• by Ray Schultz , June 6, 2018

Yes Lifecycle Marketing (YLM) is known as an email solutions provider. But it is now venturing beyond email, both to the left and the right, says recently named CEO Jim Sturm.

The left side? Omnichannel acquisition. The right side? Branding, lifetime value and the entire customer journey.

“You have to be good at delivering in all channels, so we will have even greater data and infrastructure capabilities,” Sturm says. YLM will use “other digital media to help clients find new consumers and have them build greater brand advocacies.”

That means “greater integration and more campaign management capabilities,” he adds. “We’re going look like Adobe and Salesforce, not only like a SaaS platform.”

The company, launched in 2014 by InfoGroup, is investing in technology and both hiring and promoting from within. For instance, John Hollands, an 18-year veteran of the firm, was recently named executive VP of new business. Many new hires will be in the tech area.

And while nothing has happened yet, don’t be surprised if “we don’t acquire a company or two,” Sturm adds.

Does that mean YLM is turning away from email? Hardly.

“Email will always the predominant delivery channel for relevant messaging, personalized communications and motivating consumers,” Sturm says. “But we need to go further right and farther left and think of the journey with the brand.”

To do that, the company is to using real-time, bi-directional APISs to facilitate delivery via email messaging, social or in-app. “Some APIs are live, some are under development, coming soon,” Sturm says 

And of course, it doesn’t hurt that parent InfoGroup has rich data assets.

It is natural that Sturm would emphasize lifetime value. He built his career at Brierley & Partners, working for Hal Brierley -- the “father of loyalty,” -- and still thinks of him as a friend and mentor.  Sturm served as president/CEO for about a decade. Prior to that, he worked for Electronic Data Systems, Ross Perot’s old company, doing “every tech job there is.”

The YLM gig came about after talks between Sturm, who serves on the InfoGroup board, and InfoGroup CEO Michael Iaccarino. They shared “strong visions expanded capabilities,” he says.

Will he call the retired Hal Brierley if he ever runs into a challenge? “Of course,” he laughs. “He and many others.”