• by Larissa Faw , July 27, 2015

Kelly Roe is transferring her expertise in designing JetBlue's loyalty programs to become director, customer value management (CVM) at Boulder, CO-based digital agency IMM. In this newly created position, Roe will oversee the agency's Customer Value Management (CVM) practice that aims to combine customer loyalty with technology to work across all of IMM's departments. 

Initially, she will partner with existing staffers across analytics, strategy, and media to build out the practice. Then, as the agency's client base grows, IMM executives expect to fully build out a stand-alone CVM team to support a full spectrum of retention strategy and messaging work.  

This position underscores the agency's evolution as it grows from 110 employees and increases its offerings. Currently, IMM expertise lies in customer acquisition, but the agency is now focusing on expanding that practice with retention-focused programs based on lifetime value management. 

Thus the need for Roe. “Our goal at IMM is to always look for new ways to drive value and make the dollars stretch for our clients,” said Ian Woods, chief engagement officer, IMM. “We already excel at customer acquisition and were looking to further enhance that practice with retention-focused programs based on lifetime value management,” he added. 

Most recently Roe served as JetBlue's director, loyalty marketing and partnerships. Earlier, she ran technology programs and oversaw software-provider vendor relationships. She also led product development for JetBlue’s A321 aircraft. Prior to JetBlue, Roe worked as a consultant at Booz & Company -- focused on project management, financial planning and IT initiatives for a variety of clients. 

For her part, Roe said she was attracted to the agency's ability to leverage data to better service clients. “I’ve worked with agencies in the past and IMM stood out as one of the most forward-looking and sophisticated," says Roe. "They have the media side nailed with incredible prowess from the top of the funnel to the bottom and have all the ‘tech toys’ I wished I had in-house at JetBlue to unearth insights to drive retention and maximize value. I’m excited to get started and make a direct impact for our clients and their customers.”

Although Roe expected to experience some culture shock by moving from New York City to Boulder, CO, she has no regrets about switching time zones. "The move from NYC to Boulder has been surprisingly easy," she says. "I’m still biking to work, though it is nice to do it on a creek path instead of in a cloud of exhaust on the Queensboro bridge. Culturally, it hasn’t been a huge shift as both JetBlue and IMM have more of a young, entrepreneurial feel than other places I’ve worked.  The biggest change has really been re-learning to drive -- after ten years in NYC, it’s surprising how bad I am at that."  

Founded in 2007, IMM offers full creative, video, social, media planning, direct response, content, and a dedicated data and technology expertise.