Former Oracle Director Joins Silverbullet As SVP Of Product

Leader in data-smart marketing services, Silverbullet, today announces the strategic appointment of digital marketing expert Marco Godina, as senior vice president of product.

Godina joins Silverbullet from cloud services giant Oracle, where he was director of data cloud client services, EMEA, having previously held roles at Bluekai, Razorfish and, latterly, the Oracle Bluekai DMP.

With more than 15 years’ ad tech experience, Godina will apply his extensive data and digital marketing expertise to boost Silverbullet’s ambitious growth plans. By liaising closely with the company’s skilled product team, Godina will drive growth by developing and expanding the existing range of data-smart product solutions to continue adding value to Silverbullet’s vast clientele.

Godina gained in-depth knowledge of product development during his time at Oracle, where he was responsible for the Oracle DMP’s international GTM strategy, and building the Oracle data Clouds first cross-product services team. In this role, he spearheaded Oracle’s shift away from the Bluekai third-party audience product, as the business moved to Grapeshot contextual targeting and Moat ad measurement offerings.

Godina will now begin implementing his strategic product development plans based on the ever-changing needs of Silverbullet’s customers. With his broad range of expertise which spans brand safety, Data Management Platforms (DMP), and product development, he is well equipped to support the business’ high-profile client list, which includes the likes of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Dolce&Gabbana and Salesforce.

He joins the Silverbullet team in London this month and will be reporting directly into chief technical officer, Alex Rosen.

Umberto Torrielli, chief strategy officer, Silverbullet, comments: “We’re incredibly proud of our history of attracting and retaining some of the best data experts from across the world. Silverbullet is always striving to provide its customers with the very best technology, and people, to achieve business objectives and Marco will be vital in our future developments. An expert in his field, he has an impressive track record of building exceptional products, and client services teams and we’re looking forward to welcoming him to our offices.”

Marco Godina, SVP Product, Silverbullet, comments, “I’m delighted to be joining the Silverbullet team during this period of continued growth, and following its latest acquisition of programmatic experts Videobeet. The company’s continued dedication to delivering the best products and services to its clients was a huge factor in my decision to become its new SVP.

With its unique blend of data expertise and cutting edge technology, Silverbullet’s offerings are truly transformational to its clients and their customers. Now, more than ever, as businesses turn to data driven marketing to provide in-depth insights, I am determined to amplify the benefits that Silverbullet can provide through data-smart products.”

by Fi

The Madtech Podcast With ExchangeWire Part 2

On this week’s episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire’s Rachel Smith and Ciaran O’Kane are joined by Umberto Torrielli, chief strategy officer, Silverbullet, to discuss the latest news in ad tech and martech.

by Fi

The Madtech Podcast With ExchangeWire

On this week’s episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire’s Rachel Smith & Lindsay Rowntree are joined by Umberto Torrielli, CSO of Silver Bullet, to discuss the latest news in ad tech and martech.
Full Article

by Fi

Silverbullet Group Supports Save The Children With Pro Bono Campaign

Since the official announcement surrounding the coronavirus being confirmed as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation, the data-smart marketing experts Silverbullet Data Services Group support Save The Children during this moment of difficulty, to promote trusted information for those in need.

The coronavirus has had, and will continue to, place significant consequences on the world’s economy. With Italy’s latest announcement in closing of all bars, restaurants, gyms and social environments (except for pharmacies and supermarkets), there is a sense of uncertainty among consumers in how best to prepare for what is to come.
The Silverbullet Data Service’s Group is working alongside Save The Children through its data-driven programmatic expert solution, BeetleDesk, to deliver trusted information to the right people at the right time.
“Our team of data engineers and scientists wanted to offer any support possible for organisations such as Save The Children. During a time where the public’s health is of upmost importance, it is paramount we use all marketing channels (and various other means) to provide consumers with trusted information to those in need.” Stefano Camisasca, Global Managing Director Data Activation, Silverbullet Data Services Group.
“Save the Children has a proud history of delivering trusted advice to parents and caregivers of children in times of need, and with the coronavirus situation changing by the hour, it’s vital the right people are getting this advice at the right time. Data is a huge part of this. We’re very grateful to be working with the experts from Silverbullet to ensure those in need are getting the best advice on how to keep their children safe in the crisis.” Michela Taccheri, Head of Digital Marketing, Save the Children.
The Silverbullet Data Services Group is committed to supporting and protecting its employees, clients and trusted partners across the globe.

by Fi

The Modernisation Podcast With AF Digital

Tim Beard – Data Driven Organisations, DMPs, CDPs And The Future Of Media

In this weeks’episode The Modernisation are joined by Tim Beard, the Managing Director of Silver Bullet, a modern advertising and technology consulting company that specialise in DMP, CDP, data science and media activation among many other things. Today we are lucky to be able to speak with Tim about everything from what a DMP and CDP are, how the media industry is changing, and the value of first party data, and responsibility that comes with it.

Listen to podcast

by Fi

Google’s Two-Year Cookie Deadline: Are Advertisers Ready To Change?

Campaign Magazine reveals Silverbullet’s latest research. Google has finally unveiled how it plans to kill third-party cookies, the widely used ad-targeting tool that helps advertisers track users: a two-year timeframe and a privacy “sandbox”.

The search giant announced this week that this phased approach, in which cookies will no longer be effective on its Chrome browser by 2023, will allow Google to develop a “healthy, ad-supported web” that does not undermine the business model of advertising. Instead, Google wants to introduce a new set of technologies that may be less invasive and disruptive, while providing a degree of anonymous tracking so that advertisers can still measure how their ads are performing.

Keith Pieper, vice-president of product operations at publisher adtech specialist Sovrn, described Google’s decision to create a two-year timeline as “refreshing”, but suggested that forward-thinking advertisers are already relying on first-party publisher data. In May 2019, Google announced that it would look at limiting third-party cookies in Chrome, while rival browsers Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox have default settings that limit tracking tools.
 
Pieper said: “[These advertisers] know publishers have close relationships with their audiences and are therefore in a good position when it comes to data collection and gaining consent from users. Now, advertisers have a countdown clock when those transitions to first-party data need to be complete.”
 
However, while it is true that marketers have known about the “cookieless future” for some time, a new survey seen by Campaign reveals that the majority of them are concerned about how best to make the most from their own data. While 96% of marketers say they’re “ready” to target without third-party cookies, most also believe that they are tapping into less than half of their first-party data’s potential.
 
The Silverbullet survey of chief marketing officers also found that nearly two-thirds (65%) of them have partnered third-party companies to understand how to make more effective use of cookieless solutions, such as contextual targeting. The same proportion (65%) are working with management consultancies to maximise first-party data strategies, while 50% are working with partners to develop data profile systems, such as consent-based customer data platforms.
 
Agencies, such as Publicis Groupe’s Performics, are seeing an increase in demand from their clients to get the most out of first-party data, according to UK managing partner Paul Kasamias. This is true for both direct-response and more traditional, brand-focused advertisers. 
 
Kasamias said: “It’s fair to say education around demand-side platforms has certainly increased over the last 18 months, with CMOs getting a smarter grip on which technology requirements require investment, often restructuring units to ensure data has more of a central focus. 
 
“CMOs have wanted to invest in DMPs [data management platforms] without actually understanding the broader data collection methods they had available… so there has definitely been a consultancy opportunity here we’ve been able to offer clients.” 
 
The challenge for these brands is making first-party data actionable across different platforms, due to Google and Facebook’s walled garden, as well as privacy restrictions around location data. Performics has seen a shift in its key clients from using DMPs to “customer data platforms” (CDPs), with some using onboarding partners such as Lytics and LiveRamp. 
 
Nevertheless, Kasamias warned: “The industry is truly in a state of flux and today’s solutions are unlikely to remain the holy grail.”
 
Luke Judge, chief executive of NMPi, said he was surprised by the high figures shown in the Silverbullet survey, suggesting that he did not believe the marketing industry was ready to use first-party data for audience segmentation and targeting.
 
“Most companies have got a long way to go before they can say they are maximising the benefit of their first-party data for segmenting and targeting purposes, even within their email campaigns, let alone their paid-media campaigns. And the low numbers of businesses that have actually implemented a CDP of any kind would indicate that,” Judge said.
 
“Considering, for example, the low number of advertisers that actually have a data-onboarder like Liveramp. [This] indicates that the stats are not indicative of a UK market; and I’d say likewise of the US market. 
 
“All too often, I see a huge gap between a) the acquisition marketing teams, and b) those who own the customer data(base). Meaning that often the first-party data isn’t used at all or used well.”

by Fi

CMOs: In-House Data Skills Improve But Poor Management Costing Millions

Almost half of UK CMOs (45%) estimate poor data handling risks costing their business between £250,000 and £5m every year, with the average amount £370,000 annually. The latest research, from data services firm Silverbullet, highlights the need for more expertise in-house.

Findings suggest that although there have been moves to ensure data expertise can be found within brands, more needs to be done. CMOs believe they have the skills they need within the business to manage data effectively (79%) but just 27% say the industry is ‘ahead of the game’ with having the skills needed to deal with customer data privacy.

While research suggests that not enough has been done to ensure data is managed properly, consumers have become more aware of how valuable their data is and have grown more concerned about how it is used. Over half (54%) of people are more concerned about the privacy of their personal information compared to this time two years ago, and almost half (47%) want to know how it is being used.

As consumers become more concerned about data privacy, the marketing industry also faces the challenge of a digital ecosystem without third-party cookies. Even though the majority of CMOs (96%) say they’re ready to target without third party cookies, over half (55%) believe they are tapping into just 40% or less of their first party data’s potential.

Many are already making changes to prepare for a world without third-party cookies:

  • 65% have partnered with third parties to understand how we can make more effective use of cookieless solutions i.e.: contextual targeting.
  • 63% are working with a management consultancy to maximise first party data strategies.
  • 50% are working with a systems integration partner to deploy PII-based or consent-based solutions such as customer data platforms (CDP).

Ian James, founder and CEO, Silverbullet, comments:

“With data misuse hitting the national headlines regularly, consumers are now acutely aware of just how valuable their data is, and have woken up to the fact it’s being used on an industrial scale. What started with the Cambridge Analytica scandal has snowballed through GDPR, high profile breaches and documentaries like ‘The Great Hack.’ Today, you’d be hard-pushed to find a consumer that didn’t have some awareness of their data and an opinion on how it should be used. It’s vital that marketers continue to respond to this.

Almost two years on from GDPR and months after the ICO released a clear warning to businesses operating in the AdTech space, there should be established skills in-house to manage data compliantly and tap into all of its potential. Especially as we enter 2020, where there will be more regulations implemented and a crackdown on third-party cookies.”

by Fi

The CMO Focus Is Moving Ever Closer To The Extraction Of Value From Data

In the final instalment of the Martech Heroes series, The Drum, in association with Stein IAS, talks to Sandy Ghuman, SVP data strategy at Silverbullet, to hear her thoughts on acquiring and managing martech.
With global marketing technology investment growing 22% last year and now valued at an estimated $121.5bn, the opportunities for data-driven marketing are increasing exponentially. For Ghuman it’s essential not to lose sight of your goals in a landscape “awash with data.” She highlights the importance of understanding your business and assets and recommends creating objectives as “a vital exercise that we often let slip by in an industry that changes so often.” In the following interview, Ghuman provides valuable insight into building a compliant and intelligent data strategy to help your business grow.
The Drum: A fast growing martech market requires new data skills – what does this mean for the marketing skills we need today? 

Sandy Ghuman: Marketing technology is an exciting place to be right now. The focus for CMOs is moving ever closer to the extraction of value from data through the means of technology – all within a safe and respectful way.

Getting this right – and building trust – is critical to continued martech growth, especially as the fast-growing digital formats open up even more opportunities for data-driven marketing. This requires a blend of technical expertise, true transparency and trusted skills, as well as a data culture – which are hard to find.

Businesses need to consider partnerships and collaboration with specialised services that can help them achieve their goals. It’s no longer enough to simply understand your target audience; we need to dig deep into our data sources to untap opportunities; we need to segment our data assets to best utilise them through activation methods; we need to head back to the future and discover fresh contextual intelligence methodologies to understand a world beyond the third-party cookie; and we need to generate data back into our businesses so we continue to grow intelligence.

Skill is extremely important for marketers moving forward. And collaboration is key – blending data and content expertise will be high on the agenda in a forward-thinking future.

TD:Businesses sometimes have over 400 different tools in what they consider their marketing technology stack. What should they consider and prioritise when acquiring new marketing technology? Top tips?

SG: Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? And it’s easy for businesses to become submerged in technology platforms. Don’t forget: just eight years ago the Marketing Technology Landscape consisted of circa 150 vendors – now, it’s well over 7,000; it can be a little overwhelming.

The key is in truly understanding your business and creating a closer relationship with what you have right now. Understanding your current state and creating your future objective(s) is such a vital exercise that we often let slip by in an industry that changes so often.

My advice would be to bring in a team of data and technology experts with deep experience who can help your business to truly understand the data assets available to them, and what architecture they therefore need.

We believe this part of the journey is most vital; you wouldn’t build a house on a weak foundation, so why take the same approach for your data and technology structure? Data isn’t just an asset – it’s there to be unlocked and turned into intelligence – fuel if you like – for businesses to grow and evolve. Without it, we’re blind in our approach.

Once you understand your business and the assets throughout, you can then create an architectural roadmap – designed specifically for you and your objectives. This might mean 200+ vendors, or it might require a more streamlined approach – it entirely depends on the size, ambition and needs of your business.

For those businesses perhaps stuck in a rut, and who are concerned they have too many different types of tools in place, I recommend assessing your current situation. You might find that 20% of your tech stack is no longer working for you. Our worlds change so quickly in this industry – don’t be afraid to regularly check your stacks and their performance.

by Fi

CMO Research: Whose Data Is It Anyway?

Whose Data Is It Anyway?

Despite the wheels being set in motion when it comes to building data-centric businesses, it would not be outlandish to say that brands might struggle to fully achieve this due to ongoing shortages of data skills across the marketing industry as a whole.

• Almost half of UK CMOs (45%) estimate poor data handling risks costing their business between £250,000 and £5m every year.

• Only 27% of CMOs say the industry is ‘ahead of the game’ with having the skills needed to deal with customer data privacy.

• Almost three in four (74%) people are more concerned about the privacy of their personal information compared to this time two years ago.

• Over half (55%) of CMOs believe they are tapping into just 40% or less of their first-party data’s potential.

This paper explores the challenges brands need to overcome in order to manage data more effectively and build consumer trust, at a time when consumers are hugely concerned about privacy.

At Silverbullet, we believe that having a talented team of data experts in place, whilst implementing a sound strategy, is vital for any brand. Throughout 2020 we will see a shift in how effectively data is managed in-house, and brand marketers will lay the foundations needed to create strong data cultures within their organizations.

Download our research paper today.

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Whose data is it anyway?

How UK marketers navigate data management as consumer privacy concerns grow.

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    by Fi

    An Interview With Francesco Malerba, Head Of EMEA Digital Media And MarTech Innovation At FCA.

    Francesco Malerba, Head of EMEA Digital Media and Martech innovation in Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, came in to the SBDS Milan office and spoke with our Italian sales guru, Luca Volante.

    Francesco Malerba and Luca Volante have long known each other throughout their digital marketing careers. Having worked together during Luca’s time at Accenture, and since at SBDS Group, the two quickly built a trusted relationship. The two have worked on several projects together, spanning across Data Management Platform (DMP) integrations, programmatic buying – and generally – overall digital transformation.

    So let’s find out about Francesco’s FCA journey to date, his partnership with Luca and the SBDS Group family, and what the future holds.

    Luca: Francesco, it’s a pleasure to see you again on this hot day in July. I just want to clarify that I am by no means a journalist, so I may ask you some strange and wonderful questions. So prepare yourself!

    I’m honoured to say “Welcome to the SBDS Group Blog”! In fact, this is our first Q&A on the blog – are you excited!?

    Francesco: I do in fact feel all the responsibility on me as the first interviewee of your career. It is a mix between emotion and fear of the upcoming questions!

    Luca: So, creating a little context for our readers, we met three years ago during my time at Accenture. After an insightful three-hour meeting (and an amazing lunch), we discussed FCA’s opportunities and challenges and your role within the organisation. My first question to you, is how has your role changed over the past three years? How has the business transformed?

    Francesco: Those three years feels like centuries! I remember our first meeting well: July 2016, an extremely warm summer and that typical sense of loss you have in approaching a new company – and a huge one at that – during the first week after the on-boarding.

    So much has changed since; the company, the digital landscape and myself.

    Working at FCA is surely a tough challenge, but at the same time, an immeasurable opportunity of both personal and professional growth. In FCA I found the right environment and the right management to be able to understand how digital evolution and innovations were, are and will be, one of the key drivers of our business success. My role is to accelerate and drive my business towards a solid digital transformation – and to create a distinctive competency, within the automotive industry. We need to be able to stand out amongst the competition as we move into business strategy 3.0.

    Luca: Thinking about the time you joined FCA, what changes have taken place within the organisation?

    Francesco: Compared to 2016, we have a brand-new team – and a great one at that. Young, ambitious and extremely focused on innovation. Being able to continuously look for innovative solutions to support our business need, to look for discontinuity in daily operations and aspire to top performance – these are the characteristics we want to encourage in our team and attitude to help drive the business forward.

    Luca: Is there a particular time during these three years at FCA, that stands out to you?

    Francesco: Too many to pin point one! However, there are two that stand out above the rest. Firstly, there was the day I presented the DMP Project to the Senior Management team, and after months of work finally received the green-light to activating the technology!

    It was such a wonderful feeling to have the business support behind me.

    Second to this, was the day I was selected, among many candidate colleagues from all over the EMEA Region to become an MBA Student. I was dreaming that moment since I was 19 years old!

    Luca: You mentioned in the question above about receiving the green-light to kick start your DMP project, which must have felt amazing. As you know, SBDS Group have been closely aligned with FCA throughout the implementation and integration of this project, so I wanted to get your thoughts on what impact this has had on you and your business.

    Two questions from me. Firstly, what initial results did your business see during this first phase of the project?

    Francesco: Although it may seem quite common, firstly I would highlight the success and seamless process of the DMP implementation. The inherent project’s technicalities and the complex perimeters – with many brands and markets involved and the coordination of many different factors – all drastically increased the fragmentation and complexity of the project. This was no easy task, and we worked together to get this complete in quite a seamless manner!

    Secondly, after just a few weeks, the platform itself proved its potential in better addressing our advertising, leading us towards an average 30% media efficiency on CPA -within test campaigns perimeter- and x4 in conversion rate. It was fantastic to see such results so quickly.

    Luca: I completely agree and it was a pleasure to work on this project with you. My second question is, to understand what type of support from SBDS Group was most valued by you and your team?

    Francesco: SBDS has been a crucial partner in implementing the DMP, taking the responsibility of the technical infrastructure setup and being our technical arm in succeeding during such a crucial phase. SBDS was able to quickly integrate the DMP operations with Starcom WW, our media agency, in charge of strategic framework and following platform management. It made the world of difference having a trusted partner to take the heavy lifting off our hands, and who kept in mind our business objective throughout the entire process.

    Luca: A few days ago FCA supported SBDS in winning a really important pitch: DMP implementation for Jeep, Alfa Romeo , Fiat and Fiat Professional throughout 11 markets. In addition to this, we have been considered to manage the DMP to success in each market. Driving success of the DMP is a crucial part of the process here at SBDS Group, and it can often be the most complex.

    What do you expect from the DMP in this second phase of the project?

    Francesco: Our next biggest challenge is growing across new markets and collaborating with new brands. Our role is to make sure this will happen efficiently in order to exploit our tech stack to optimise our media and support us in achieving all our business goals. We really want to empower our data, so we can truly unlock its value. To do this, we need smart data experts and the confidence to expand.

    Luca: A company like SBDS Group?

    Francesco: In a world of innovative technology, and machine learning algorithms, we still have a desire and demand for human intelligence. This is why skilled and committed resources are our main requirement when selecting our partners for strategic digital projects.

    We need smart teams that strive for results and operate with flexibility, accountability and willing to succeed with us. And this is what we found in SBDS Group.

    Luca: From your point of view, what is the future of the DMP in the next three years?

    Francesco: A lot can happen in three years when you reside in digital media! Things can change monthly, leading us towards new challenges and demands. I personally consider the DMP, to be the ‘beating heart’ of the tech stack, and being part of a much bigger architecture. Our role, as digital innovators of such a challenging industry, is to drive our businesses towards the most effective synergy between technologies and outcomes. The DMP is the building foundation – then come the design elements, the look and feel, the furniture, its function etc. – this is where we want to go next.

    Luca: So, moving away from the data world, let’s get to know you more. You are from Genoa, but you live in Turin (I will not talk about football). Is it true that Ligurian people can’t live far from the sea? Is it not a myth?

    Francesco: I can confirm they cannot. We are simply addicted to the sea, and we have to regularly go back to our home towns and spend hours on the beach. This is something that people from Milan, as you are if I am not wrong, cannot understand!

    Luca: And what about cooking? Are you able to cook a real “pesto alla genovese”?

    Francesco: This is definitely a no-comment.

    Luca: Excellent! And finally, you work for the biggest Italian automotive company, but most importantly, what is your favourite car?

    Francesco: Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. 707hp of pure adrenaline.

    Luca: Francesco, thank you so much for doing this interview today.

    We have a jam-packed few months ahead of us as we work together on this amazing project. Let’s meet again in six months’ time for another Q&A, and see where FCA are and that the future holds.

    Thank you for reading!

    by Fi