Neo Staff Q&A - David MacLean (VP of Marketing)!

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Welcome to the Neo Staff Q&A! :rocket:

Every couple of weeks we’ll pick a different staff member, and YOU get to ask them questions! If there’s a lot of questions posted, we’ll prioritize the most popular ones and those the featured staff member is excited to answer. So, if you see a great question from another community member, hit the Like button to let us know it’s something you want to hear about!

Generally speaking, we’d like to announce the staff members on Tuesday, be open for questions throughout Wednesday/Thursday and then the questions will be answered on Friday. This format is malleable, so that may change if we find a better system.

Without further ado, our inaugural Neo candidate is none other than one of our favorite Canadians! Some say he’s the VP of Marketing, others say he’s just here to keep the Dr. Pepper industry alive.

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It’s David MacLean, Vice President of Marketing!

Dave has been leading our marketing team and driving Neo’s marketing efforts for over a year and a half. From shaping our brand to launching exciting new features, he’s been instrumental in changing banking in Canada; which is what first drew him to Neo!

When asked about the most challenging project he’s tackled recently, Dave pointed to the launch of our first phase of loyalty with Boosts. Specifically he said the most challenging part was bringing it to life in a simple way that customers can get even more cashback on top of the base entry without taking away from the great entry rates.

What does he love most about his role? Exploring customer needs and developing solutions that truly support them.

Outside of work, you might find him collecting sports cards, diving into business books, or watching his kids grow up. And his go-to piece of advice? “Make things better than when you started with them.”

Drop your questions for @DaveMac in the comments below!

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@DaveMac What’s the hardest part about lifecycle messaging? :horse:

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@Paul There are a few key challenges:

:one: Messaging That Resonates
As marketers often default to talking about what we offer rather than how it solves a customer’s problem. I catch myself falling into this trap too! For example, when promoting our World Elite card, it’s easy to jump straight into “Get 5% back on groceries.” But if you put yourself in the customer’s shoes, what does 5% really mean to them? Is it about more savings at checkout? Covering a weekly grocery bill? We need to frame messages in a way that’s clear, relevant, and immediately valuable to the customer.

:two: Right Message, Right Audience
Segmentation is crucial, but it can get overcomplicated fast. Should we create 10 variations of a message just to account for small audience differences? For example, if a customer has deposits with us and a secured card, do we message them about a new feature like Boosts? What about an unsecured cardholder? Striking the right balance between personalization and efficiency is tricky.

:three: Prioritization & Avoiding Message Fatigue
Everyone wants to communicate everything to our customers. But too much messaging leads to customers tuning us out. On the flip side, I hear complaints that we didn’t tell customers about important updates—even when we did! Balancing relevance, frequency, and timing is tough, especially as we grow and launch new products.

We’re always working to get this right, and it’s a constant learning process. Would love to hear how others approach these challenges!

#LifecycleMarketing #CustomerExperience

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