New DMA chair calls on industry to prove its worth

dma_new2Former Disney marketing chief and incoming DMA chair Tony Miller has issued a rallying cry for the data-driven marketing industry to champion best practice and prove the value of sector in the boardroom, arguing that the trade body’s role is more important than ever.

With the marketing industry evolving rapidly, the DMA has set out its commitment to professionalising the sector and equipping marketers with the tools they need to succeed, as measurement continues to be scrutinised at board level more fiercely than ever.

Miller has served as a DMA board member, as well as committee chair of the DMA Awards, for more than four years. He takes over from current chair Stephen Maher – who has been in the post nearly four years – on July 1.

Having spent more than 13 years at the Domain Group from the early 1990s, Miller held senior roles at FCB Global and Havas Helia before switching client side as director of CRM for the Walt Disney Company, ultimately taking up the role of vice-president of digital marketing and CRM for the EMEA region.

He then switched to WW (formerly Weight Watchers) as chief marketing officer and vice-president of growth and performance marketing. He left in January 2023 to concentrate on advisory roles at both Econsultancy and the Festival of Marketing.

He said: “Data and marketing is at the fulcrum of what we do, underpinning [the DMA’s] ambition to fuel the growth of our industry. Through our people, creativity, ethics, and technology, marketing impacts everything we touch, and its our members that power its evolution through the resources we provide, the relationships we build, and how we represent ourselves to government and regulators.

“But there is no doubt the industry is changing, evolving, and innovating at the rate of knots. Customers’ expectations of brands are increasingly high, and competition across all sectors is fierce.

“This, exacerbated by macro-economic and political influences, puts the marketing industry’s role in driving business growth under the spotlight like never before.

“Because of this, I believe the role of the DMA is now more important than ever. As the voice of the data and marketing industry, and the body responsible for driving change for the better, we are committed to equipping the industry not just with the tools it needs to succeed, but with the knowledge and know-how to inform, inspire, improve, influence, and interact through our established community of experts.”

Maher added: “Our industry is experiencing rapid change and there is no one better than Tony to be assuming the role as chair. As the body that sets the tone for the data marketing industry, the DMA has a responsibility to clearly demonstrate the integral role that marketing plays in business growth today, and we are all excited to see Tony bring his vision to life this year and beyond.”

DMA managing director Rachel Aldighieri concluded: ”It’s critical that we champion and prove the value of marketing, and professionalise the discipline – the DMA is fundamental in driving this.

“We are grateful for Stephen’s contributions over the last few years and his continuous commitment to championing the data and marketing industry.

“Tony is a marketing pioneer, and has played a pivotal role in our industry for many years now, in which time he’s witnessed first-hand the fundamental shift in marketing from what used to be a traditional, direct approach to what is now an undeniably data-driven one. Tony knows the industry and the DMA inside out, and will play an integral part in increasing our membership base.”

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