New Digital Age (NDA) in association with LiveRamp is spotlighting the men and women championing a data-led revolution in the marketing industry. The ‘Meet the Revolutionaries’ interviews focus on the efforts of the industry executives helping to drive digital marketing forward into a new era of data collaboration.
Next up is Camilla Child, Director, Commercial Strategic Growth, The Telegraph.
What does your role at The Telegraph involve?
I work in commercial strategic growth at The Telegraph, a relatively new function focused on developing future revenue lines. The remit covers evolving what we already do well and launching new ventures that move us into fresh commercial territory.
A major part of this has been building and growing our commercial data strategy, Telegraph One, which brings together our first-party data, commercial solutions and tools to support long-term growth both for advertisers and the wider Telegraph Media Group.
Can you share an example of when you helped drive innovation in the business?
The most significant period was in 2019 when The Telegraph moved to a subscription model. We shifted from an ad funded, open access site to a logged-in subscriber environment which required a completely new commercial strategy. I joined the newly-formed commercial innovation team and we rebuilt our infrastructure, created new products and designed new processes from the ground up.
Telegraph One was launched during this time and became the foundation for everything we have developed commercially since. It was intense but exciting because we were working from a blank sheet of paper. More recently, I launched Compass, our in-house research and insights agency, which allowed us to open up our wealth of consumer understanding and expert team of researchers and analysts to help businesses identify new opportunities and competitive advantage..
Does having an innovation team help others across the business understand the mission?
Yes, because it gives a clear mandate to experiment and think differently. Having a dedicated innovation function signals that testing, learning and even failing are part of the wider strategy.
Innovation is still challenging, because changing established ways of working is never easy, but the label helps create permission to explore new approaches.
What are the biggest challenges in driving innovation and how do you overcome them?
Investment is a major challenge, although not just financial investment. Securing emotional buy in from stakeholders is essential before any budget conversations begin. Listening to concerns is critical because many objections are valid and can highlight blind spots.
Innovation requires accepting that change is inherently uncomfortable. Reframing change as an opportunity helps bring people with you. Being honest about risks while also presenting evidence and a clear vision of the benefits is vital when pushing a new idea forward.
What advice would you give to others trying to drive innovation?
Stay open minded and avoid sticking to old processes simply because they are familiar. Freeing yourself from expectations, whether your own or your organisation’s, is a useful starting point. I often think about the Time Out Market in Lisbon which shows how a traditional media brand can succeed by doing something completely different.
It is a reminder that unexpected ideas can work brilliantly when a business embraces them. Innovation requires curiosity and a willingness to explore paths that do not look obvious at first glance.
How do you see the digital marketing industry changing over the next few years?
AI will drive much of the change, particularly agentic AI. It will impact not just marketing but daily life, although I am more cautious than some about the scale of its disruption. ]
As AI becomes more embedded, human-created content and real world experiences may increase in value as people seek authenticity.
This shift could make original storytelling and human driven creativity even more important. It is an interesting tension between automation and the rising value of the human element.
Is innovation now synonymous with AI inside organisations?
AI and innovation overlap but they are not the same thing. AI will influence how we work, from tools to workflows to advertising infrastructure.
However, innovation has a much broader definition and often has nothing to do with technology.
The Time Out Market example shows how innovation can be entirely unrelated to digital transformation. AI will reshape processes, but innovation will always include new ideas that go beyond technology.
How have consumer attitudes to data changed recently?
Consumers are far more aware of how their data is used. Before GDPR, most people outside the industry could not explain what a cookie was.
Now there is a much wider understanding of data practices and the mechanics of browsing.
This shift in awareness has been one of the biggest changes in the data landscape. People want more transparency and clearer value exchanges.
What role does personalisation play in your work?
Personalisation is central to Telegraph One, even if we did not frame it that way at first.
Our products are built around a persistent Telegraph ID which helps us understand readers across devices. This lets us build intelligent targeting and research products based on real behaviour and preferences.
For certain brands, such as retailers, personalisation is crucial to retaining customers and identifying opportunities. Our new digital display formats include interactions and filters to help personalise the experience and bring readers closer to advertisers.
How are conversations with advertisers evolving?
Brands have become more sophisticated and more specific in their requests. There is growing demand for data matching, high-impact creative formats and premium environments. The fundamentals remain the same, such as brand safety and quality reach, but expectations have matured.
Our in-house creative studio reflects this shift toward more ambitious and attention grabbing formats. They are helping brands to develop advertising experiences that genuinely engage audiences.
How important is data collaboration and how has it evolved?
Data collaboration has grown significantly and is now a core part of many partnerships. We launched Unity, our data matching product, to help brands reach audiences without relying on cookies. It enables accurate data matches, safe activation and the ability to reach both existing and new customers.
The number of brands working with us in this way has increased across display and larger strategic deals. It is not essential for every campaign, but it is extremely valuable for data driven brands with specific customer targeting goals.
Finally, what is your favourite innovation of recent years?
Google Maps. It is not industry specific, but it is a lifesaver for someone without a sense of direction. It is the perfect example of innovation becoming an invisible part of everyday life.
When something is so useful that you stop noticing it, that is when innovation is at its best.
