Salesforce Connections ’18 – How USA Today put email marketing in their digital fast lane

One of the biggest themes of my spring interviews is that digital transformation is a non-starter when you’re coping with dirty data. Another one that’s been prominent at Salesforce Connections: there’s no escape from email. If anything, email is strengthening its hold in the core of the marketing mix – albeit in a modern way that brings topics like hyper-personalization, next best offer, AI, and embedded email commerce into the conversation. The themes of dirty data and email’s persistent relevance converged during my interview with Mark Nylec Sr. Director, CRM and Email Strategy at Gannett. Our chat validated email’s important while calling into question lazy thinking about “AI” as the magic ingredient for email engagement.