The next evolution in email marketing has arrived. Just as mass email campaigns of the past gave way to today’s segmented campaigns that employ a batch-and-blast approach, tomorrow’s email marketing will be hyper-personal and more effective. The reality of one-to-one email marketing is at hand thanks to segmentation tools, recommendation engines and lifecycle messaging automation that combine the cost-effectiveness of a batch-and-blast approach with the effectiveness of personalization – to delight customers and grow sales.

RichRelevance is a global leader in omnichannel personalization and Raj will share insights from the San Francisco-based company’s annual look at consumers evolving expectations of retailers and brands when it comes to personalization and privacy. The research exposes sharp differences among different demographic groups and surprising insights marketers can capitalize on to drive growth while steering clear of personalization pitfalls.

 

As privacy concerns and personalization efforts increase and converge, there is a flurry of activity among new and emerging companies eager to help retailers and brands solve complex business challenges. Will Decker has a front row seat to the happenings in the start-up world thanks to his role as Vice President of Brand and Retail Innovation at the Plug and Play Tech Center, a business incubator and accelerator located in Sunnyvale, Calif., in the heart of Silicon Valley. Since its founding in 2006, Plug and Play has worked with more than 220 corporate partners and 300 VC firms to raise more than $7 billion and help accelerate the growth of more than 2,000 startups, including 400 in 2017 alone.

Consumers don’t want brands to define their journeys, they want brands to offer experiences that help them carve their own paths. This is one of the key findings from landmark Accenture Interactive survey of 8,000 North American and European consumers asked about their preferences and expectations when it comes to interacting with brands. Jeriad will share how the rules of personalization have changed and brands are not keeping pace with consumers expectations for two-way conversations. In other words, relying on predefined targeting of communications and experiences won’t work with tomorrow’s consumers.

 

The FTC is the nation’s top consumer protection organization and Mark’s role in the Division of Privacy and Identity Protection has put him at the forefront of an area where consumers are increasingly vulnerable. Mark will share his perspective on the current regulatory landscape, enforcement activities and key initiatives in place to achieve the Division’s mission of protecting consumers in key areas such as privacy, information security, personal information usage, and identity theft.