Biography
Kathy Daly-Jennings: On integrating marketing and tech savvy
When Google was but a fledging company, the Internet search and advertising behemoth developed a number of tenets for success. Kathy Daly-Jennings 94MBA, Google’s head of industry for the retail practice, says that strategy was front and center from the start. “Number one on the company’s Ten Things We Know to Be True list,” Daly-Jennings says, was “Focus on the user and all else will follow.” Number ten on that list, she adds, was “Great isn’t good enough.” Or in other words, “you have to constantly do something new and continue experimenting.” Her personal managerial strategy, she notes, is to empower employees to do the right thing and avoid focusing on the competition.
Daly-Jennings is responsible for a team that delivers advertising sales and support to some of the largest retailers in Google’s southeastern region, including JCPenney, The Home Depot, and RadioShack. Her twenty-plus years of experience in marketing include brand building and traditional agency experience, as well as interactive marketing—all skills that play into her work today. The biggest lesson learned over the years, Daly-Jennings says, is that a cutting-edge tech firm needs to remember the fundamentals of marketing. She credits Goizueta for giving her a firm understanding of both worlds.
The two-pronged strategy makes sense, she notes, but employing it on a day-to-day basis in such a large organization can be a challenge. Daly-Jennings argues that for Google, it makes sense to give employees a measure of autonomy, saying, “We put great stock in our employees, who are energetic, passionate people from diverse backgrounds with creative approaches to work, play, and life.” When it comes to critical decisions, she explains, it helps to be part of a flat organizational structure where top management can come into contact and exchange ideas with staff.
Cooperation is encouraged in other ways, too, whether it is getting staff to eat together by offering free food
in the office, providing access to game rooms, designing glass-walled conference rooms, or setting up low-walled cubicles. “There are not a lot of physical barriers; there are no offices at Google,” Daly-Jennings says. “My cube is a bit larger than others, but nothing screams manager. They really believe in collaboration, and the work environment is set up for that. ”
One might think that given her managerial duties at the tech giant and frequent business travel, Daly-Jennings would welcome diversions from the digital world. But her work life seems to bleed over to her interests at home. “My guilty pleasure is buying electronics,” she says. “I tend to invest quite a bit, especially in new laptops and tablets.” Daly-Jennings is adding Google’s new Chromebook Pixel to the list. “It’s funny, but my husband once told me I needed a hobby.”