Global Director of Havas Cognitive
With an agency specialization in AI and data-driven solutions that can be used to design and build personalized experiences at scale, Marc sees how technology has the capability to shape the customer journey, and believes that consumers want that journey to be comprised of experiences.
His job is to create more valuable customer experiences that drive new levels of business impact across product, creative and media.
Marc has over 13 years of experience in interactive and emerging technology, yet he acknowledges that his biggest challenge is the vast number of new communications platforms that we have to navigate. “Every platform—whether you are talking about TV, Amazon Echo or Google Home, a VR headset, a tablet or phone, or a social platform such as Instagram or Kik—has a unique set of benefits and constraints. We need to understand how these platforms work alone and in conjunction with one another, and how both consumers and brands can actually use them today in various parts of the world. Just because a strategy works in Boston doesn’t mean it will translate to people in Berlin or Buenos Aires. This is especially important when it comes to the use of data, given the variations in privacy regulations we see from one country to the next. And, of course, those platforms and regulations are constantly changing.”
He also admits that he doesn’t like using the word “innovation.” He says, “It’s been bastardized in the same way the term ‘big data’ has been. If I think about innovation in marketing, it’s primarily about creating platforms, services, and content on devices that brands haven’t previously utilized.”
He adds, “We can come up with the most insanely innovative solution, but it will never come into being without client buy-in. Whether you’re talking about artificial intelligence, virtual reality, voice interfaces, or something else, you have to be able to educate people and make them feel sufficiently comfortable to take the journey with you.”
Prior to his role as Global Director of Cognitive at Havas. Marc served as VP, Managing Director at R/GA, where he helped grow a team of Data Scientists, technologists, and creatives who built data driven platforms and campaigns for Nike, LA Dodgers, MD Anderson Cancer Research Center, Samsung and Verizon. Marc has also managed international design and technology teams in New York and Shanghai for Screampoint, working with clients that included Apple, AIG, World Trade Center Development, Hudson Yards Development and Jamba Juice.