DENNIS GONIER

Biography

Intro
Dennis has served as CEO of several marketing research and consulting agencies. He is recognized as a digital strategy pioneer. He has started and turned around small, medium and large firms as CEO, senior executive and entrepreneur. He now serves as valued adviser and consultant to America’s executives. Dennis has confronted all types of challenges with remarkable, consistent success.

Core Competencies
Dennis has spent over 20 years working directly in business and product strategy, marketing, customer service, research, analytics and digital innovation. He knows how to analyze problems and challenges. He has a deep and broad grasp of marketing. He is a trained social scientist and can assess, design and execute any form of marketing research and advanced statistical analysis. He understands sales and customer service like few others having directly and successfully led huge operations — and improved dozens more. He tackles business problems and opportunities with a root cause mentality that is action-oriented, pragmatic, encouraging and innovative. “So sharp that it takes him little time to cut to the chase.”
He was named one of “Top Ten 21st Century Stars who are changing the face of consumer intelligence and marketing” by American Demographics. Valedictorian Graduate of Austin College (1983) with BS in Political Science; Hatton Sumners Scholar. Graduate work in Social Science at Institute of Urban Studies, Univ. of Texas. Quoted in the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Advertising Age, several books, and research journals. He is a gifted and sought after public speaker

Knowledge Framework
Dennis’ career track is defined by applying skills in riveting, challenging experiences. He served for seven years as CEO of TARP Worldwide turning around a 40-year-old venerated customer agency once praised by Tom Peters “as perhaps America’s best.”

At the peak of the Internet revolution, he was on the inside of America Online as Executive Vice President. He has been credited with a key role in dramatic turnaround of AOL after TW merger and thru 2005. At the start of 1995, Dennis saw the Internet’s potential and became Founder and CEO of Digital Marketing Services (DMS) the first successful online marketing services company. He patented and launched online research and digitally-based loyalty programs. AOL bought DMS in 1999.

Before his Internet pioneer days, Mr. Gonier help a leadership role in the growth and success of The M/A/R/C Group as Senior Vice President. He helped establish the firm as the premier provider of marketing research and database marketing services. He co-found, stood up and helped run Targetbase Marketing, one of the first, and now premier, database marketing agencies. Omnicom bought The M/A/R/C Group and Targetbase Marketing.

Defining Experiences
Dennis’s view of change management was defined and proven at America Online. He has been credited with helping AOL change its business practices and he delivered over $1BB in incremental profit in 3 years. He invented “retention marketing” at AOL, cut churn in half, eliminated problems responsible for over 175K calls per day and directly helped put the first 1MM U.S. HHs on broadband. He helped change AOL while the world around AOL changed.

Dennis’ view of innovation forged into his reputation when he changed the marketing research industry. The Advertising Research Foundation called him Founding Father of Online Research – today, 70% of all marketing research is conducted online as he predicted. To this end, he did the work of scientist and evangelist; he defined and set the standards, and then forever changed the business by establishing alliances to advance online research. “Dennis’ innovative thinking completely changed and now dominates the marketing research industry.”

Practice Models
Customer centricity; data-driven decisions; differentiation; servant leadership; innovation; partnerships; financial analysis; common sense.

ARTICLES BY DENNIS GONIER