Today we have selected Jon Iadonisi to take his interview. He is the Founder and CEO of VizSense.
First of all, how are you and your team doing in these COVID-19 times?
We are having our best year yet! Brands are (finally) seeing the benefits of micro-influencers, and given we’ve been in this space for almost a decade, and our clients are heavily leveraging our expertise.
Tell us about you, your career, how you founded or joined this company?
I spent almost a decade in the military and intelligence community, applying computer and social science to national security issues. In the end, they are all ‘people’ issues, and whether you are a jihadist or new car shopper, your cognitive journey is largely shaped by similar methods. This company was designed to provide consumers with the most accurate, credible voices within their industry specialty. All our influencers actually use and understand the product they talk about.
How does your company innovate?
All of our innovations start with our internal team suggestions and ideas. No matter your position in the company, you have a voice and will be heard.
How the Coronavirus pandemic affects your business, and how are you coping?
COVID 19 forced a remote environment and some tough financial decisions. In the end, our amazing leaders are trained to operate with an accountability mindset, and the remote aspect was not as difficult as initially thought. We continue to hire to meet our demand.
Did you have to make difficult choices, and what are the lessons learned?
We committed not to lay anyone off or cut pay. Our team is amazing, and we are committed to ensuring they could still work and support their families, despite our clients reducing budgets during COVID.
What specific tools, software, and management skills are you using to navigate this crisis?
We largely rely on our own software that we invented to maintain our productivity and performance. The unique design allows a single team member to run 5x the work compared to our competitors.
Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?
I would say that influencer marketing platforms are our biggest competition. Interestingly, they have become a commodity and are undergoing a massive consolidation. Our growing social and data science focus continue to elevate us into our own category. We don’t find influencers based on looks or follower count, but real data and real science.
- Spokesperson: Jon Iadonisi
- Company: VizSense
- Website link: www.VizSense.com
