#valtech

Networking Blog

Time flies! Now it comes to an end to the marketing seminar course! I have the privilege to learn from more than a decade of marketing professionals in a consecutive 12 weeks online. Our topics are very diversified from inspiring alumni stories to different focus of marketing speciality including loyalty marketing, SEO, B2B Marketing, Marketing Science, Influencer Marketing, Performance Marketing, Product Enrichment, Digital Marketing Strategy, Paid Media Marketing, etc.  Within each marketing area, our speakers have walked us through from overview, work framework, business problem that are solving, dimensions, metrics, KPIs, as well as their own experience in these practices, which, to great extent, provided us a comprehensive way from overall to in-depth to get an idea about how exactly digital marketing works within each area. In the end, each speaker provided a case study based on their own company. Within group work, we brainstormed the causes of business problems, identified the opportunities and generated solutions from digital marketing perspective to solve the business problems. It was an instant reflect from what had been covered by the speakers. Great way to practice new learnings. Each speaker provided their feedback on each team’s work. Their positive, constructive, and equally insightful feedback greatly wrap up what we learnt and what we should work more.

I have greatly benefited from these sessions from different marketing professionals. Looking back at what we all have experienced, I am so grateful to be guided by them with huge thanks to my professor Wendy Greenwood from GBC for providing great resources and planning the most organized and strategic learning.

What have I learnt most?

The overall knowledge of all marketing specialities has provided me comprehensive knowledge and encouraged me to do further research on areas that I want to dive into as career choices. Marketing science, loyalty marketing and performance marketing are areas that I want to learn and contribute more. I have connected with them on LinkedIn.

My further step to enrich my learning in these 3 areas are to follow these companies LinkedIn accounts and marketing professionals from these companies. I also did research on these companies’ competitors by learning from their websites on their services, business model, team and culture. I followed 12 professionals from these companies and now already started to benefit from their contributions from LinkedIn.

What I get from connecting with them? I would say the trends, ideas, events, and their opinion/comments on different marketing events. I find these are great learning resources in a format of real work & life experience. It is always easy to learn framework, methodology in books and very beneficial to master how to use what we learnt by watching how others are using it, learn from their experience either success or failure. All are great learning resources.

Now I am starting to search for some work opportunity in the marketing analytics area.  When I am reading JD for Marketing/business data analyst from different companies, those detailed responsibility are things that we have covered and had practiced from the marketing seminar course as well as other courses from GBC. The companies I did research for are hiring for analyst. Those roles look familiar to me which provided confidence for me to apply.

My takeaways in network building

I followed/connected with each speaker prior to our online session. Normally, I will say thank you to joining us and sharing your knowledge with us this afternoon. My name is x. Currently I am doing x. I am looking forward to meeting you!  Almost all of the speakers approved my invitation.

It is good or safer to connect with speakers after class. But I understand they know we will approach them if they share LinkedIn with us. It may be also safe to connect prior to class due to this reason. In addition, it is a good sign to show they are welcomed by us. We appreciate their time and input.

About LinkedIn connection, always good to send a note with brief intro about you and reason to connect. Be positive! Do not ask anything! It is rude to ask them to offer you a referral or information call when you just try to build a connection via LinkedIn.

Following the connection, if you feel a good fit or have a good reason to approach them, you can send them a short message to concisely share your intention and why. Perhaps you will be surprised that people agree to offer an information call to provide industry information or answer your questions.

For our speakers from the seminar, I am very happy to connect with them and appreciated the opportunity to know more professional experience about them, and their company, community etc.  As I have asked the questions I had during our session time, I did not approach them for an information call as of today. But I know who I might want to approach for a in person or virtual meetings in near future when I am ready.

Speakers and her industry that greatly inspired me on networking

Blair Roebuck, vice president, marketing science form Valtech

Paul Michel, Senior Manager, Performance Marketing, Harry Rosen

Jennifer Stoll, VP, Strategy, Valtech

I have gained great insights and explore more resources from them. Because of Valtech, I started to network with professions in digital transformation field. I am keen to understand how to provide digital services to clients to help drive business growth and increase ROI. This area looks like a more integrated work who are not just talking about influence, impressions, clicks but focusing on results from the top of pyramid, which is business result, the ROI. Now I am working on the list of predominant marketing agency with focus on marketing science.

Performance marketing played a critical role in driving me to think further on metrics and KPIs to drive ROI. It is not just about one thing, but an integrated work. I am so honored to see the way how Paul shared his work, structure, case study, as well as key measurement with us. I am a huge fan of him in terms of how to bring the topic to the table and how to wrap it up in an efficient and enjoyable way. He knows what the main things that his audience want to learn.

He did not share LinkedIn with us. However, reading his PPT and doing further research about Harry Rosen, sign up on the email list, following social media channels also enrich my learning because of him. I highly appreciated this.

Harry Rosen is a good example of showing me how marketing strategy works for a luxury brand. Those skills are transferable which I can apply either in a job from Harry Rosen if possible, in the future or similar company in the industry.  So, I followed other Canadian companies in the retail industry, such as Canadian tire, Canada Goose at all channels and keep reading their financial and local publics to gain better understanding on their business strategy and how their marketing function to support business objectives. If I were in that role, part of their teams, what I might learn, what I might change or contribute.

Wrap-up

Marketing is an ever-evolving journey. As marketers, we constantly learn and evolve to keep updated and drive great outcomes. Building network is great tool to help us understand what is new, what is on demand, what we can learn and what else we can contribute. How to network varies on what you are looking for. It could be just a hint on industry knowledge that could inspire you to do further research on your own and go from there. This way fits me well.  Or it could be a way for you to know more about people, and you know how to work with and learn from others especially those people with senior experience and knowledge in the area you might be quite interested in.

Lastly, thanks Professor Wendy Greenwood for providing this great opportunity to learn and reflect, and thanks all our speakers who took their own time and guided us from different areas. I am confident these learning will be stay with us and help the marketing community to train more excellent marketing professionals just like them and shine in different corner.

Valtech Innovation Talks (VIT) dinner (NRF Week) by j- No Via Flickr: The Press Lounge, Manhattan NYC Jan. 15, 2019

Innovative "Digital disrupter" Valtech, which specializes in personalized ecommerce,  hosted a panel discussion on the digitalization of the retail market and how to best - and ethically - use the data accumulated.  Some spirited Q&A followed.  The event came at the culmination of the National Retail Federation (NRF) annual New York City conference.

Panelists included representatives from Decathlon, Samsung, Voicify, Valtech, Sitecore and True Fit.  Covered topics included:   Experiential Retail: Emergence of the physical meeting digital. Customer Data and Insights: What to do with the data you’ve gathered, and The Segue from Product to Service.

The panel was concurrent with a sit-down dinner and preceded by a social hour,  with passed hors d'oeurves and specialty cocktails.  A full open bar was maintained all evening.  The event was held at the West Side classy 16th floor Press Lounge, which offers spectacular views of the Hudson and midtown Manhattan.  It was a bit too nappy to enjoy the outside deck, but we braved it long enough to capture some of the grand scenery.

The National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade association. Its members include department stores, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, and independent retailers, chain restaurants, and grocery stores.

NRF 2019 spotlighted the many innovative technologies available to retailers today, much of it involving the use of Artificial Intelligence in order to best optimize reaching and retaining their customer base.

While innovation is great, old school simplicity still has its importance.  Example: Valtech's corporate website is slow-loading, way too busy, built more for visual style than practical maneuvering.  No social media links even appear up front, which one would think would be critical for any company involved in retail.  One reason why half of the world loves Amazon, even though the company is the epitome of evil destroyer of individuality in business, is that one can find what they want quickly, make their purchase, and get out minutes later.  Having to fish around for information and wading through a lot of content-lite word soup is counter-productive.