Gayle Fuguitt, marketing insights and analytics innovator, is leaving our team to continue her mission to translate new technology capabilities into modern marketing capabilities, bringing the voice of the consumer to the decision table. Over the past two years with Gayle’s critical input, Foursquare expanded our analytics and measurement capabilities. And as many know, we recently announced a $150M fundraise and the acquisition of Placed, the leading offline attribution platform. Gayle will now will bring her expertise and experience to the broader industry.
“We have been privileged to benefit from Gayle’s experience, leadership and C-suite relationships in the industry to advance our marketing solutions to drive brand growth, and giving us incredible insight into the best way to bring analytics and measurement to an even broader audience. She has helped accelerate our company’s strategic client relationships, solutions and measurement.” said Jeff Glueck, Foursquare CEO.
“It has been an honor to work with Jeff and the Foursquare team to deliver to my longstanding network of clients and industry leaders end to end solutions for audience targeting beyond demographics, dynamic creative and most importantly analytics attributing impact to sales growth,” said Gayle. “Now the company, combined with Placed, is the true number one leader in location capabilities and offline analytics. The future of foot traffic measurement is in excellent hands with the Foursquare leadership team.”
Gayle joined Foursquare as Chief of Customer Insight and Innovation in 2016 after serving as the first female Chief Executive Officer and President at the Advertising Research Foundation, the ARF, established in 1936 by the ANA and the 4A’s to deliver independent media and advertising measurement.
__Gayle recently spoke with Sarah Spagnolo, Foursquare’s Senior Director of Communications, on the past, present and future of the technology solutions for marketers and advertisers today. __
1. After three years immersed in mobile tech and location, what are your most pivotal discoveries?
My going to Foursquare spearheaded a new trend in the marketplace: it underscored how vital it is for technology teams to embrace top executives with valuable contacts to deliver results. Decades at a consumer product company—General Mills—enabled me to fast track and forge client relationships with the C-Suite decision makers at Fortune top 50, especially the top 50 advertisers.
I led the way to more than double client direct business by merging different generations and mindsets—through understanding the anthropology of potential clients. For these direct client strategic initiatives we built hundreds of custom target audiences, delivered the right message to the right person at the right time based on location intelligence, and attributed the spending directly to sales growth.
I was part of the team that helped grow our company so that we could raise new funds and acquire the measurement leader Placed, enabling Foursquare to double down on speed to sales.
2. How are client relationships different now than ever before?
Clients’ urgent mandate to solve challenges is greater than any time in history. There is an urgent need for brand leaders to solve problems in real time. Technology partners must drive meaningful products to marketers’ desktops for better business decisions.
In this time of ongoing technological transition, connecting brands with consumers is crucial. It impacts the economy and it impacts jobs. It impacts life as we know it.
It takes courage and personal conviction to lead today. Embracing a bold path is essential, and it must be done quickly. At the Advertising Research Foundation, the ARF, I led essential, original research quantifying $31 billion in multi-platform marketing opportunities.
A key fact that will enable me to continue to deliver success is the reality that brands need simplified solutions to ignite growth.
3. What do you hear clients and partners asking for?
At the time, joining Foursquare was considered a bold, counter-intuitive move that is now realistic to tech companies and clients alike. My innovative background as the first Global Insights and Analytics VP at General Mills enabled me to continue my mission to invest in and translate new technology capabilities into marketing solutions and sales for Foursquare.
As a recognized thought leader at the forefront of data and measurement, my contributions to Foursquare included invitations to deliver dozens of keynote presentations and in each case, I brought marketing solutions based on location intelligence by setting context and sharing real-world case studies.
Clients are demanding consistent ROI metrics that tell them where to spend their next marketing dollar. To deliver this critical client need, it’s imperative for strategic hires to open new partnerships with industry-leading sales data providers that can fully attribute marketing spending to sales growth.
4. What are your predictions for the future of real-world analytics?
Data quality and privacy will become more and more important. Brand marketers and advertisers will continue to push for proof that they’re getting what their paying for whether from traditional media or new technologies.
Influential industry associations such as The Media Ratings Council (the MRC), will become even more vital in providing objective endorsements.
5. What is the biggest area for opportunity?
Forging bold collaborative partnerships and measurement solutions between studios, media-tech giants, and advertisers, including “walled gardens” is the most important opportunity facing us today and where I believe Foursquare will lead.
