VP Customer Strategy & Marketing

Job Description

The VP of Customer Strategy & Marketing has the overarching responsibility for customer acquisition and retention, seasonal and content strategy development, and social media. The ideal candidate is a highly adept strategist who leads with a hands-on approach and possesses a strong consumer mindset coupled with deep expertise in retail, customer segmentation and loyalty, and go-to-market planning and delivery. The combination of your strong business acumen, proficiency in multi-channel marketing, and aptitude for translating data-driven insights into action creates customer value, drives traffic, and delivers revenue and profits to the bottom line.

Key responsibilities:

Customer Acquisition, Retention & Loyalty

• Develops the strategy and roadmap in support of the rue21 Rewards loyalty program to deepen customer engagement with existing members and to acquire new customers into the brand

• Defines and links loyalty program KPIs to business outcomes. Continually assesses and measures loyalty program impact and enhances performance over time

• Optimizes personalized customer lifecycle journeys across different life stages. Leads customer journey mapping, nurturing, and segmentation; partners with Data Analytics team to validate models based on customer lifetime value (CLV), product affinity, etc.

• Oversees the customer database and manages the health of the customer file, which includes the development of a monthly customer dashboard and an audience-based learning agenda

• Maximizes the performance of email and SMS channels by employing data-driven decision-making processes that capitalizes on the identification of the target audience, timing, frequency, and messaging

• Oversees email briefing process to ensure clear and actionable guidance is provided to the Creative team and that customer insights & mindset are embedded into each brief

• Drives innovation and identifies new channels of opportunity for incremental customer growth

• Manage relationships with key vendors and service providers related to email, Loyalty and CRM

• Lead, mentor and develop team members across CRM, Loyalty and Email/SMS; create a collaborative, high-performing structure to engage team

Seasonal and Content Strategy: Go-to-Market Plan and Delivery

• Leads the strategy development process for the go-to-market plan in support of each retail season, which also includes the architecting of the content strategy

• Defines and develops the value proposition, brand positioning, and marketing campaigns based upon merchandising and promotional strategies; customer and competitive insights; and seasonal business goals (e.g., sales, gross margin, incremental traffic growth, etc.)

• Develops content strategy as part of each seasonal go-to-market plan and ensures cohesive brand storytelling across all marketing touchpoints, which includes varied tactics for each channel based upon customer and competitive data-driven insights and channel best practices

Social Media

• Develops and executes a comprehensive and forward-thinking social media strategy that aligns with and enhances rue21's brand visibility, drives engagement, and achieves measurable outcomes

• Identifies emerging trends, platforms, and best practices in the social media landscape

• Provides strategic direction and partners with the creative team and other key stakeholders on the creation and curation of high-quality, engaging content for various social media channels; monitors content calendars, posting schedules, and ensures timely delivery of planned content releases

• Implements performance tracking and analytic tools to measure the effectiveness of social media campaigns and strategies; reports regularly on key metrics and data-driven decisions for continuous improvement

• Build and maintain relationships with influencers, media partners, and industry leaders

• Manage social media specialist, providing guidance, mentorship, and fostering a collaborative and innovative environment