Want marketing magic? Kinjil Mathur, global CMO at Squarespace wants you to forget the numbers

Data may be great at helping businesses anticipate the needs of its customers, but it shouldn’t be the driving force in marketing decisions, said global CMO at Squarespace Kinjil Mathur.

Creativity, out-of-the-box thinking and marketing magic is at its best when operating with a “data-informed” mindset and not a data-driven one, according to top global marketer at Squarespace, Kinjil Mathur.

With the rise of big data and cloud computing expanding big data possibilities even further, matched with the pressure to know more about consumers in order to better target and personalise communications, the role of the gut feeling for marketers and power of creativity can be sidelined. But as chief marketing officer at the American website building and hosting company, Ms Mathur argues that while data is important and helps the business anticipate the needs of its customers, creativity plays a vital role too.

Squarespace dropped its second major Australian ad campaign in May this year. “The Gunna Do It” spot features Donna and her unique ways to make money.

“I believe in operating with a data-informed mindset not a data-driven one,” Ms Mathur said.

“People have a misconception that all marketing decisions are made through algorithms or collected data.”

New York-based Ms Mathur says she values the idea of curating, editing, and presenting a distinct point of view that has been influenced by data while leaving room for the “magic that can come when you are open to outside-the-box thinking”.

She says encouraging her team to think this way has allowed Squarespace to enter into partnerships with brands such as Netflix and non-profit Sesame Workshop, which is responsible for the production of educational children’s programs such as Sesame Street.

Founded in a dorm room at the University of Maryland, US, by Anthony Casalena in 2003, New York Stock Exchange-listed Squarespace allows users to create customisable websites or online stores. As well as offering social media and marketing tools, the brand has scooped awards and made lists such as Comparably’s Best Places to Work in New York Metropolitan Area 2022.

Squarespace has partnerships with brands such as Netflix and non-profit Sesame Workshop – which is responsible for the production of shows such as Sesame Street.

Ms Mathur, who says current challenges for marketers include adapting to conscious consumerism, new business models, new channels, world events and the role of a brand in a consumer’s life, has been at the business for more than five years.

A marketing priority for the business has been about building and strengthening its muscle around empathy, by being empathetic to the customers’ journey.

“Marketing has changed over the course of my career. When I first started, marketing was a function often brought in as a ‘band-aid’ to fix problems,” Ms Mathur said.

“It’s now a strategic thought partner and key business differentiator that can help grow an idea into a sustainable business.”

Ms Mathur, who says she is passionate about marketing campaigns that marry social impact with business impact and give opportunities to under-served and under-represented voices, says giving back to your community is an integral part of marketing these days and it has the power to be incredibly impactful if executed authentically.

“The Ideas Man” Squarespace ad from May this year features Gazza.

“I have a responsibility as a leader to ensure that the work we do from a marketing perspective empowers our customers and is representative of the world we live in,” she said.

On a personal level, Ms Mathur’s family immigrated from India to Texas so she understands first-hand the importance of representation in marketing.

“That is why I ensure that campaigns we launch are tailored to the community and market we’re speaking to, and that they are reflective of the diverse world we live in,” she said.

Ms Mathur, who has worked in marketing at businesses such as Conde Nast and Saks Fifth Avenue, sees marketing as having the privilege of speaking directly to the millions of people who use its product, and creativity is key to its success.

“We believe in the power of the individual to make great things and this is what our marketing celebrates too,” she said.

“We know our customers depend on our platform and often come to us for creative solutions, tips for growing their business and ways to stand out online. With that in mind, creativity helps a brand stand out and cut through the noise.

“It’s something that we prioritise not only for our own brand but for our customers’ brands as well.”

Famed for its Super Bowl ad hits, with the most recent featuring HBO TV show Euphoria star Zendaya, in Australia the brand has rolled out two ad campaigns. Playing into its 2021 globally launched “Everything To Sell Anything” brand platform, its first-ever Australian-specific “Make a Name for Yourself” campaign rolled out in May 2021 and channelled the unique Australian phenomenon of giving and receiving nicknames.

In May this year it released “The Gunna Do It” spot featuring character Donna and her unique ways to make money, and “The Ideas Man” ad starring Gazza.

Ms Mathur says while some may know Squarespace for its Super Bowl campaigns that feature notable talent, that doesn’t make up for a majority of the work the team does.

“Marketing doesn’t always have to be a high-budget spectacle in order to capture awareness and drive meaning,” she said.

“Customers want to feel connected and understood, no matter what stage they are in their entrepreneurial journey.”

She says its best work is campaigns and marketing initiatives that have an impact on communities and resonate with people, such as the Make It Awards which give entrepreneurs and creators $30,000 to help expose and elevate their businesses.

The awards were launched in Australia this year, with Ms Mathur adding that international expansion continues to be a focus for Squarespace, with Australia being an important market.

In addition to the latest ad campaign, Squarespace last year made its first head of marketing Australia and New Zealand by recruiting former Uber and Diageo marketer James Rollin.