Merkle (www.merkle.com), a leading customer relationship marketing (CRM) firm and the nation’s largest privately-held agency, announced record–setting progress within its Banking and Finance practice.  Along with an over 25% increase in net revenue year over year, the group experienced a 300% surge in the digital media services that it provides to financial services marketers.  

The growth in this practice is a reflection of Merkle’s continued focus on providing preeminent CRM solutions for retail banks and financial services firms. In support of this advancement, the company has expanded its breadth of top-tier talent, through a number of strategic additions to the team, including Bill Doyle, vice president, Huard Smith, vice president, and Roland Guglielmi, vice president.

Doyle spent 17 years with Mullen, building a direct response and CRM practice that enabled Mullen to successfully service clients. Smith brings a wealth of experience in client leadership and growth, and has worked extensively in the integration of data-driven digital media. Both Doyle and Smith will be focused on leading Merkle’s banking and financial services clients to develop insight-driven, multi-channel CRM programs. Their mission is to drive business growth and promote customer engagement across digital and offline media and channels. Guglielmi, analytics lead for the practice, brings an extensive background in retail banking, a breadth of expertise across many analytics disciplines, strong client engagement skills and rich experience in digital. He will be focused on providing clients with data-driven marketing strategies and analytical skills that are a key differentiator for Merkle in this innovative retail banking market.

“As the banking industry evolves to adopt business models that are centered on customer value, the digitization of media and channels is assuming an increasingly vital role in marketing strategy,” said Will Bordelon, senior vice president, vertical markets group, Merkle. “Informing these digital interactions relies heavily on data-driven marketing strategies and a careful orchestration of media spend across offline and digital touchpoints. The strong digital experience and deep-rooted backgrounds in the banking industry make Bill, Huard and Roland distinctively equipped to lead the charge for growth in our Banking and Finance practice. And as an added bonus for the team, their winning personalities make them a great cultural fit within the Merkle family.”