating customer expectations, ever-changing customer behaviours and preferences, and ever-evolving technologies. And, of course, finding the optimal balance of personalisation and privacy.

What do you think the future holds in this space?

Opportunity.

What brands are leading the way in this space?

In CX, organisations such as USAA, Amazon, Disney, and Ritz-Carlton often come to mind. Usually, CX leaders are those who, first and foremost, deliver on their brand promise—because the definition of a great customer experience is vastly different for some brands versus other; for example, Apple and Costco are often cited as CX leaders, but what makes them leaders to their respective customers is quite different. CX leaders are also often those companies that make it easy to do business with them and that find ways to show customers that they’re valued. These companies aren’t always behemoths, either. Look around at some of the local businesses that stood out during the pandemic by leading with customer experience. In marketing, there are companies that stand out for their advertising, such as Burger King, and others that stand out for their ability to use data to deliver personalised and contextually relevant communications. Who’s the best here is a personal decision, because whether you think it’s cool or creepy that a brand “knows” you and differentiates your experience as a result is going to depend in part on how you feel about that brand and in part on how you feel about data use for marketing and CX in general.

If a brand wanted to work with you, which activities would you be most interested in collaborating on?

In my role as thought leadership director at Genesys, I’m open to speaking about CX trends. And in my role as president of DMCNY, I’m open to speaking about marketing trends.

What are your passions outside of work?

My biggest passion outside of work is fitness…so much so that I’m a personal trainer and goal coach.

What would be the best way for a brand to contact you?

Email.

Interview with Ginger Conlon

by Joe Fields | May 17, 2021 | Interviews, Tech