Marketing data and analytics company Kantar has appointed Simon Atherley as the new head of its marketing effectiveness practice, which he will lead alongside Dom Boyd, managing director of Kantar Insights UK.
The practice, now one year on from its launch, brings together expertise and data from Kantar’s analytics, media, creative, brand and consulting teams to help businesses shape their marketing strategies. The team works with marketers to identify the right balance of long-term brand building and short-term performance marketing to maximise commercial returns, incorporating predictive AI to measure and improve the quality of creative and the impact of campaigns through different media channels.
Simon joined Kantar in 2010 and was previously a marketing effectiveness consultant leading Kantar’s creative development research into Cadbury’s IPA Grand Prix award winning ‘glass and a half’ campaign. His emphasis in this new role will be on drawing together Kantar’s strengths across its teams to provide a comprehensive view of marketing best practice for clients. This will include using AI-driven econometrics and campaign performance tools to advise clients during planning stages and then support them with ongoing monitoring and measurement.
Atherley commented: “We know from our studies that improving effectiveness is marketers’ number one priority for the year ahead but it’s also a topic that many are still getting to grips with. Our practice brings together the full wealth of Kantar’s data and expertise to demystify this space and help clients solve their biggest challenges. It’s an exciting time with innovation in AI moving at a rate of knots and our focus will be using technology alongside our people’s expertise and data to drive greater returns for brands.”
Dom Boyd, managing director of Kantar Insights UK, said: “The outlook for consumer brands is far less bleak than it was one year ago when we launched our marketing effectiveness practice but the challenge of how to make marketing budgets go further and ensure every pound counts remains. The shift to a cookie-less environment offers brands a critical window of opportunity to rewire their effectiveness approach, measuring long and short-term marketing spend and improving their commercial impact. With Simon at the helm, bringing together the full strength of the Kantar toolkit, our effectiveness practice will equip brands to deliver sustained growth.”
