Nicole McInnes takes top marketing role with mobile telco Ovo
Former Pandora, eHarmony and WooliesX marketing director, Nicole McInnes has joined Ovo as the telco’s first chief marketing officer.
McInnes’ appointment follows Southern Cross Austereo taking a $5m stake earlier this year in the company described by founder Matt Jones as a ‘hybrid telco’.
McInnes: Ovo’s first chief marketing officer
McInnes is the first executive appointment for Ovo since the company was founded in late 2015. She joins the company after stepping down from Woolworths’ digital arm in April after seven months in the role.
Ovo’s ‘hybrid’ mobile phone business model – which launched services in late 2016 – provides data-free allowances for the consumption of entertainment and ‘Ovo content’ for sports and entertainment fans, in addition to family-friendly plans using the Optus 4G network.
“The day of the telco becoming the broadcaster has been a long time coming. Ovo knows it, and is ahead of both industries in making it happen,” McInnes said in a media statement.
“As a digital marketer who has been fortunate enough to get paid to indulge my deep interest in content and human connection that media represents, Ovo is an exciting opportunity. This is a company that for all its success to date, is still in its early stages, with so much more creativity and creation to be undertaken to help it really take off.
“I think I’ve joined Ovo just at the right moment, as it prepares to unleash its patented machine-learning AI video platform, and continues to escalate both its mobile business and exclusive digital sports and entertainment content partnerships. It’s going to be a fast, exhilarating ride.”
The company launched a TV campaign last month, the first project by SCA’s in house content agency, The Studio. The campaign featured a parent describing their home internet struggles.
CEO Matt Jones added: “From a standing start in late 2016, Ovo has attracted more than 60,000 mobile subscribers. More than 1.5m fans viewed our unique content in 2017. We’ve proven the model works and have established a successful business, but we’re just getting started.”
“I’ve known Nicole for many years. It was her experience inspiring consumers on behalf of digital native companies that were pioneering machine learning algorithms, that convinced me she was right for Ovo.
“I’ve been after her to join since this business was just a concept. I have never met a marketer who matches commercial acumen and analysis with creative passion the way Nicole does, which is exactly what we were looking for in a CMO.
“That a business of Ovo’s size and youth can attract someone of Nicole’s experience speaks volumes for the opportunities we’re creating for this business. I’ve seen what Nicole’s achieved for other businesses that have benefitted from her stewardship and creativity, and I’m excited to see the impact she has on Ovo,” Jones said.
