• by Alan Hart , May 30, 2018

In this week’s episode of “Marketing Today,” I speak with Jeremy Wacksman, chief marketing officer at Zillow Group, where he also oversees product management and strategy. Wacksman’s experience prior to joining Zillow includes leading marketing and product management for Xbox Live. He holds a B.S. in computer engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.

In our conversation, Wacksman focused on data, the role it has played in changing the housing market and how Zillow recognized the importance of it to connect with consumers. “It all goes back to bringing transparency to the housing market through access to data,” says Wacksman. “And using that as a tool to drive both awareness for our brands and trust for our brands by consumers.” He goes on to add, “If you go back to our mission, and our strategy from the very beginning, it’s about empowering consumers to make those decisions. And when you think about that, then data is a natural place to start.”

Highlights from this week’s “Marketing Today” podcast include:

• One commonality throughout Wacksman’s career has been a focus on the consumer. (1:41)

• For Wacksman, similarities between engineering and marketing abound. (6:04)

• Wacksman discusses the thinking behind Zillow’s 3D Home product offering. (9:59)

• The role and impact of data on the housing market. (12:36)

• “What we really wanted to do was turn the lights on and show as much data as we could about every home.” — Wacksman explains the inspiration behind the founding of Zillow. (14:00) 

• Wacksman reveals methodologies Zillow uses to stay nimble and focused as they grow. (15:59)

• Wacksman is passionate about unlocking consumer insights and removing roadblocks. (18:40)