Vonage prides itself as a first mover and leader in "The Internet Phone Revolution", and serves a dual target of residential and business customers. The company has a broad product suite of service offerings and plans, including, but not limited to, area code selection, toll free numbers, fax numbers, Web and email-based voicemail, as well as account management tools that allow users to customize their service offering online. In addition, Vonage also offers "virtual numbers" in Mexico, Canada and throughout Western Europe; this offering is particularly compelling for businesses with an international client base that want a lower cost and robust alternative to traditional Telco service.

Further, the company offers Vonage-enabled devices, such as analog telephone adapters, which convert analog audio signals into digital data packets for transmission over the Internet; integrated adapters and routers; integrated cordless phones; WiFi phone, a pocket-sized wireless Internet phone; and V-phone, a USB compatible device that runs a seamlessly integrated "soft-phone" application on a computer, and coupled with internet access, provides a fully functional and portable telephone with low-cost access to the worldwide telephone network. Vonage also supports the porting of a telephone number in the US via the FCC's Local Number Portability (LNP) initiative.

Vonage's value proposition is very compelling; essentially, the company offers value added telephone service with a pricing model that is designed to save the average consumer hundreds of dollars a year when compared to traditional phone service. Vonage is also the only major VOIP provider that allows customers to pay either by credit card or via checking account. The big challenge for Vonage--keeping the Vonage brand relevant in an Internet phone market now dominated by cable companies like Comcast (CMCSA) and Time Warner Cable (TWC)--and a broader Telecom market where more households are abandoning home phone service for their cell phones.

Since its launch in 2001, Vonage has completed well over 5 billion calls and has defined the VOIP category through its aggressive and effective consumer marketing in the United States, Canada, UK and other countries globally. As of December 31st, 2008, Vonage had more than 2,000 employees, revenues in excess of $830MM, and more than 2.6 million subscriber lines in service. The company markets its services directly, online, and through such major retail partners as Wal-Mart and Best Buy, among others. Vonage is headquartered in Holmdel, NJ. For more on the company, please visit www.vonage.com.

The mission for this new "Senior Director, Consumer Insights" is to create sustainable competitive advantage for Vonage by delivering fact-based consumer/customer understanding and Insights that facilitate speed and accuracy of strategic and tactical decision-making across all critical parts the organization. This executive will build the department from scratch and hire a small team of seasoned Researchers (including full-time hires, and external contractors and suppliers) to carry out the mission. Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, this position is expected to have significant influence on the brand and company's strategic direction and product/service mix, based upon Consumer Insights, qualitative and quantitative research, market trends, and what happens along the competitive landscape.

Scope of Responsibilities

• Functional Guidance - Overall management and supervisory responsibility for the Market Research and Consumer Insights function within Vonage. Projects include segmentation research, concept development (e.g., product, advertising, promotion) and testing, advertising testing, product (e.g., UI) research, brand awareness studies, consumer satisfaction and other tracking studies (e.g., brand health), distribution and channel analyses, pricing studies, conjoint/discrete choice studies, and a variety of other qualitative and quantitative research projects.

• Insights Leadership - Work closely with Senior Management, Marketing, Advertising/Media, Product Management, IT, and other teams, to understand market needs and mine for commercially-valuable insights. Provide timely insights and recommendations on important industry and consumer trendsand competitive activitieswhich could impact company strategy and business decisions. This work will include a thorough analysis of wired, wireless and Internet markets around the world, to help model the future for the U.S. market, and how Vonage can create sustainable, competitive advantage.

• Project Management - Design, field, and interpret primary and secondary Market Research studies to meet organization needs; select (rationalize) and manage all Research vendors to ensure studies yield meaningful and actionable results. Set objectives and priorities for Research, and create feasible delivery schedules for the collection, analysis and interpretation of data/findings. Establish and manage the Research group's annual operating budget.

• Team Development - Direct the efforts of the Market Research team, in conjunction with other intelligence and data-gathering units of the company (internal and external), to optimize the Research and analytical capacity of the company as a whole. Organize, supervise and develop the Market Research, Consumer Insights and Competitive Intelligence capabilities and emerging staff; ensure each team member acquires and enhances appropriate skills and project-based experiences, to foster ongoing, professional development.

Performance Measures

• Delivery of strategic projects (quality, timing and budget metrics)
• Delivery of other personal MBO's (established with the CMO)
• 360-degree feedback from key, internal and external business partners

Reporting Relationship

The new "Senior Director, Consumer Insights" will report to Ms. Jamie Haenggi, Global Chief Marketing Officer for Vonage. In her role as CMO, Ms. Haenggi is responsible for spearheading a more unified Marketing approach at Vonage, in-line with the company's announced strategy of improving its competitive position in the marketplace. Jamie joined Vonage in November, 2006, coming from ADT Security Services, where she was Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. Prior to ADT, she served as Head of Marketing and Acquisition Integration at Holmes Protection. Before Holmes Protection, Haenggi was the Director of International for National Guardian, where she was responsible for Sales and Marketing, and setting up international distributors in Southeast Asia. Jamie graduated from the University of Minnesota (BA, International Relations & Japanese).

Staff

Initially, this person will be a Research department of one (internally), but as the business grows, and as Research/Insights proves its own ability to pay-out, resources will be added as needed. This Insights leader will also have the flexibility of contracting with a variety of suppliers, consultants and agencies, as needed.

Key Internal/External Relationships

• Sr. Director, Media
• Sr. Director, Brand & Advertising
• VP, eCommerce
• VP, Retail & TeleSales
• VP, Marketing Operations
• VP, Business Development
• VP, UK
• Variety of Agency Partners

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary
• Annual incentive bonus of 30%
• Aggressive stock option grants
• 401K
• Vacation and paid sick/personal leave
• Subsidized on-site fitness club membership and meals
• Comprehensive health care benefits
• Relocation assistance to Holmdel, NJ (if/as needed)

Experience Base

• CPG - Managed Research and Consumer Insights at the Brand or Category level for a global, blue-chip Consumer Goods/Services company (e.g., Unilever, Nabisco, P&G, Colgate, PepsiCo etc.) with demonstrated expertise across both primary and secondary research methodologies.

• Faster-Moving Vertical - Ideally, additional industry experience in a fast(er)-moving, direct-to-consumer sector like Wireless, Telecommunications, Consumer Electronics, Technology, Media, or Financial Services.

• Supplier-Side - Ideally, operated in a Research/Insights role for a major custom research firm (e.g., NPD, Millward Brown, Burke, TNS, etc.), or in an Analytics/Research role for a major syndicated data company (Nielsen, IRI, Yankee Group, IPSOS, IMS, etc.).

• Primary & Secondary - Demonstrated experience with both Primary and Secondary research, including design of qualitative and quantitative studies (conducted by phone, the Internet, groups or 1-on-1's), and specific experience in Advertising testing and New Products (Concept/C&U, BASES, Test Mkt.) required.

• Team Development - Experience and proven success hiring, training and developing staff (direct reports), and proven success "training" and "influencing" cross-functional/internal clients. This commitment to development should extend to external Research partners as well.

Required Skill Set

• Analytics and interpretation
• Strong Marketing toolkit
• Thought-leadership
• Communication and persuasion
• Creativity and resourcefulness
• Leadership through influence
• Analysis and interpretation of data through a commercial lens
• Relationship-building and emotional intelligence

Desired Personality Traits

• Intellectually curious and inquisitive
• Passion for problem-solving
• Service-orientation
• Committed to truth and objectivity
• High-level of personal accountability
• Commercial orientation
• Strong work ethic
• Executive (boardroom) presence

Search Contact

David Wiser
Principal Partner - Cincinnati, OH Office
david@wiserpartners.com
513.919.4000 (M)