Senior Manager, Co-brand Card Acquisition Strategies

Job Overview

POSITION SUMMARY
The Senior Manager of Co-brand Card Acquisitions plays a crucial role within the U.S. Co-brand Card Acquisitions division.

This position is essential for driving portfolio expansion for American Express Co-brand Card offerings and is key to enhancing member loyalty and engagement with Marriott's premier brands and valued clientele.

This role necessitates close collaboration with external banking partners and marketing agencies, significantly contributing to the formulation of marketing initiatives across various channels to facilitate new card acquisitions.

CANDIDATE PROFILE
Required Education and Experience

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Business Administration, Marketing, Hospitality Management, or a related field, along with a minimum of 4 years of relevant professional experience, showcasing progressive career advancement and exceptional performance in co-brand marketing, acquisition marketing, or a similar domain within the financial services, retail, or hospitality industries.

OR

• At least 7 years of experience in co-brand marketing, acquisition marketing, or a related field within the financial services, retail, or hospitality sectors.
• A proven history of successfully creating, managing, and executing co-brand acquisition campaigns, demonstrating the ability to meet or surpass performance benchmarks.
• Proven capability to deliver results in challenging circumstances, particularly when navigating complexity and uncertainty.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Portfolio Expansion and Program Management

• Drive and influence strategies aimed at enhancing portfolio growth for U.S. Co-brand Consumer Cards, focusing on affluent and small business demographics.
• Formulate a product growth strategy and marketing roadmap for Marriott Bonvoy American Express Co-brands to achieve ambitious acquisition targets.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to identify target demographics, refine value propositions, strategize offers, optimize user experiences, and coordinate initiatives to support growth.
• Engage with internal teams and banking partners to facilitate ongoing testing, analysis, reporting, and forecasting.
• Utilize analytical insights to pinpoint and summarize opportunities for implementing innovations and enhancements to boost revenue and portfolio growth.

Channel Marketing for Card Acquisitions

• Deliver a cutting-edge channel marketing strategy targeting affluent and small business audiences.
• Plan, coordinate, execute, and oversee digital acquisition marketing campaigns, including creative assets and offers on web and mobile platforms.
• Manage campaign and segment optimization, budgets, and reporting to meet acquisition KPIs.
• Oversee offer optimization and personalization in collaboration with internal and external partners to ensure the right offers are targeted throughout the customer lifecycle.
• Identify opportunities to enhance channel efficiencies and effectiveness through triggers, ride-along opportunities, and new placements.

Support for Key Consumer Card Acquisition Channels

• Lead the partnership with Marriott Vacations Club.
• Oversee acquisition marketing initiatives for American Express Co-brand Card products across key internal and external channels, managing creative, segment optimization, and budgets to achieve acquisition KPIs.
• Plan and implement Customer Engagement Center acquisition growth strategies in collaboration with call center leadership and banking partners, including channel expansion, product targeting, offer/script development, tracking, and associate training.
• Develop strategies to optimize credit card acquisition performance in the Bank Channel and coordinate with the existing cardmember team on member-get-member strategies.
• Support the expansion of on-property sales organization and associate card acquisition efforts.
• Manage the creation and execution of marketing assets and campaigns across various channels.
• Handle ad-hoc marketing projects as necessary to support Global Cards strategic objectives.
• Develop creative and coordinate the execution of Direct Mail acquisition campaigns in partnership with external agencies and banking partners, focusing on efficiency and new account growth.

Achieving Business Objectives

• Enhance the Marriott Bonvoy U.S. credit card portfolio, achieving ambitious acquisition and sales targets, along with program revenue and profit goals.
• Drive new cardmember growth, engagement, and spending for the U.S. Marriott Bonvoy credit card portfolio by employing strategic thinking and data-driven decision-making in a regulated environment.
• Develop and launch marketing initiatives aimed at fostering profitable market share growth.
• Contribute to the Marketing Plan with competitive insights and perspectives on future development and growth opportunities.
• Enhance product and program marketability and profitability by researching, identifying, and capitalizing on market opportunities, improving product benefits, and coordinating new product development.

Demonstrating and Applying Expertise

• Utilize strategic marketing expertise and leadership to evolve creative assets and offers, improving reach and effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
• Evaluate the end-to-end customer experience across multiple channels and touchpoints.
• Leverage customer insights to inform and optimize program messaging and refine customer experiences.
• Stay informed on industry trends and developments, particularly in payments, credit cards, and loyalty marketing, applying knowledge to enhance relevant benefits and card value propositions.
• Monitor and assess the competitive landscape, emerging technologies, and market movements, providing thought leadership for adoption.
• Demonstrate knowledge of job-relevant issues, products, systems, and processes.
• Provide technical expertise and support to individuals both inside and outside the department.

Meeting Stakeholder Needs

• Understand and fulfill the needs of key stakeholders, including but not limited to Bank Partners, Digital Merchandising, Digital Product, Analytics, Orchestration, and the Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program.
• Establish specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and achieve targets.
• Determine priorities, schedules, plans, and necessary resources to ensure business objectives are met and all projects are completed on time and within budget.
• Collaborate with internal partners and stakeholders to support business strategies.
• Communicate concepts clearly and persuasively, ensuring ease of understanding.
• Generate and provide accurate and timely results in the form of reports, presentations, etc.

Additional Responsibilities

• Provide timely information to supervisors and colleagues through various communication methods.
• Exhibit self-confidence, energy, and enthusiasm.
• Keep leaders informed of relevant information promptly.
• Manage time effectively and conduct activities in an organized manner.
• Present ideas, set expectations, and share information concisely and clearly.
• Utilize problem-solving methodologies for decision-making and follow-up.
• Perform other reasonable duties as assigned by management, including training, process improvement, and documentation.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

Innovative Thinking:

• Generate marketing concepts that differentiate our brand and resonate with target audiences.
• Possess a deep understanding of consumer behavior and market dynamics.

Storytelling Ability:

• Translate complex ideas into simple, engaging messages that inspire and motivate consumers.
• Craft compelling narratives that connect with audiences on an emotional level, ensuring authenticity and alignment with the company's values and mission.

Visual and Design Sensibility:

• Effectively communicate a strong aesthetic sense to external agency designers and artists to bring ideas to fruition.
• Have a basic understanding of color theory, typography, layout, and visual hierarchy, appreciating how these elements combine to create impactful marketing materials.

Cross-Channel Integration:

• Develop cohesive campaigns that integrate across multiple channels, maintaining a consistent brand voice and visual identity while tailoring messages to leverage the unique strengths of each medium.

Technical Skills:

• Possess a strong understanding of digital marketing channels, including SEO, SEM, display, email marketing, and social media advertising.
• Proficient in data analysis tools and platforms.
• Experience with marketing automation tools, campaign management platforms, and customer segmentation strategies.
• Knowledge of A/B testing methodologies and experience optimizing marketing strategies based on data-driven insights.

Strategic and Analytical Thinking:

• Develop and implement comprehensive co-brand acquisition strategies that align with overall business objectives.
• Exhibit strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, identify trends, and make informed decisions to optimize campaign performance.
• Experience in forecasting, budgeting, and effectively managing marketing budgets.

Communication and Collaboration:

• Work closely with cross-functional teams such as design, product development, and analytics, fostering a culture of innovation and teamwork that results in strategically sound marketing campaigns.
• Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills, crafting compelling marketing messages and presenting strategies to internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience in negotiating and managing relationships with co-brand partners and vendors.

Project Management:

• Exhibit strong organizational skills, managing multiple projects simultaneously, prioritizing tasks, and meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Lead cross-functional teams to execute complex marketing initiatives, ensuring alignment across all stakeholders.
• Adapt to changing priorities and market conditions, focusing on delivering results.

Customer Focus:

• Deep understanding of customer segmentation and the ability to tailor marketing strategies to effectively target specific customer segments.
• Commitment to understanding customer needs and behaviors to drive acquisition efforts that resonate with the target audience.
• Experience leveraging customer insights and feedback to enhance marketing strategies and improve overall customer experience.

Leadership and Influence:

• Proven ability to lead and mentor a team of marketing professionals, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to influence and persuade key stakeholders, both internally and externally, to support marketing initiatives and achieve business objectives.
• Strong decision-making skills, capable of taking calculated risks and making sound business judgments.

Industry Knowledge:

• In-depth knowledge of the co-branding landscape, including key trends, challenges, and opportunities within the industry.
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements and compliance considerations related to co-brand marketing in the financial services sector.
• Understanding of competitive dynamics and the ability to develop strategies that differentiate the brand in a crowded marketplace.

Marriott International is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive, people-first culture.

We are committed to non-discrimination on any protected basis, such as disability and veteran status, or any other basis covered under applicable law.

About the Team

Marriott International is the world's largest hotel company, with more brands, more hotels, and more opportunities for associates to grow and succeed.

Be where you can do your best work, begin your purpose, belong to an amazing global team, and become the best version of you.

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