Software & Tech Awards 2020 | 15 Best Integrated Marketing Channel Connectivity Solution 2020 Established in 2015, Five Tier, Inc. is today’s most comprehensive, intelligent marketing automation solution on the market and the world’s leading Connected Media TM platform. We caught up with Frank O’Brien to find out more. hether you are a basement dreamer or a Fortune 500 brand, Five Tier aims to take the guesswork out of marketing your business, as Frank is keen to explain. “Using our award-winning software as a service, Five Tier Connect, self- serve and managed service clients benefit frommicro-targeting down to an individual or audience and engagement across every possible marketing channel, from tv, radio, and out of home to social, email, mobile, direct mail, and telephony. Our micro-buy, cost-per-play billing model is ushering in a new era of media buying, levelling the playing field for all in a similar way to when online media shifted from cost per thousand (CPM) to cost per click (CPC) due to a similarly trackable and attributable technology.” Competing in the field of intelligent marketing automation can be a daunting prospect for some, however as Frank informs us, the company’s experience and proven business model have arguably been the two most telling factors behind its success. “At Five Tier, we walk the walk having largely built the required roads before there were any cars. Based on this, we know them better and have had more time on the track so to speak. Fortunately, we have some amazing industry partners who share similar “let’s change the world” values. People on the front lines of leading tech, true programmatic, emerging media, are some of the most amazing human beings I have ever come across. Three or so years into the Five Tier journey, we were at a low point and largely off a cliff. Then pieces started falling into place and few knew where we were at the time, but those pieces lifted me, and collectively us, up off the mat without even knowing it. So, I’ve realised that one could have the best technology in the world, but the relationships with likeminded people are arguably more valuable than any idea or technology.” Taking the time to reflect on his own personal journey, Frank is keen to share the remarkable path he took which led him to the position he is in today. Frommarketing household name music artists to being the head of a department. “When I started my career, I achieved my life dream of working in the marketing department of a record label. Being a self-taught programmer, I would build tools to run parties and send press kits. After a few years of living my dream of marketing some of the world’s most well-known artists, I realised the industry was dying because of file sharing so I took a job at an advertising agency, Deutsch Inc. Low and behold I went frommarketing “bands” to marketing well known “brands”, but similarly used my technology background to do my job better and over deliver for our clients. “Fast forward past another agency stint, I was fortunate to join a company when it was a team of five and be a big part of its core, until it was around eighty years old as its Head of Creative and Interactive Development. “When I found myself philosophically disagreeing with the industry fragmenting, I decided to consult companies on how to integrate all channels in a way that intelligently communicated with consumers based on interactions they had already had with a brand. This is where the seeds of Five Tier were born. One week of consulting on this principle turned into three clients, 15 employees, and an office on Fifth Avenue. “Five years in, I found myself on a runaway train on the tracks I was trying to disrupt with 60 people, global clients and three floors in an office building. I made the decision to somewhat consciously, wind down the agency, consolidate the tech, and birth Five Tier in 2015. The story of my mission all along to integrate all communications channels so that they were able to target, engage, and attribute success in the most efficient and effective way has come the full circle, to challenge the status quo, be resilient, and embrace change.” Bringing the interview to a close, Frank envisions what the future holds for Five Tier, touching on how far the company has grown since its inception, and where he hopes it will go in the years to come. “With every new year we are excited about the challenges and opportunities it might bring. Ever year our business, our technology, our relationships, and our team gets better so we are looking forward to the road ahead. In 2021, with the pandemic hopefully largely behind us we hope to continue with international expansion, feature enhancements and client growth.” Company: Five Tier, Inc. Contact:
[email protected] Website: www.fivetier.com W Oct20376