The power of highly personalised Marketing. Pioneering ABM

With over 18 years in marketing and growth, I’ve developed my skills the old-fashioned way, through use cases, experimentation, and results. Back in 2012, when there was no ChatGPT for research and segmentation was fragmented, email was the most advanced piece of tech in a marketer’s toolkit. That environment forced me to build innate marketer instincts, a kind of “muscle memory” that allows me to turn any product or growth opportunity around using a repeatable formula.

One of the clearest examples of this was my time working with Vodafone Italy, where I was tasked with reaching 11 different nationalities and communities across the country.

The challenge: Launching new product corridors and driving SIM Vodafone My Country activations within highly diverse, hard-to-reach communities.

My approach:

1. Data-driven targeting – I started with ISTAT (the Italian National Institute of Statistics), analysing their annual publication on how different communities were distributed across Italy. This helped me pinpoint the cities with the highest concentrations of my target audiences.

2. Channel strategy – I built partnerships with top points-of-sale for SIM cards and money transfer services, knowing they were trusted touch-points and had the strongest customer footfall.

3. Activation design – I created commission schemes, deployed dedicated activation points, and hired a task force to drive local execution.

4. Community advocacy – I partnered with cultural associations, embassies, and consulates, sponsoring national events to boost Vodafone’s visibility and credibility.

5. Personalised campaigns – I localised all materials into 11 languages, ensuring each community felt directly addressed.

The result: In the first month alone, Vodafone saw a 400% uplift in SIM card activations versus target. This success established me as one of their go-to experts for new corridor launches.

The formula I took away (what we now call ABM):

• Data-driven targeting

• High-impact distribution channels

• Advocacy & relationship building with influential partners

• Personalised campaigns at scale

Fast Forward to 2018. LAUNCHING ABM at Worldpay

By 2018, the term ABM (Account-Based Marketing) was gaining traction, but very few companies had put it into practice at scale. At Worldpay, I had the opportunity to design and execute the company’s first ABM campaign, a high-stakes initiative targeting the top global travel "booking" platform during a competitive RFP process.

The challenge: The travel company was looking for a third payments provider, already working with our main competitors , and not entirely satisfied with their current setup. Winning this account would be a game-changer.

My approach:

1. Audience segmentation – I identified and mapped out key decision-makers and influencers inside The Travel Company across Payments and eCommerce roles.

2. Channel strategy – I built a multi-touch campaign using LinkedIn ads, sponsored content, and InMail, alongside personalised email blasts from Worldpay leadership.

3. Content personalisation – I deployed tailored assets (travel industry case studies, Travel Mobile Payment Reports, product webinars related to the RFP) designed to speak directly to their KPIs and priorities.

4. Geo & social targeting – I focused the campaign around Amsterdam (the company's HQ), ensuring visibility at the right place and time.

5. Performance tracking – Every touchpoint was measured through Salesforce campaigns, enabling real-time optimisation.

The results:

• Email engagement rates more than double industry average (52–57% open rates vs ~20% benchmark).

• LinkedIn engagement up to 50%, with thousands of impressions and video views.

• The Travel Company buying group interacted with personalized content across multiple channels, reinforcing Worldpay’s positioning as the right partner.

• Most importantly: Worldpay won the RFP.

This success transformed ABM from an experiment into a new marketing channel across the business, influencing how Worldpay approached strategic accounts thereafter. It also earned me an honorary mention for ABM Innovation by B2B Marketing as one of the Top 20 Women Making the Biggest Impact in Tech.

The formula hasn’t changed, data, channels, advocacy, and personalisation still drive growth. What’s changed is the toolkit, and AI will only yield results when it’s in the hands of marketers with the instincts and muscle memory to use it—humans are still the loop.