Esurance CMO Believes Embracing Change Creates Great Possibility

Tools and platforms are important, but to drive growth, it all comes down to trying to understand the people you want to reach, says Esurance CMO Alan Gellman.

In this podcast, Esurance CMO Alan Gellman discusses a wide range of marketing topics. But as seems to be the case for so many top marketers, tools and platforms are important, but to drive growth, it all comes down to trying to understand the people you want to reach.

“We always—always—hang into that center of, ‘Who are these people and how do we deliver for them?’ Because as we deliver for the consumer, we deliver for our companies,” Gellman told me.

He also cautioned marketers not to lose sight of their primary responsibility: to drive growth. “But how? It’s through insight and depth of understanding of our customers and would-be customers, and that’s not just about data,” he said. It’s also about the humanity that brings the data forward.

Finally, Gellman reminded us it’s important to find some joy: “If you’re not laughing, if you’re not having fun, then it’s just not worth it.”

Highlights from this week’s “Marketing Today” podcast include:

• Storytelling still matters, regardless of the technological platform. (4:07)
• What is my connected life? (8:30)
• Embracing change to create great possibility. (11:19)
• Sight, sound, and motion in the changing media landscape. (14:02)
• Who am I reaching and how? Storytelling across creative assets and channels of reach. (18:58)
• Brand engagement: Interacting with customers and prospects. (20:27)
• Looking for the white spaces to drive future growth. (28:48)

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Read related interview: Esurance’s Alan Gellman: We Are ‘Insurance For The Modern World’