In our new section, we will occasionally host leading people in the digital industry, and ask them to answer professional as well as personal questions. The goal of this section is to give a platform and a voice to leaders in the digital community, so that they can share their knowledge and experience with others.
Last time we hosted Etgar Shpivak, click here to read his answers to the questions.
This time on the A-List – Elad Levy!
How did you start your career?
My first job in marketing came by accident. I arrived at a recruitment agency to make phone calls to a pile of old CRM leads and try to fish out prospects. The CEO liked my approach and hired me part-time to handle marketing for the company. I built them a new website, started tinkering a bit with analytics, and even launched campaigns on Facebook and Google (way back in 2011).
How did you take your first steps in the industry?
The significant career leap came in subsequent roles. I transitioned to a role in risk management, which I didn’t like at all, and decided that from there I would return to the marketing world. I went back to square one, to a junior position at the advertising agency K Logic, in the SEO & Analytics department. There I learned the fields in depth and advanced to the role of team leader. I worked with a variety of clients and realized that it was actually the tech world that interested me, so I decided to delve into that.
What are your challenges as VP of Product and Marketing?
I wear two hats, and the challenges are correspondingly very different. On the one hand, as a marketer, I try to bring our product to as many relevant people as possible, so that they know we exist and solve specific problems for them. On the other hand, as a product manager, I try to genuinely solve those very problems. At the intersection of these roles, I try to understand what those problems truly are, and what alternative solutions exist for them on the market.
Which main platforms do you recommend advertisers use?
Since I am originally an SEO guy, I will forever remain loyal to good content. Paid acquisition of one form or another is an excellent direct-response (DR) tool once you have an established baseline of brand awareness. Otherwise, you’ll always be chasing a CPA that continues to rise.
What do you think is the next big thing in digital marketing?
Metaverse. Just kidding, not really.
The unmeasurable world, in contrast to the reality we have known until today, is what fascinates me. A world where uncertainty is on the table, and now we must decide how to approach it – mathematical models or machine learning? A return to classic marketing models? A combination of both?
What does your day-to-day at work look like?
First of all – coffee.
A typical day includes interfacing with a lot of different stakeholders – designers, UX, the development team, and more. My two hats entail working with many stakeholders, sometimes with conflicting interests, so it turns out that I juggle many calls. Alongside this, I make sure to block out windows of uninterrupted work in my calendar without the “interference” of meetings.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the digital world?
Focus. Similar to the software world, you need to learn one language well. Afterwards, transitioning to the rest will be easier.
Focus helps you understand the domain in depth and identify nuances (and bullshit, because there’s a lot of it). This can be at the vertical level (e-commerce, software, etc.) and at the topic level (SEO, PPC, etc.)—ideally both.
How do you stay up to date with everything new in the industry and in general?
I subscribe to quite a few newsletters across different areas of interest, such as Simo Ahava’s and Kyle Poyar’s, which provide a fresh perspective on marketing and product. In addition, I make sure to follow professional Facebook groups (such as Digital Advertising Professionals) or specific figures on Twitter (mostly international).
Did you feel at any point in your career that you had achieved a breakthrough?
The transition from marketing to product was non-trivial for me. Within the company, Fixel, there was no such role, and many things fell through the cracks. I stepped into that vacuum and immediately felt a significant impact from my work. To this day, I am amazed by the close connection between these professional disciplines that seemingly appear very different.
How would you summarize the year 2021?
Surprisingly, this was one of the best years for me. On a personal level, a third daughter joined our family, and we started working systematically under the American company that acquired us at the end of 2020.
From a broader perspective, it was a fascinating year for the industry, with Apple’s big bang in April whose echoes we are still hearing. The paradigm shift of “everything is measurable” was, in my opinion, correct and necessary, regardless of the privacy debates. After the hysterical reactions subside, I believe we will see more mature changes in the advertising landscape in 2022 that will bring real value.
Following the COVID-19 crisis, what should we take forward and maintain?
Understand that this too shall pass. We witnessed a crisis the likes of which the world hasn’t seen in decades, which did accelerate processes (like e-commerce adoption), but that doesn’t mean we should constantly be writing eulogies for industries (SEO is dead! Retail is dead!). Things change constantly, but you always need to look at the big picture and understand where everything is heading, rather than fixating on minor fluctuations of an errant arrow.
My joint webinar with Elad - Tag Manager for Beginners
A little about the interviewee
Elad Levy, the top Tag Manager and Analytics expert in Israel. VP of Marketing and Product at Fixel. Married and a father to three energetic kids. Addicted to South Park and Google Tag Manager.
Web analytics and marketing technology expert, with over a decade of hands-on experience. Has worked with leading companies in the B2B tech industry. Academic lecturer and enthusiastic blogger.
