BBC hires Virgin Media chief to ramp up CRM strategy

bbc1The BBC plans to overhaul its CRM strategy in an effort to put customers at the heart of everything it does and has appointed Virgin Media chief marketing officer Kerris Bright to lead the shake-up as the corporation’s first chief customer officer.
Bright will be responsible for developing a closer, more personal relationship with BBC consumers, licence fee payers and those signing in to BBC services.
During her time at Virgin Media, Bright put data, insight and analytics at the forefront of the company’s operation. Prior to Virgin, she worked in senior roles at British Airways, ICI and Unilever.
Bright, who joins the corporation in the summer, said: “I have one very simple governing idea: putting the customer at the heart of what we do will be central to the BBC’s long term vitality and success.”
In the TV Licensing database, the corporation already runs one the biggest CRM programmes in the UK, covering over 32 million addresses.
Meanwhile, more than 12 million people have already signed up to use the BBC iPlayer since it launched the registration scheme last year with a pledge to make services “more personal and relevant to you”.
These operations, along with BBC’s existing marketing and audiences team will form the new CRM function.
Bright will report to the BBC’s deputy director-general Anne Bulford, who said: “This appointment will allow us to better understand and engage with our audiences across all our platforms.
“Kerris brings a wealth of experience to this role as we look to build on the progress we’ve made towards a more personalised BBC. She has worked at some of the biggest names in UK industry and will help deliver a step-change in our relationship with our audience.”
BBC director-general Tony Hall added: “Across the BBC we’re working hard to reinvent the organisation for a new generation. Making sure the BBC of the future is uniquely tailored to everyone, and available when and where audiences want it – will be critical to our success.
“We’re making good progress with over 12 million people already signed in use the BBC iPlayer, but I want us to step up our efforts on personalisation in the months ahead. Kerris’s appointment will help us be even more ambitious in this area.”

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