Full Name
Brian Higdon
Job Title
Customer Strategy Executive
Company Name
The Mars Agency
Speaker Bio
Brian is an experienced and innovative business executive who blends customer-centric focus with consulting, commercial and operations expertise to drive strategic and profitable growth. He has significant progressive experience in loyalty & shopper marketing, CRM, marketing research, customer science and big data in Retail & Consumer Packaged Goods.
Brian currently leads The Mars Agency Grocery Customer Development team from our Mars Cincinnati office where he leads teams of shopper marketing experts driving client growth, shopper marketing ROI and strategic engagement with retailers.
Brian spent over a decade at 84.51° / dunnhumby and was most recently the Vice President of Format Strategy and was accountable for the leading a cross functional team of consultants and analysts dedicated to the creation of new retail formats, development of market winning strategies and the invention of new science designed to drive sales and maximize market share while minimizing risk and ensuring return on capital investments.
Before that role he was the Vice President of Commercial Engagement and owned commercial strategy for the company’s syndicated customer insights solutions, including market and competitive assessment, product requirements and commercial decisions. He served as the Subject Matter Expert and process owner to support client teams in contract design, negotiations, & pricing.
Prior to 84.51°, Brian was the Vice President of Client Leadership for dunnhumbyUSA where he was accountable for a significant aspect of the company’s work with grocery and beverage manufacturers. He led a team of consultants driving strategic engagement with clients, which included opportunity identification, P&L management, forecasting and business development of strategic initiatives.
Proceeding to his tenure at dunnhumby, Brian served as Senior Account Manager for Ipsos Insight, a global market research company, where he was responsible for managing the design, execution, analytic interpretation and presentation of custom marketing research programs. Brian began his career at Alliance Data (formerly Frequency Marketing Inc.). At Alliance, he consulted leading Finance, Retail, CPG and other companies on the development and use and loyalty marketing strategies in driving business results.
Brian holds a Master of Business Administration from Miami University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Wright State University.
Since August of 2018, Brian formed a consultancy working with local Cincinnati-based startup companies, providing pro bono consulting on commercial strategy and marketing.
Brian lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife Sarah and two children, Elizabeth (8), and Matthew (5).
Brian currently leads The Mars Agency Grocery Customer Development team from our Mars Cincinnati office where he leads teams of shopper marketing experts driving client growth, shopper marketing ROI and strategic engagement with retailers.
Brian spent over a decade at 84.51° / dunnhumby and was most recently the Vice President of Format Strategy and was accountable for the leading a cross functional team of consultants and analysts dedicated to the creation of new retail formats, development of market winning strategies and the invention of new science designed to drive sales and maximize market share while minimizing risk and ensuring return on capital investments.
Before that role he was the Vice President of Commercial Engagement and owned commercial strategy for the company’s syndicated customer insights solutions, including market and competitive assessment, product requirements and commercial decisions. He served as the Subject Matter Expert and process owner to support client teams in contract design, negotiations, & pricing.
Prior to 84.51°, Brian was the Vice President of Client Leadership for dunnhumbyUSA where he was accountable for a significant aspect of the company’s work with grocery and beverage manufacturers. He led a team of consultants driving strategic engagement with clients, which included opportunity identification, P&L management, forecasting and business development of strategic initiatives.
Proceeding to his tenure at dunnhumby, Brian served as Senior Account Manager for Ipsos Insight, a global market research company, where he was responsible for managing the design, execution, analytic interpretation and presentation of custom marketing research programs. Brian began his career at Alliance Data (formerly Frequency Marketing Inc.). At Alliance, he consulted leading Finance, Retail, CPG and other companies on the development and use and loyalty marketing strategies in driving business results.
Brian holds a Master of Business Administration from Miami University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Wright State University.
Since August of 2018, Brian formed a consultancy working with local Cincinnati-based startup companies, providing pro bono consulting on commercial strategy and marketing.
Brian lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife Sarah and two children, Elizabeth (8), and Matthew (5).
Speaking At
