“You don’t want to end up on CNN for a whole new problem.” — MAC and Estée Lauder’s Former Global VP of Brand Technology teaches us to speak CIO

Welcome to The Experience Exec, where we take you behind the scenes with some of the marketing industry's greatest experiential leaders and beyond. Subscribe today to get insights, strategies, and more from the executives behind some of your favorite marketing moments.?

We pulled this conversation from our monthly Experience Exec Live event. Our most recent, ‘How to Speak CIO: Experiential Marketing Through a Technology Lens,’ aired June 11, 2024, and can be watched for free at this link or on AnyRoad’s LinkedIn page.?

Beyond the Bottleneck

“For the most part, businesses see tech groups and CIOs as almost a delay — any product or initiative they want to happen has to move fast. Technology needs to support it.”

• Chris Silver has a storied career as Director of Global Retail, Omni Strategy, & International at URBN (Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie Group, Free People & Nuuly) , Global Head of Digital Technology for MAC Cosmetics , the Global Vice President of Brand Technology for 雅诗兰黛有限公司 and Chief Information Officer & Digital Strategy for David Yurman .

Silver was named one of the Top Retail Influencers of 2023 by RETHINK Retail . Fluent in brand and technology, Silver is a unique collaborator and industry expert. With an eye for detail and a passion for logistics, Silver sees beyond the creative to the gears beneath experiential.

• “From a CIO perspective, we know what happens at these events. There’s a lot of pressure on associates and the event people. The main thing we care about is that the event goes smoothly. You don’t want people talking about the weather while they wait for the tech to catch up.”

Going Deeper

Chris Silver has over 14 years of experience in brand tech and charts the course from first partnership to end-of-year tactics. The biggest takeaway he had to share? Cross-collaborate early and often. Read on to hear more about what he recommends:

• On when to bring in IT — “I always partner with the retail operations team to make sure we know about things ahead of time so none of our tech security and adoption ends up being rushed…The main thing we care about is that the event goes smoothly. The earlier, the better.”
• On what IT wants from you — “Time. We know planning for experiential begins well in advance for your events and collaborations, and we want to be a part of it to share our toolbox. Familiarize yourself with the tools we use already there because it’s a smoother learning process for all of us. It’s a really good opportunity to partner on these events.”?
• On advice for CIOs — “Remain curious. Our curiosity has to grow at the same rate as consumer curiosity. Otherwise, you get left behind.”

Want the rest? Watch the full 15 minutes, where we ask Silver:

• How do CIOs approach brand events?
• When you’re working with CIOs for experiential, what are the biggest concerns they’re considering?
• And more!

More Like This

If you’re interested in more experiential education, we've gathered other unique ways to think about cross-collaboration:?

• How to collaborate with data — Sometimes you find your team stuck in a silo; so here are three ways to start breaking down walls.
• Need a checklist for fast cross-collab results? — The Cross-Functional Checklist offers quick and actionable ideas, meeting types, and more to help your team (and everyone else) improve collaboration.
• Get the full range of info — Want more insights? The AnyRoad blog covers all your experiential needs.

See you next time!