• by Laura Weinert , September 22, 2006

A Continuous Learning Curve

Mary Bermel,Director, Global Interactive, Hewlett-Packard Co.

Though Mary Bermel is consistently hailed by her peers as a leader in interactive marketing, to hear her tell it, she's as much a follower as a leader.

"I listen, I rely a lot on an informal network of mentors that I've built up, I read as much as I can, and I participate in panels," Bermel says. That's how she stays up-to-date on the fast-changing technology she needs to know to do her job, including rich media, broadband video, gaming, wireless applications, social networking, and search engine marketing.

Bermel has led HP to devote an increasing portion of its marketing budget to online media and marketing.

"She has a deep understanding of the technological changes taking place," says Gary Elliott, HP's vice president of brand marketing. "She is an expert in her subject matter and is quick to spot opportunity and advantage in the marketplace." And at least as key, Elliott adds: "She has an engaging style."

Bermel began her career in sales at IBM and quickly moved into marketing. Among her most recent initiatives for HP, Bermel led a digital campaign with Dreamworks for the animated film "Over the Hedge." The immersive online campaign included a game that encouraged visitors to communicate with each other online. It may not have been a full-on social network, but she estimates that the program was mentioned on 10,000 sites.

For even the most cutting-edge marketing and media companies, effective consumer engagement online is a matter of trial and error. Working on the digital frontlines, Bermel has seen her share of both.

"I think you learn as much from your failures as your successes," she says. "One seminal moment was when I was an interactive ad manager at Compaq and we launched our very first online ad in 1999. We had an ad created by our agency that led to a landing page that was built in frames. When the campaign launched, the page didn't work very well. We thought we'd tested everything, but it was much more complex than we thought."

A year later, when Compaq merged with HP, Bermel and her team were ready to make the most of what they'd learned. "We launched a campaign that connected customers with what HP does in conjunction with partners to provide solutions," Bermel recalls. "The campaign was really connecting with audiences in a way that was ahead of its time."

One key takeaway: "The low tolerance of the audience for intrusive advertising. You need to create some exchange of value between what you are promoting and what they receive." HP's marketing efforts, Bermel notes, work on a "one-to-some basis rather than one-to-many. We're much more targeted now."