Our conversations with our marketing heroes are back! In this series we talk to our marketing heroes who we think will be yours too! We’re really thrilled to have spent a bit of time chatting with Huriyyah Dhanse, VP Customer at Fresh Relevance. We talk cookies, Weetabix and Seth Godin – could you get anymore eclectic?!
Please introduce yourself 
Hey Pure360! I’m Huriyyah Dhanse and I’m Vice President, Customer at Fresh Relevance.
Please tell us about your business
We’re a versatile personalisation and decision engine. We help our clients design and execute highly effective personalisation campaigns from start to finish – no technical expertise needed! The result for our clients is improved conversions, customer value and retention.
What have been the main challenges facing your customers in 2021
The recent updates to Google’s algorithm (Core Web Vitals) and the changing cookie landscape have been two big areas of focus for 2021.
Google’s Core Web Vitals update means businesses will need to increase their focus on page experience, optimising for metrics such as page speed. You can learn more about how Fresh Relevance is helping our clients prepare over on our dedicated blog post.
Then I think it’s fair to say that Chrome’s upcoming phase out of third-party cookies has caught everyone’s attention. Amidst all the changes, it’s important to future-proof your identity strategy to safeguard against next year’s phase out and ongoing changes to the cookie landscape. You can discover Fresh Relevance’s approach to cookies and identity resolution in our Personalization Buyer’s Guide to Identity Resolution.
What in marketing or business inspired you this year?
Now you’re asking! There have been a few that have had the limelight but also been super inspiring.
My favourite one has been the Weetabix and Heinz Twitter thread. It has to be one of the best Twitter thread interactions of all time. Pretty much everyone was talking about it and literally every brand that I can think of began adding to the eccentric thread by adding their own brand-related puns!
I highly recommend you take a look at the Twitter thread yourself if you fancy a giggle (you’re welcome).
The second campaign that I’d like to mention is when Kamala Harris made history as the first female, first black and first Asian-American US vice-president.
Girl Up, a gender equality organisation from the UN, released a powerful video called “Today We Rise”, illustrating the immeasurable impact her role had. That milestone moment is conveyed in a simple, yet poignant film inspiring a generation of young leaders to follow in her footsteps.
Here is the video for you to watch.
The tag line was “When one girl rises, all girls rise.”
What should marketers be focused on in 2021 and into 2022?
2020 completely shook up customer loyalty as we know it, with more shoppers heading online and willing to try out new brands. So it’s more important than ever to foster loyalty and retain your existing pool of customers.
We recently undertook a survey of 2000 consumers to find out what keeps shoppers loyal. You can find all of the stats and insights in our loyalty report but one key takeaway is that convenience is key. Consumers want to sail smoothly through the customer journey and are unforgiving when it comes to frustrating online experiences.
To encourage loyalty, make sure your store’s navigation is intuitive and include personalised product recommendations so shoppers can find the products that will resonate with them easily. Make sure you’re providing as much information as possible to keep shoppers informed while they’re browsing, such as back-in-stock information and social proof cues like ratings, reviews and user-generated content
Who are your marketing heroes?
Oh gosh, there are so many great personalities that we’re spoilt for choice! Seth Godin is the first hero that comes to mind – he’s a legend!
A few others I’d like to give a mention to are Neil Patel, Kath Pay and Scott Stratton.
If you could give a tip to marketers at this time during coronavirus what would that be?
The pandemic prompted a mass shift to eCommerce and these novel times have seen a change in consumer behavior. This means it’s important to keep testing to discover what resonates with your shoppers and make sure you’re delivering the best possible customer experience. Here are 9 simple A/B test ideas to get you started.
What piece of advice would you give to aspiring marketers?
Be inquisitive, be informed, be analytical and be authentic.
Connect with Huriyyah
You can find me on LinkedIn.