Ben Foulkes is VP Digital at global advertising and marketing technology company, Epsilon, leading the company’s digital business growth across the UK and Europe. We asked Ben to name his Digital Hero.
Who is your digital hero?
Sir Terry Leahy, former CEO of Tesco
What have they done to win hero status in your eyes?
You could argue that all good leaders work their way up from the ‘shop floor’ and this was certainly the case for Sir Terry who joined the business in 1979 as a marketing executive to become Tesco’s CEO in 1997. He transformed the grocery landscape by making customer data a key part of Tesco’s strategy – paving the way for its dominance today.
It was this customer-first mindset that inspired me to get into marketing. His approach, even back then, was very forward-thinking – he went as far as to put cameras at the end of trollies to see how people browsed through the store, so they knew where to place items. He was also the visionary behind Tesco Clubcard, of course, which gave supermarkets access to information on customer behaviour for the first time.
How has their heroism helped drive digital?
Leahy’s influence extends far beyond Tesco; his way of looking at the world changed the way we view customers and has shaped my own experiences in helping brands like Curry’s and Domino’s deliver more personalised customer experiences. His revolutionary approach took Tesco from number three to number one in a highly competitive market – and keeps them there.
What are the biggest challenges in digital we need another hero to solve?
I believe the next digital hero needs to focus on supporting brands with a legacy of going direct-to-consumer. With rising customer acquisition costs, shrinking ad revenues and concerns around brand safety on social platforms, brands are urgently searching for innovative approaches to engage consumers meaningfully.
We need to address these complexities and retail media is certainly part of the solution, courtesy of their vast pools of first-party data and brand safe environments. Measurement also looms large as a challenge; the tools previously used to gauge marketing effectiveness have diminished, necessitating new frameworks that allow marketers to accurately assess their performance and adapt their strategies accordingly.
What is your most heroic personal achievement so far in digital?
One of my most rewarding achievements has been supporting the team through the unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19. Against this backdrop, I focused on fostering resilience and collaboration within the team. We adapted our strategies, innovating our approach to measurement and client engagement, which ultimately strengthened our relationships during a turbulent time.
I take particular pride in launching the Tech Hunters product in collaboration with Currys, which not only received positive acclaim from both our internal teams and key industry players but also reinforced our commitment to customer-centric solutions.
