Thought leader spotlight: Nick Hassebrock

August 7th, 2019 | Nick Hassebrock

Behind the data are our world-class thought leaders. Over the next month, we will be introducing you to the people responsible for Comperemedia’s industry expertise. 

Nick Hassebrock is a Senior Research Analyst for Comperemedia. Nick merges industry news, company reports, and marketing data together to create insights for the financial services industry.

Q: What topics do you specialize in? 

A: The general finance industry, as well as branding strategies. 

Q: How did you get to where you are now? 

A: After working in education for a couple of years, I realized that marketing might be a better fit. I’ve always been interested in looking at how people process new ideas, and so there’s fortunately been a lot of carryover from my past work. My first big jobs were at Groupon and Chase. I threw myself into any marketing projects I could find, from product marketing analytics, to writing email copy, to assisting PR teams with story pitches. I learned a lot, failed a lot, and kept pushing forward to sharpen my skills. 

Q: If you could have lunch with anyone in your industry, who would it be and why? 

A: Al Ries, who help re-establish the importance of positioning within marketing. I’ve read nearly all of his books and I’ve always learned something new about marketing, as well as business analytics. I’d love to pick his brain about his time at GE.

Q: Tell us about a brand campaign or shift in strategy that has recently caught your eye?

A: American Express has been doing some very interesting things lately. Their Member to Member program is focused on family/ friend referrals for new card sign ups, as opposed to broader mass marketing. Referrals from people you already know is such a great, natural way to find new cardholders. I also thought that their Rose Gold card promotion hit on some many great marketing fundamentals. Some of these included the use of the very popular rose gold color, and making it a limited time offer. It was a smart move by the company, and appears to have worked because they’re bringing it back. 

Q: What is your favorite part about your job?

A: Digging into company presentations to try and get a look into the Why companies are doing what they’re doing. This helps connect the dots between what we’re seeing in marketing to what the company wants to be doing. It’s a lot of fun, and can be very valuable for our clients.

Q: Last but not least- tell a fun fact about yourself. 

A: I’m an actor who performs at various theaters in Chicago.