Last month our very own Mollie Kehoe, CEO and Co-founder of Brandverge, and Jennifer Pelino, EVP Omnichannel Media and Diversity & Inclusion Champion Media Center of Excellence at IRI, talked about their new partnership and how it supports the intersection of women in technology data and media analytics.
The conversation started with a broad overview of what IRI does: one of the original innovators in big data, IRI integrates the world’s largest set of otherwise disconnected purchase, media, social, causal and loyalty data to help CPG, retail, over-the-counter health care and media companies grow their businesses. They combine this data with predictive analytics to uncover new consumer insights and integrate them on the most technologically advanced, cloud-based visualization platform, IRI Liquid Data®. In short, IRI ensures that company businesses can better leverage data to help companies grow.
Mollie and Jennifer were first introduced through Shelley Zalis, CEO at The Female Quotient, and after having that initial conversation, they were able to build a working relationship. Mollie and Jennifer explained to each other what their company was doing, and then were able to find ways each company could help one another to result in a perfect intersection of time and opportunity.
Diving into more details of the partnership, IRI is the only audience partner that we’re exclusively working with. Both Mollie and Jennifer admired each other’s organizations and found that the goal and vision they had for their companies lined up with one another. IRI allows our brands and agencies to actually see and understand the type of data they could be layering on top of their media campaigns, specifically for CPG. Whether it’s to launch a new product, and they want to understand competitive research capabilities, or they’re going out to market with a big push and they want to make sure that they have the data back, this partnership ensures that because every dollar counts. It is super important to note that information and knowledge is power and in many instances, a lot of businesses, that are startups, need that information. This initial input of knowledge lets companies grow exponentially in significantly less time and energy that can be put forth elsewhere.
Lastly, women founders can build a network of other female founders to work with by paying it forward. Mollie noted that when Lynn and her founded the company back in 2017, one of BrandVerge’s investors shared this little tidbit with us called Kindness Currency, always paying it forward and trying to meet as many people as possible. Then, you’re able to take those connections and pay it forward to the next person who comes to you looking for help so that kind of currency continues in a cycle. Jennifer, similarly with Mollie, is all about helping others and raising everyone up. When you’re in the business for a long time and you’re building your brand from the ground up, it can be lonely. Seeing other female entrepreneurs reminded Jennifer of where she came from, where she was now, and how hard that she worked and you want to make sure that others don’t have to go through some of the struggles that she did. To be able to help and provide that network you don’t know what can be offered until you absolutely make that connection and whether it’s not immediate like Jennifer and Mollie had, you’re connected always for a reason, you might not know it right then, but maybe it can turn itself into another opportunity later on.
With that we want to leave you with this: pave the way and keep an open mind, because you never know who you’re going to meet.
We want to extend a big thank you to everyone who joined us at the Equality Lounge at ARF AUDIENCEXSCIENCE and you can check out the full talk here!
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