Five Questions With: Sue Tremblay

Providence resident Sue Tremblay, of Providence, was recently hired by Providence-based brand culture and communications firm (add)ventures as its vice president of insights/analytics.
A former Nielsen executive, Tremblay will lead a new team – Insights/Analytics – that will guide client partners to identify their most profitable consumers, quantify additional purchase behaviors and uncover the best sales and business opportunities through data analytics.
In her new role, Tremblay will be responsible for overseeing the (add)ventures office in Miami. In addition to Providence and Miami, the company also has an office in New York City.

Tremblay talked with Providence Business News about her new role at (add)ventures and her career.

PBN:What sort of research and data do you look at to determine which customers are the most profitable for companies?

TREMBLAY:We use a combination of quantitative data analytics, such as customer segmentation and sales data mapped against industry trends and market size, and qualitative techniques – including focus groups, intercept interviews, ethnography and perceptual mapping – to understand the opportunities for a business or organization from the inside out. This aligns with our firm’s Inside Out approach to developing brand loyalty.

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PBN:How is the way customer data is tracked changing?

TREMBLAY:The amount of data available is constantly growing due to the digital world we live in and can subsequently, sometimes be a moving target. The days of collecting data in a silo are over and the ability to cross-connect multiple data points is getting more and more sophisticated through digital tracking and big data collection. Emerging technologies like geofencing and facial recognition are also adding depth and a more personal element to traditional tracking methods.

PBN:It seemed like many customers relied on loyalty cards, but some companies refuse to have them or have gotten rid of them – example Shaw’s markets – can you speak to that?

TREMBLAY:There is an abundance of data available at the cash register, as well as through inventory controls and credit card partners, in addition to online. So there is no lack of data, regardless if the customer perceives it or not and if the retailer decides not to offer one. The decision to offer a loyalty card is not a data/research decision; it’s a marketing decision.

PBN:Who are some of the companies you work with now, or have worked with in the past?

TREMBLAY:Before joining (add)ventures, I spent seven years working for Nielsen – the biggest market research company in the world. Most people know Nielsen as a TV data company, but it’s much more than that. As a leading global information and measurement company that studies the trends and habits of consumers, Nielsen can track anything with a barcode. In my role at Nielsen I worked with many of the broadcasters in the U.S., including our local station broadcast friends here in New England, and big group owners such as LIN Media, Media General, Tribune, Gannett, Sinclair and others. Prior to Nielsen, I led a startup here in Providence following time running a Miami-based dotcom for Freedom Communications, and a stint at The Miami Herald. I got my start at a magazine based in Chapel Hill, N.C., so I’ve always been focused on audience, finding new growth and uncovering new opportunities.

During my career – working with both big companies and small startups – the moments of greatest successes have been those fueled by having good instinct and courage backed up by solid research. In 2010, after three years of handling marketing for Nielsen’s Business Media unit – which included national brands such as Adweek, Hollywood Reporter and billboard magazine – I was awarded Innovator of the Year for creating a program that combined qualitative and quantitative research in local markets. The program helps broadcasters better understand the connection between viewing behavior and purchase data around specific opportunities such as new car sales. Now, thousands of broadcasters utilize the marketing research program I created.

PBN:Tell me about the team you are leading at (add)ventures – since it is new, how will it add to what the company already offers clients? How many are on the team? Was anyone else hired to be a part of it, or is it composed of existing employees?

TREMBLAY:Utilizing insights has long been informally a part of (add)ventures’ Inside Out approach to branding – understanding all pieces of our client partners’ businesses so that we can make informed, strategic choices whether it be in the development of a new marketing strategy for a national shoe manufacturer or producing a series of digital recruitment videos for a retailer. Now, (add)ventures provides an entirely new layer of business acumen to the process by offering the ability to look at sales data, market opportunity and trends through an analytical lens.

Through my role as leader of the Insights/Analytics team, we’ve officially added two professionals to the Insights team whose expertise complements that of fellow (add)venturists who are research experts within their own disciplines. Additionally, in my role as head of (add)ventures’ Miami office, there is a tremendous opportunity to explore new partnerships and expansion opportunities. We also have a trusted group of statisticians and others trained in analytics that we rely on, depending on the industry of our client partner and the expertise required.

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