10 Marketers Who Embody the Spirit of Innovation
The most innovative marketers are the ones who embrace curiosity and encourage a culture of curiosity in their organizations.
Curiosity awakens their imagination. It feeds their thirst for knowledge. It incites their insights into their customers and drives their creative vision. It fuels every successful strategy.
That’s the essence that distinguishes the 10 marketers who are being honored as winners of the inaugural SurveyMonkey Curiosity Awards. The premise of the awards is simple: Celebrate extraordinary marketing professionals who are driving innovation and shaping what’s next for their businesses, industries and communities.
The winners cut across industries—technology, retail, education, financial services, government and more. Nominated by their peers, they are the marketers working at SurveyMonkey customer companies who are changing the way things get done. From a large pool of submissions, judges looked at four key factors—innovation, impact, leadership and a focus on diversity—to identify the marketers who best exemplify curiosity as a superpower.
Scroll on to be inspired by their spirit and achievements.
10 Marketers Who Embody the Spirit of Innovation
The most innovative marketers are the ones who embrace curiosity and encourage a culture of curiosity in their organizations.
Curiosity awakens their imagination. It feeds their thirst for knowledge. It incites their insights into their customers and drives their creative vision. It fuels every successful strategy.
That’s the essence that distinguishes the 10 marketers who are being honored as winners of the inaugural SurveyMonkey Curiosity Awards. The premise of the awards is simple: Celebrate extraordinary marketing professionals who are driving innovation and shaping what’s next for their businesses, industries and communities.
The winners cut across industries—technology, retail, education, financial services, government and more. Nominated by their peers, they are the marketers working at SurveyMonkey customer companies who are changing the way things get done. From a large pool of submissions, judges looked at four key factors—innovation, impact, leadership and a focus on diversity—to identify the marketers who best exemplify curiosity as a superpower.
Scroll on to be inspired by their spirit and achievements.
Marques E. Zak
Head of Multicultural Marketing
American Express
Operating at the intersection of creativity, culture and commerce, Marques Zak has led the charge for how American Express engages with multicultural audiences, especially Black Gen Z and millennials.
Investing in the under-invested
Black-owned businesses were disproportionately impacted by Covid closures. At the height of the pandemic, Zak helped launch a multi-year, first-of-its-kind collaboration with four major Black chambers of commerce. In four years, it disbursed more than $10 million in grants, with 60% going to Black women-owned businesses. Zak continues to collaborate on initiatives that spotlight American Express' commitment to powerfully backing Black businesses.
Embracing Black creativity
Zak continues to support experiences and partnerships where American Express Card Members and prospects feel seen, heard and respected. A 2019 study found that only 1.2% of art in U.S. museums represents Black art. In response, American Express hosted Savor & Soul at Miami Art Week in 2023, a brunch to celebrate Black chefs, creators and culture. In 2022, American Express partnered with NTWRK to back three emerging Black artists, with all proceeds going directly to the artists.
The value of curiosity
Zak is a powerful example of a marketer who is a catalyst for a culture of inquiry. He embraces experimentation, championing calculated risks and pilot programs, constantly asking “What if?” and, subsequently, “Why not?” As important, he cultivates a safe space where his colleagues and agency partners feel empowered to ask questions and challenge the status quo, creating an environment that values exploration and the ability to test and learn.
Elizabeth Montavon
Director of Athlete Marketing
and Social Media
Parity
A nine-time Water Skiing National Champion, Elizabeth Montavon leverages her athletic achievements for impactful storytelling at Parity, which develops campaigns and activations between professional women athletes and brands.
Living in two worlds
Montavon successfully juggles dual identities. She initially joined Parity as an athlete fellow, but today oversees its fast-growing social channels with the same drive and determination that makes her a top athlete. In the last year, she leaned into the opportunity to build awareness of Parity, Parity athletes and their partnerships with brands by building and amplifying a powerful, compelling body of content. Meanwhile, she continues to train and compete as a professional water skier, finishing third in the March 2024 Moomba Masters slalom in Australia without missing a beat in her full-time job.
Close the gap
Parity is on a mission to close the income and opportunity gender gap in professional sports. Montavon was a core member of the team that pulled off Parity Week, an activation for annuities platform Gainbridge. Parity’s largest-ever program involved 75 fellow pro women athletes celebrating Gainbridge's strong commitment to women's sports through in-person appearances and social amplification.
The value of curiosity
Any successful athlete knows you learn a lot from candid feedback. Montavon’s team oversaw the first Team Parity cohort, a group of athletes who worked with Parity to create social content, give product feedback and serve as the company’s ambassadors. Her recap of the event, including exit interview notes, demonstrated how leaning into customer and athlete feedback can keep everyone striving for excellence.
Marques E. Zak
Head of Multicultural Marketing
American Express
Operating at the intersection of creativity, culture and commerce, Marques Zak has led the charge for how American Express engages with multicultural audiences, especially Black Gen Z and millennials.
Investing in the under-invested
Black-owned businesses were disproportionately impacted by Covid closures. At the height of the pandemic, Zak helped launch a multi-year, first-of-its-kind collaboration with four major Black chambers of commerce. In four years, it disbursed more than $10 million in grants, with 60% going to Black women-owned businesses. Zak continues to collaborate on initiatives that spotlight American Express' commitment to powerfully backing Black businesses.
Embracing Black creativity
Zak continues to support experiences and partnerships where American Express Card Members and prospects feel seen, heard and respected. A 2019 study found that only 1.2% of art in U.S. museums represents Black art. In response, American Express hosted Savor & Soul at Miami Art Week in 2023, a brunch to celebrate Black chefs, creators and culture. In 2022, American Express partnered with NTWRK to back three emerging Black artists, with all proceeds going directly to the artists.
The value of curiosity
Zak is a powerful example of a marketer who is a catalyst for a culture of inquiry. He embraces experimentation, championing calculated risks and pilot programs, constantly asking “What if?” and, subsequently, “Why not?” As important, he cultivates a safe space where his colleagues and agency partners feel empowered to ask questions and challenge the status quo, creating an environment that values exploration and the ability to test and learn.
Elizabeth Montavon
Director of Athlete Marketing
and Social Media
Parity
A nine-time Water Skiing National Champion, Elizabeth Montavon leverages her athletic achievements for impactful storytelling at Parity, which develops campaigns and activations between professional women athletes and brands.
Living in two worlds
Montavon successfully juggles dual identities. She initially joined Parity as an athlete fellow, but today oversees its fast-growing social channels with the same drive and determination that makes her a top athlete. In the last year, she leaned into the opportunity to build awareness of Parity, Parity athletes and their partnerships with brands by building and amplifying a powerful, compelling body of content. Meanwhile, she continues to train and compete as a professional water skier, finishing third in the March 2024 Moomba Masters slalom in Australia without missing a beat in her full-time job.
Close the gap
Parity is on a mission to close the income and opportunity gender gap in professional sports. Montavon was a core member of the team that pulled off Parity Week, an activation for annuities platform Gainbridge. Parity’s largest-ever program involved 75 fellow pro women athletes celebrating Gainbridge's strong commitment to women's sports through in-person appearances and social amplification.
The value of curiosity
Any successful athlete knows you learn a lot from candid feedback. Montavon’s team oversaw the first Team Parity cohort, a group of athletes who worked with Parity to create social content, give product feedback and serve as the company’s ambassadors. Her recap of the event, including exit interview notes, demonstrated how leaning into customer and athlete feedback can keep everyone striving for excellence.
Francisco Bram
VP of Product Marketing, Brand
and Business Development
Albertsons Companies
After an accomplished career at Uber and Siemens, Francisco Bram has been a driving force behind Albertsons’ marketing transformation. He also is a marketing influencer and mentor who advises tech startups.
A digital approach to customer-centricity
At a time when customer relationships can feel impersonal and transactional, Bram has used digital marketing to shape internal culture and transform one of the world's largest retailers into a paragon of customer-centricity. By improving the company’s marketing tech stack and leveraging marketing mix models to improve efficiency and efficacy, he raised return on ad spend (ROAS), lowered customer acquisition cost and delivered a huge jump in marketing ROI.
A commitment to wellness
How do you turn everyday transactions into enduring relationships? For Bram, it comes down to weaving customer well-being into the fabric of brand innovation. He spearheaded the Albertsons' “Sincerely Health” initiative, an app that lets its customers set health and wellness goals and be rewarded with support and savings on groceries. He took a similar approach at Uber, through both Uber Health and launching the delivery of essential services for Uber Eats.
The value of curiosity
Recognizing the crucial role of deep customer understanding in driving business growth, Bram established the company's first-ever customer Health and Wellbeing research and insights function, and it has become instrumental in redefining how Albertsons perceives and interacts with its customers. By prioritizing curiosity about the customer experience, Bram drove the creation of a comprehensive customer panel that has been pivotal in engaging over 10,000 customers in co-creating a groundbreaking digital health experience. This demonstrates his commitment to not just understanding customers, but actively involving them in the innovation process.
Irina Efremova
Senior Director of Communications
Roblox
Irina Efremova is an entrepreneur, innovative storyteller and creative powerhouse who now leads the consumer, partnerships and creator communications strategy and team at Roblox, showing how the platform is much, much more than a kids’ online gaming platform.
Leading the metaverse
Efremova and her team’s primary goal is to show how Roblox represents the future of communication and connection as a leading immersive platform for consumers (especially Gen Z), brands and creators. Through collaborations and award-winning campaigns with top brands—Gucci, Ralph Lauren, NARS, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and the NFL, to name a few— she’s helped raise global awareness of the platform and its impact on the broader culture, creator economy and consumer trends. She has also advised top brands to help shape their messaging and strategy for their metaverse campaigns. Over the past year, Efremova has been building awareness of the company’s immersive ads business, producing research and actionable insights related to how new immersive mediums can shape the advertising of the future.
The value of curiosity
In 2022, Efremova spearheaded internal research for the “Metaverse Fashion Trends Report,” in collaboration with Parsons School of Design. The study explored how Gen Z showed up and expressed themselves on immersive platforms like Roblox. In 2023, the second annual report further expanded the research and showcased the vast potential of digital self-expression across industries, establishing Roblox as a leader in the space and an expert on Gen Z behaviors. Each of the reports garnered over 100 media articles globally, with top-tier media like The Wall Street Journal and Vogue sharing data and insights on how Gen Zers growing up in digital spaces are designing, sharing and wearing their own avatar fashion creations while redefining digital identity and their personal style.
Francisco Bram
VP of Product Marketing, Brand
and Business Development
Albertsons Companies
After an accomplished career at Uber and Siemens, Francisco Bram has been a driving force behind Albertsons’ marketing transformation. He also is a marketing influencer and mentor who advises tech startups.
A digital approach to customer-centricity
At a time when customer relationships can feel impersonal and transactional, Bram has used digital marketing to shape internal culture and transform one of the world's largest retailers into a paragon of customer-centricity. By improving the company’s marketing tech stack and leveraging marketing mix models to improve efficiency and efficacy, he raised return on ad spend (ROAS), lowered customer acquisition cost and delivered a huge jump in marketing ROI.
A commitment to wellness
How do you turn everyday transactions into enduring relationships? For Bram, it comes down to weaving customer well-being into the fabric of brand innovation. He spearheaded the Albertsons' “Sincerely Health” initiative, an app that lets its customers set health and wellness goals and be rewarded with support and savings on groceries. He took a similar approach at Uber, through both Uber Health and launching the delivery of essential services for Uber Eats.
The value of curiosity
Recognizing the crucial role of deep customer understanding in driving business growth, Bram established the company's first-ever customer Health and Wellbeing research and insights function, and it has become instrumental in redefining how Albertsons perceives and interacts with its customers. By prioritizing curiosity about the customer experience, Bram drove the creation of a comprehensive customer panel that has been pivotal in engaging over 10,000 customers in co-creating a groundbreaking digital health experience. This demonstrates his commitment to not just understanding customers, but actively involving them in the innovation process.
Irina Efremova
Senior Director of Communications
Roblox
Irina Efremova is an entrepreneur, innovative storyteller and creative powerhouse who now leads the consumer, partnerships and creator communications strategy and team at Roblox, showing how the platform is much, much more than a kids’ online gaming platform.
Leading the metaverse
Efremova and her team’s primary goal is to show how Roblox represents the future of communication and connection as a leading immersive platform for consumers (especially Gen Z), brands and creators. Through collaborations and award-winning campaigns with top brands—Gucci, Ralph Lauren, NARS, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and the NFL, to name a few— she’s helped raise global awareness of the platform and its impact on the broader culture, creator economy and consumer trends. She has also advised top brands to help shape their messaging and strategy for their metaverse campaigns. Over the past year, Efremova has been building awareness of the company’s immersive ads business, producing research and actionable insights related to how new immersive mediums can shape the advertising of the future.
The value of curiosity
In 2022, Efremova spearheaded internal research for the “Metaverse Fashion Trends Report,” in collaboration with Parsons School of Design. The study explored how Gen Z showed up and expressed themselves on immersive platforms like Roblox. In 2023, the second annual report further expanded the research and showcased the vast potential of digital self-expression across industries, establishing Roblox as a leader in the space and an expert on Gen Z behaviors. Each of the reports garnered over 100 media articles globally, with top-tier media like The Wall Street Journal and Vogue sharing data and insights on how Gen Zers growing up in digital spaces are designing, sharing and wearing their own avatar fashion creations while redefining digital identity and their personal style.
Abby Forsyth
Brand Manager,
Corporate and Culture
MLSE
When MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment)—whose teams include the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Argonauts and Toronto FC—increased its investment in furthering social impact and social justice, Abby Forsyth created a first-of-its-kind role.
The business case for inclusion
Over the course of two years, Forsyth’s unrelenting desire to systematize and integrate social impact into MLSE’s business became a reality. As the change agent for all MLSE teams, she leveraged internal and external data and research to help transform the company’s marketing strategies and calendars to make inclusion-focused initiatives a core part of the brand experience. To understand her impact, look no further than the fact that the Toronto Raptors were awarded the NBA’s inaugural Inclusion Leadership Award in 2023 for their robust, cross-functional approach to integrating inclusion-driving initiatives across all corners of the business.
Fans are community
Forsyth’s efforts in MLSE’s community are numerous. Here are a few examples: She evolved and amplified the “Welcome Toronto” platform to involve hiring up-and-coming artists from equity-seeking backgrounds, and it has become an integral part of MLSE’s brand marketing and creative planning. The inaugural Raptors Hack-a-Thon delivered interactive STEM programming for youth aged 15-18 from underrepresented communities; 80% of attendees identified as BIPOC and 42% as young women. Forsyth led the strategy and planning for The Maple Leafs’ first Indigenous Celebration Game, focusing on creating awareness and comprehension for fans outside of the venue, including a first-of-its-kind integration in the game’s broadcast, social media promotion featuring community member stories and game-worn merchandise that was auctioned for charity.
The value of curiosity
Forsyth embraces data to ensure that the voices of fans are heard. And it is extra meaningful as many of these fans are from underrepresented groups. She led the creation of MLSE’s first equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and community engagement study, leaning on her brand strategy background to dissect and evaluate the general public’s perception of MLSE’s EDI initiatives, and how that shapes people’s consideration to watch, follow and purchase from the teams. Meant to be annual, it has become a 3-times-yearly tracking study that has powered EDI insights to be easily flowed across multiple departments, making inclusion central and objective across all decisions.
Stella Sanchez
SVP, Digital Advertising
and Marketing Operations
Teladoc Health
Described as someone who is always ahead of the curve, Stella Sanchez over the past year has led the healthcare company’s executives to try new things related to video and consumer behavior change.
Humanizing health
Today, 35% of health consumers rely on YouTube as a resource, up from 8% just three years ago, and 76% of people living with chronic conditions find information on YouTube to help make important health decisions. Using these key data points, Sanchez is leading a charge across paid outlets and Teladoc’s digital properties to create more robust video content that humanizes health conditions. The goal: unlock positive outcomes by telling engaging stories that are both emotional and real. Currently, she is on a mission to make 2024 the year of content that actually helps people—not glowing brand testimonials about Teladoc, but content that helps people with their nutrition, chronic condition management and overall health and wellness goals.
The value of curiosity
As part of a regional marketing initiative, Sanchez is always the first one chatting up strangers at coffee shops and asking questions of customers at local restaurants. This paid off in a program that ran for the Michigan market. When the University of Michigan football team was headed to the Rose Bowl—something that hadn’t happened in many years—Sanchez recognized the visibility this event would have with Michiganders and jumped right in, using TV and a robust radio presence in Michigan to raise brand awareness and reach people.
Abby Forsyth
Brand Manager,
Corporate and Culture
MLSE
When MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment)—whose teams include the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Argonauts and Toronto FC—increased its investment in furthering social impact and social justice, Abby Forsyth created a first-of-its-kind role.
The business case for inclusion
Over the course of two years, Forsyth’s unrelenting desire to systematize and integrate social impact into MLSE’s business became a reality. As the change agent for all MLSE teams, she leveraged internal and external data and research to help transform the company’s marketing strategies and calendars to make inclusion-focused initiatives a core part of the brand experience. To understand her impact, look no further than the fact that the Toronto Raptors were awarded the NBA’s inaugural Inclusion Leadership Award in 2023 for their robust, cross-functional approach to integrating inclusion-driving initiatives across all corners of the business.
Fans are community
Forsyth’s efforts in MLSE’s community are numerous. Here are a few examples: She evolved and amplified the “Welcome Toronto” platform to involve hiring up-and-coming artists from equity-seeking backgrounds, and it has become an integral part of MLSE’s brand marketing and creative planning. The inaugural Raptors Hack-a-Thon delivered interactive STEM programming for youth aged 15-18 from underrepresented communities; 80% of attendees identified as BIPOC and 42% as young women. Forsyth led the strategy and planning for The Maple Leafs’ first Indigenous Celebration Game, focusing on creating awareness and comprehension for fans outside of the venue, including a first-of-its-kind integration in the game’s broadcast, social media promotion featuring community member stories and game-worn merchandise that was auctioned for charity.
The value of curiosity
Forsyth embraces data to ensure that the voices of fans are heard. And it is extra meaningful as many of these fans are from underrepresented groups. She led the creation of MLSE’s first equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and community engagement study, leaning on her brand strategy background to dissect and evaluate the general public’s perception of MLSE’s EDI initiatives, and how that shapes people’s consideration to watch, follow and purchase from the teams. Meant to be annual, it has become a 3-times-yearly tracking study that has powered EDI insights to be easily flowed across multiple departments, making inclusion central and objective across all decisions.
Stella Sanchez
SVP, Digital Advertising
and Marketing Operations
Teladoc Health
Described as someone who is always ahead of the curve, Stella Sanchez over the past year has led the healthcare company’s executives to try new things related to video and consumer behavior change.
Humanizing health
Today, 35% of health consumers rely on YouTube as a resource, up from 8% just three years ago, and 76% of people living with chronic conditions find information on YouTube to help make important health decisions. Using these key data points, Sanchez is leading a charge across paid outlets and Teladoc’s digital properties to create more robust video content that humanizes health conditions. The goal: unlock positive outcomes by telling engaging stories that are both emotional and real. Currently, she is on a mission to make 2024 the year of content that actually helps people—not glowing brand testimonials about Teladoc, but content that helps people with their nutrition, chronic condition management and overall health and wellness goals.
The value of curiosity
As part of a regional marketing initiative, Sanchez is always the first one chatting up strangers at coffee shops and asking questions of customers at local restaurants. This paid off in a program that ran for the Michigan market. When the University of Michigan football team was headed to the Rose Bowl—something that hadn’t happened in many years—Sanchez recognized the visibility this event would have with Michiganders and jumped right in, using TV and a robust radio presence in Michigan to raise brand awareness and reach people.
Susanna Canelon
Director, Social Media
and Community Engagement
University of the People
A former educator, Susanna Canelon brings her classroom storytelling experience to social media, driving community engagement for University of the People, the tuition-free online university.
Getting the message across
For Canelon, there is a lot of similarity between being an educator and being successful at social media. When she was an educator, she thrived on sparking curiosity and crafting engaging narratives to connect with students and help them learn. That’s the tack she takes on social media, as University of the People’s feeds are often full of fun, quirky, informative and inspiring posts that grab people’s attention and get results. Engagement rates across social channels regularly range from 3-8% with impressions well into the tens of thousands, sometimes even millions.
A cutting-edge newsletter
Canelon and her team developed University of the People’s wildly successful LinkedIn newsletter, Career Horizons. The newsletter offers unique and actionable career advice, not only to its students but to anyone who finds themselves in a transitional stage of life. At launch, Canelon made it clear that the primary objective was not to promote the university but rather to advocate for the ideas and ethos that drive its purpose. In keeping with this vision, each issue is freely available and offers advice on career building, professional growth, financial planning and more. The clickthrough rate for Career Horizons is a stable 2-3% and it has more than 85,000 subscribers, a figure that’s increasing every month.
The value of curiosity
Canelon has always emphasized that brainstorming is not restricted to members of the creative teams. Anyone—from analytics experts to the community manager—is encouraged to speak up and contribute their ideas. No idea is too big, small or risky to be honestly discussed. University of the People’s fully remote team hails from all over the world and Canelon goes above and beyond to make sure that every voice is heard. She has proven that when everyone feels safe and respected, they are able to open up and confidently share their most exciting ideas.
Alicia Cappelli
Head of Media Partnerships
eBay
Responsible for accelerating innovation in global media, Alicia Cappelli uses her rich affiliate marketing experience to drive a performance-minded approach to deep partnerships that fuel long-term sustainable growth.
A matter of trust
eBay takes a conservative approach to advertising and privacy practices because consumer trust is critical. This presents a unique challenge for the company’s global marketing team when it comes to driving efficiency. Cappelli is responsible for working with eBay’s internal data council committee to help the team test and learn in full compliance with the legal, procurement and privacy teams. This is no small feat. She has helped pave the path with new partners and unlocked expansion potential with the top global digital platforms so eBay’s paid investments can break through meaningfully.
The value of curiosity
Working across a diverse set of technical and non-technical teams, Cappelli asks: What would need to be true to seek alignment on the priorities, and how can we approach the work collaboratively? Cross-team coordination as a global group requires skillful maneuvering and planning. Cappelli looks at the bigger picture and listens to understand others before reaching conclusions or taking action.
Susanna Canelon
Director, Social Media
and Community Engagement
University of the People
A former educator, Susanna Canelon brings her classroom storytelling experience to social media, driving community engagement for University of the People, the tuition-free online university.
Getting the message across
For Canelon, there is a lot of similarity between being an educator and being successful at social media. When she was an educator, she thrived on sparking curiosity and crafting engaging narratives to connect with students and help them learn. That’s the tack she takes on social media, as University of the People’s feeds are often full of fun, quirky, informative and inspiring posts that grab people’s attention and get results. Engagement rates across social channels regularly range from 3-8% with impressions well into the tens of thousands, sometimes even millions.
A cutting-edge newsletter
Canelon and her team developed University of the People’s wildly successful LinkedIn newsletter, Career Horizons. The newsletter offers unique and actionable career advice, not only to its students but to anyone who finds themselves in a transitional stage of life. At launch, Canelon made it clear that the primary objective was not to promote the university but rather to advocate for the ideas and ethos that drive its purpose. In keeping with this vision, each issue is freely available and offers advice on career building, professional growth, financial planning and more. The clickthrough rate for Career Horizons is a stable 2-3% and it has more than 85,000 subscribers, a figure that’s increasing every month.
The value of curiosity
Canelon has always emphasized that brainstorming is not restricted to members of the creative teams. Anyone—from analytics experts to the community manager—is encouraged to speak up and contribute their ideas. No idea is too big, small or risky to be honestly discussed. University of the People’s fully remote team hails from all over the world and Canelon goes above and beyond to make sure that every voice is heard. She has proven that when everyone feels safe and respected, they are able to open up and confidently share their most exciting ideas.
Alicia Cappelli
Head of Media Partnerships
eBay
Responsible for accelerating innovation in global media, Alicia Cappelli uses her rich affiliate marketing experience to drive a performance-minded approach to deep partnerships that fuel long-term sustainable growth.
A matter of trust
eBay takes a conservative approach to advertising and privacy practices because consumer trust is critical. This presents a unique challenge for the company’s global marketing team when it comes to driving efficiency. Cappelli is responsible for working with eBay’s internal data council committee to help the team test and learn in full compliance with the legal, procurement and privacy teams. This is no small feat. She has helped pave the path with new partners and unlocked expansion potential with the top global digital platforms so eBay’s paid investments can break through meaningfully.
The value of curiosity
Working across a diverse set of technical and non-technical teams, Cappelli asks: What would need to be true to seek alignment on the priorities, and how can we approach the work collaboratively? Cross-team coordination as a global group requires skillful maneuvering and planning. Cappelli looks at the bigger picture and listens to understand others before reaching conclusions or taking action.
Bridget Sauer
Head of Customer Marketing
Atlassian
Bridget Sauer describes her true calling as “fostering customer-to-customer connections on a grand scale through storytelling and strategic engagement.” She has scaled Atlassian’s customer marketing team from a solo endeavor to an eight-person powerhouse.
Telling customer stories
Under Sauer’s leadership, customer stories have become a core element of Atlassian's identity. She surfaces and activates happy customers and connects them to high-impact advocacy opportunities. Her approach is characterized by creativity, thoughtfulness and a relentless drive to showcase the diversity and depth of Atlassian's user base. Every customer story that gets shared must be both impactful and inclusive. Sauer’s collaboration with the brand team on the "Impossible Alone" campaign of customer videos exemplifies how to blend storytelling with strategic marketing objectives. By tying its impact to revenue, she is able to show the power of the work and elevate the role of customer advocacy within the sales process.
The value of curiosity
Sauer also prioritizes making sure Atlassian employees are engaging with and inspired by customer stories. Her group’s monthly publication, the Customer Love Report, is a testament to the value of advocacy. It consistently ranks as one of the most-read internal reports and showcases the profound impact of customer stories across the company. The high readership also indicates how much Atlassian employees enjoy being close to the customer.
Brandon McKeown
Communication Specialist/Media and Creative Content Designer
City of Atlanta Department
of Procurement
Brandon McKeown is a dynamic media and content designer whose innovative approach has helped the City of Atlanta transform its procurement marketing.
A fresh approach to supplier recruitment
If you’re a government department looking to engage with a broader and more diverse base of suppliers, you need to be able to get the word out. As a media and content designer, McKeown has harnessed the power of technology to revolutionize the way the City of Atlanta communicates with its suppliers, residents and stakeholders. His creative vision integrates cutting-edge techniques and tools to deliver impactful visual experiences that resonate with diverse audiences.
The value of curiosity
McKeown has fostered a culture of exploration and experimentation within the Department of Procurement. By constantly challenging the status quo and asking probing questions, he has inspired his colleagues to think more creatively and embrace new ideas. His contributions extend beyond his individual projects; he has sparked a ripple effect of curiosity throughout the organization, encouraging team members to push boundaries and explore unconventional solutions.
Bridget Sauer
Head of Customer Marketing
Atlassian
Bridget Sauer describes her true calling as “fostering customer-to-customer connections on a grand scale through storytelling and strategic engagement.” She has scaled Atlassian’s customer marketing team from a solo endeavor to an eight-person powerhouse.
Telling customer stories
Under Sauer’s leadership, customer stories have become a core element of Atlassian's identity. She surfaces and activates happy customers and connects them to high-impact advocacy opportunities. Her approach is characterized by creativity, thoughtfulness and a relentless drive to showcase the diversity and depth of Atlassian's user base. Every customer story that gets shared must be both impactful and inclusive. Sauer’s collaboration with the brand team on the "Impossible Alone" campaign of customer videos exemplifies how to blend storytelling with strategic marketing objectives. By tying its impact to revenue, she is able to show the power of the work and elevate the role of customer advocacy within the sales process.
The value of curiosity
Sauer also prioritizes making sure Atlassian employees are engaging with and inspired by customer stories. Her group’s monthly publication, the Customer Love Report, is a testament to the value of advocacy. It consistently ranks as one of the most-read internal reports and showcases the profound impact of customer stories across the company. The high readership also indicates how much Atlassian employees enjoy being close to the customer.
Brandon McKeown
Communication Specialist/Media and Creative Content Designer
City of Atlanta Department
of Procurement
Brandon McKeown is a dynamic media and content designer whose innovative approach has helped the City of Atlanta transform its procurement marketing.
A fresh approach to supplier recruitment
If you’re a government department looking to engage with a broader and more diverse base of suppliers, you need to be able to get the word out. As a media and content designer, McKeown has harnessed the power of technology to revolutionize the way the City of Atlanta communicates with its suppliers, residents and stakeholders. His creative vision integrates cutting-edge techniques and tools to deliver impactful visual experiences that resonate with diverse audiences.
The value of curiosity
McKeown has fostered a culture of exploration and experimentation within the Department of Procurement. By constantly challenging the status quo and asking probing questions, he has inspired his colleagues to think more creatively and embrace new ideas. His contributions extend beyond his individual projects; he has sparked a ripple effect of curiosity throughout the organization, encouraging team members to push boundaries and explore unconventional solutions.
About
SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey is a global leader in online surveys and forms that empowers people with the insights they need to make decisions with speed and confidence. Its fast, intuitive feedback management platform provides answers to more than 20 million questions every day, helping people and organizations to attract new audiences, delight customers, create advocates and extend their competitive advantage in the marketplace. Learn more at surveymonkey.com.
Portraits and illustrations by Richard A. Chance
About
SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey is a global leader in online surveys and forms that empowers people with the insights they need to make decisions with speed and confidence. Its fast, intuitive feedback management platform provides answers to more than 20 million questions every day, helping people and organizations to attract new audiences, delight customers, create advocates and extend their competitive advantage in the marketplace. Learn more at surveymonkey.com.
Portraits and illustrations by Richard A. Chance
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