In today’s fast-paced marketing landscape, personalizing your message for a unique audience is key. This means diving deep into understanding your consumers’ needs. But how do you juggle this when you’re overseeing 11 distinct brands?

In today’s episode, Angie Klein, president of Verizon Value, joins Suzy founder and CEO Matt Britton on the latest episode of The Speed of Culture podcast to share her strategies and insights for managing her vast portfolio and keeping Verizon at the forefront of this ever-evolving field.

Klein is a seasoned executive with more than two decades of experience at Verizon, spearheading key initiatives such as Fios and Mix & Match. She masterminded the award-winning Verizon Up loyalty program and has been the driving force behind Verizon’s Visible, the first all-digital wireless carrier in the United States.

Throughout her career, Klein has honed a unique blend of business acumen and creativity, which has allowed her to navigate rapidly changing consumer trends and drive the success of segment marketing. Klein’s leadership journey at Verizon has been characterized by her ability to innovate, disrupt and adapt to market changes, from the transition from landline to wireless and now from in-home internet to 5G streaming.

Key takeaways:

• 03:00 – 05:05 – The Significance of Segment Marketing — Rather than attempting to appeal to a wide audience, companies can achieve greater success by homing in on individual niches. Furthermore, Klein stresses the importance of both the creative and commercial dimensions in marketing, emphasizing that the business side holds just as much weight as its creative counterpart.

• 09:06 – 16:01 – From Fios to Visible: A Journey of Innovation and Growth — Klein’s understanding of diverse consumer needs within the wireless industry has been instrumental in driving innovation at Verizon. One noteworthy example is the creation of Verizon’s Fios, a fiberoptic network that revolutionized the cable industry. By prioritizing customer experience and devising solutions that directly addressed pain points, Fios swiftly captured a substantial market share. Verizon’s MyPlan was another remarkable innovation, offering tailored plans with features like Apple Music or the Disney Bundle to cater to unique preferences. On a different front, Visible, Verizon’s digital-only wireless brand, has effectively targeted millennials and Gen Z customers who favor online interactions.

• 16:01 – 20:41 – Harnessing Data-Driven Insights — Verizon has continuously evolved and innovated in response to changing market dynamics and consumer needs. Klein recounts her journey with Verizon, starting with the landline business, transitioning to wireless, and now navigating the shift from in-home internet to 5G streaming. She highlights the importance of a data-driven approach and the ability to trust the data in making critical business decisions. This allows businesses to stay customer-centric, ensuring they understand and respond to changing consumer behavior and market trends.

• 20:48 – 25:05 – Revolutionizing Internet Access with 5G — Klein shares how Verizon’s 5G home internet product is disrupting the traditional broadband market, bringing easier internet access and massive amounts of data into homes. She also highlights the potential of generative AI and its possible applications for improving the customer experience. 

• 25:30 – 28-38 – Klein’s Three I’s — She shares her perspective on leadership, particularly in team development. She emphasizes the importance of being authentic as a leader and having open and honest conversations with the team. She believes in being hands-on and directly involved in the work, a management style that not only fosters trust and transparency but also facilitates more effective decision-making. Her leadership philosophy is centered on being inquisitive, intentional and inspirational.