MarTech Interview with Vladimir Poletaev, Chief Marketing Officer of Generali Global Assistance

Vladimir Poletaev, Chief Marketing Officer of Generali Global Assistance shares his thoughts on a few top concerns that face every marketing team today while talking about a few proven marketing and martech tips that can help in this casual chat:

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Tell us a little about yourself Vladimir…we’d love to hear about your role as CMO, a typical day at work?

With disruption and change being a constant factor in our lives, I like to stay productive and find joy in the work that I do leading my team to success. A typical day for me is structured around following a few key tenets: Plan. Allocate. Respect. Appreciate. Lead. Enjoy. Learn!

Can you throw light on a few best practices in B2B marketing (along with most favored marketing technologies) that you feel most marketing teams need to be focusing on today, given the business dynamics globally?

One of the best practices we use in B2B marketing is to continuously evaluate and adapt our processes, all while leveraging data analytics. With a wealth of data at our disposal, we can leverage key metrics to help us make business decisions as well as pivot when necessary to adapt our strategy quickly, with the goal of increasing our opportunity for more positive outcomes. Adapting to new processes and technologies, communicating key client and customer insights, facilitating dialogue, and fostering change in the organization have all quickly become a focus for the marketing team I lead.

The most exciting marketing technology for me has to be Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly the machine learning aspect. So much can be automated to gain efficiency, depth, and accuracy in order to bring relevant message(s) at the right time via the appropriate channels to the correct audience. This technology is powerful and will allow B2B marketing teams (and the companies they support) to scale quickly and globally.

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What are some of the top concerns you feel marketing leaders today are faced with, during this ongoing pandemic? Can you share a few tips as well?

Too much noise and too many distractions are the top concerns we all face – not only as marketing leaders, but as human beings. The pandemic has just exacerbated these concerns. When marketing our company and services to other businesses, our primary goal is to get our brand known and recognized, clearly outlining our differentiators. Keeping our voice strong, clear, and concise – and ultimately, heard and seen by our audience whose attention span has become increasingly short – requires constant focus and continuous learning. This means finding the right words/images/sounds to reach them and keep them engaged.  

How are you seeing basic marketing tricks and strategies shift during this time due to the pandemic and can you comment on a few long-lasting effects of the pandemic on marketing and sales in general, across industries?

The pandemic fast-tracked the shift to a predominantly virtual environment. While physical materials still matter and have value, they are now taking a backseat as part of the omnichannel marketing strategy. The absence of in-person events and meetings has led to the realization that the entire sales journey – from awareness to education to the delivery of the product/service – can all be accomplished online, allowing the delivery of the service to be more automated and streamlined. Going forward, we anticipate end-customers and clients to expect all of the information about a company and the products they offer be available online for them to access at their convenience, giving them the ability to perform any and all steps of the sales journey on their own. Marketing will play a vital role in finessing this journey so that the customer experience is one that not only meets expectations but keeps them engaged so that they don’t turn elsewhere in this highly competitive digital world.

Take us through Generali Global Assistance’s core marketing journey through the years and biggest marketing moments / marketing highlights?

Generali Global Assistance is part of Generali Group, which has an incredible history in the insurance industry spanning 190 years. As part of Generali’s 190 anniversary celebration, we are publishing and promoting historical company events, taking a look back at milestones which defined our company and culture. You can learn more by listening to our podcast or watching our videos here: https://www.generali.com/Generali-190-Anniversary.

A few takeaways for marketing leaders in 2021: top factors they should keep in mind as they plan for the rest of the year?

1. Plan for a year that will continue to disrupt your core beliefs and processes.
2. Allocate time to deal with the unexpected and focus on what’s important.
3. Respect yourself and others.
4. Appreciate what others do and share that appreciation with them.
5. Lead by example, by voice, and by sharing the vision and dream.
6. Enjoy your work, team, and life.
7. Learn from the disruptions and work experiences and adapt for the better.

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Generali Global Assistance is a leading brand comprised of Travel Insurance & Assistance, Medical Risk & Home Care Management, Identity & Cyber Protection, as well as other care services. GGA is part of the Generali Group, which for over 190 years has provided peace of mind to its clients and their customers and is now supported by more than 72,000 employees worldwide. Our success has been built on establishing trust by putting the customer at the core of everything we do, offering assistance and protection during our customers’ most difficult and stressful situations.

As the newly established Chief Marketing Officer, Vladimir Poletaev manages a team of talented marketing professionals from all North American entities under the Generali Global Assistance (GGA) umbrella. In his more than 14 years with the company, Mr. Poletaev previously worked with its Travel, Health, Home & Family, and Concierge services divisions. Prior to this CMO role, Mr. Poletaev managed the Global Identity & Cyber Protection division’s Business Development Team as Chief Commercial Officer and facilitated sales and account management support of GGA’s Care Services division.