Kane Russell
VP of Marketing, Waterfall
Winning ways: As something of a networking guru, Russell turned a talent for developing strong, authentic relationships into a passionate and successful career in marketing. Russell, and all of his savvy, joined Waterfall to build a marketing organization from the ground up. He focused his efforts on creating a content marketing engine that includes a resource library, complete with blogs, case studies, eBooks, and webinars. Russell’s analytical mind and emphasis on company culture helped Waterfall acquire clients such as Mastercard, PETA, and Pizza Hut. The company has grown from 10 employees to 40 during Russell’s tenure.
Defining moment: “My college had a campus recruitment week and I set up as many meetings as I could fit in that time. I met the CEO of my current company during that week.”
Words to live by: “My lacrosse coach used to tell us to go out and make as many mistakes as we could, but only make them once.”
Head swivel: “Everyone in mobile is talking about personalization, but 95% of them actually mean segmentation. Changing the name in an email is segmentation. We saw this and decided we need to provide our customers with more than demographic data.”
Good advice: “Meet as many people as you can and develop authentic relationships with them.”
First job: “I was a dishwasher at a resort that had 2,000 to 5,000 people eating dinner every night. I cleaned floors and developed the best calluses you could ever possibly develop.”
Favorite book: When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management by Roger Lowenstein
Favorite app: Pandora
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