Meet the Mobile Masters: Nicole Gallucci, Founder of In good Company | The Mapendo Talks episode 2
A New Series of Exclusive Interviews brought to you by Mapendo
Welcome to Episode 2 of The Mapendo Talks, our latest series of exclusive interviews with some extremely knowledgeable industry experts who can help shed some light on some of the most highly relevant and interesting topics in the world of digital marketing, advertising, technology, and mobile usage. These topics of focus have become even more relevant during these last few months given the profound effect that the pandemic has had in our online behaviour.
Today we welcome Nicole Gallucci, Founder of In Good Company, Professor at George Brown College in Toronto, contributor for Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, Business Leader, and Marketing Guru. We are very excited to have Nicole answer our questions and we look forward to getting into the conversation!
If you’d like to find out more about Nicole, check out her Social Media Pages below:
So what are you waiting for? Jump right in and discover with us!
Nicole, thank you for interviewing with us! Can you tell us how you ended up in this industry? Did you always plan on doing this job or did you “accidentally” land in this career?
NG: Good question. My mom wanted me to be a lawyer. I was writing my entrance exams and was out for dinner with friends. They were in marketing and we all got chatting. I was coming up with solutions to their challenges right at the table. I was offered 3 jobs within a month of that dinner. I accepted one and have never looked back. I love what I do.
How did you get into marketing specifically, and what is your favourite thing about this sector?
NG: I had a 6 month stint at Neilson Cadbury and then joined Nestle. I loved my job and the people. I thrived on the learning. However when I was pregnant with my 2nd child I decided I needed to find something that did not require so much travel. Nestle offered me the opportunity to manage a JV for some product innovations that the 2 companies were co-creating — I jumped at the opportunity. I did this for 7–8 years and worked on a myriad of new products and systems. A truly awesome experience. It was then I decided that the JV would be folded into Coke — I could have joined either organization, but was simultaneously offered the opportunity to start-up an experiential agency for a hold co. — that was the beginning of my agency life.
We have all found ourselves in a unique circumstance due to COVID19. How do you think the pandemic has changed the digital marketing industry? Do you think there have been any fundamental shifts that will be permanent? What about how people now live their digital lives? Are users’ mobile phones and apps now more important touch points for brands to worry about?
NG: I think initially we became more reliant on our mobile devices — it was as if we were holding on to them for dear life. But now I think we are doing the opposite. We are realizing the impact on our mental health and are reducing the time spent with our phones in our hands.
That’s a very interesting answer, as we’ve actually also written a previous article on the topic of ethics in mobile usage. This is definitely a topic that is becoming more top-of-mind in our industry, especially in recent months.
Now, as far as online marketing, in the past year, what is one tip you can share with you believe made the biggest positive difference?
NG: Take a step back. Engage authentically. Listen to your consumers and how they use your product in their lives. Know the journey and speak to those points. Ease their lives and fit in.
How do you look for the next big thing in marketing technology? Where do you get your ideas and news from?
NG: I read lots of research reports daily. I love newspapers and I subscribe to local event blogs so I can see what is happening culturally. You can combine all of these to find opportunities to leverage marketing opportunities and brands.
What do you see as the next big thing in digital, and especially mobile marketing? What about the industry as we whole?
NG: The next big thing is “less”, a return to traditional roots and what is “enough”. Taking digital offline into real life and real experiences. Enhancing personal lives. So using online to trigger offline that can then be shared online. I also think there is a huge opportunity for education to make significant enhancements across all ages.
What do you think is the most preventable mistake when launching a new marketing Campaign in today’s world?
NG: Brands need to understand their consumer’s journey/stream of consciousness as they determine the need for a product, make a purchase and then use it. This is CRITICAL. It is not imposing on consumers the journey the brand wants but rather the authentic journey that consumers are going through.
This is always a multi-faceted topic, but from your perspective, how has COVID affected experiential marketing and the relationship between online and offline advertising?
NG: Well, COVID has eliminated many of the large events that we all know and love. There has been a focus on small intimate events. While this has likely escalated the cost of doing business it may actually increase brand loyalty as the efforts are very up close and personal.
Very insightful take on this, so thank you so much Nicole for joining us in this interview and answering all these questions! We are extremely glad to have had you be part of our exclusive series, The Mapendo Talks. We hope our readers have found our chat as interesting as we did, and we certainly look forward to continuing the conversation on social media and with our networks. It has been an absolute pleasure speaking with you and your input has very much been appreciated.
Just a quick reminder to all our readers, and followers of our Blog — like we mentioned in our very first interview with Michael Jessen in Episode 1, this series will feature new interviews on an ongoing basis, so if you don’t want to miss out on any of our future episodes make sure to sign up to our newsletter! You can also write to us directly for questions, comments, or suggestions.
Until next time!
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