Bob Rupczynski

Bob Rupczynski 

Vice President Media, Data, CRM

Kraft Foods Group

Bob Rupczynski was hired at Kraft in August 2012 as Vice President of Media, Data and CRM to help make the foods giant nimble, and move from a standard 9-month media planning approach to real-time thinking with daily decisions that tie back to sales.

His first step in transitioning the 100-year-old company to becoming a more agile marketer was to build a new infrastructure that does not look like any organizational framework currently in place at a corporation that can boast over 27 brands each generating more than $100 million in sales. . At the heart of the process is driving business value, and insuring that marketing activities lead to purchases.

Kraft, of course, is one of the largest consumer packaged food and beverage companies in North America, with annual revenues of more than $18 billion. Kraft launched as a public and independent company on Oct. 1, 2012, after spinning off its global snack operation as Mondelez International Inc. The grocery division continues to carry the Kraft name, and includes such brands as Oscar Mayer, Planters, JELL-O, Maxwell House, Velveeta, Philadelphia, and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.

To make this happen, Bob had to collapse all departments, teams and specialists that touch upon media, data or CRM into one department with application across the entire organization. This took roughly 8 months, and involved numerous legal and privacy issues, along with dramatic changes to corporate infrastructure. Silos are one of a number of impediments to real-time marketing, which must be collaborative and multidisciplinary by nature. His team provides a data and activation overlay that can enhance product sales and relevant consumer interactions.

Through Bob Rupczynski’s encouragement, Kraft’s marketing evolution is moving from being campaign-focused to always-on. There is greater emphasis on responding to change, rather than simply following a plan. Plus there’s a shift in focus to individuals and interactions, instead of process and protocol.

Prior to taking on this new role at Kraft, Bob Rupczynski served as Global Director of Digital Marketing for the Wrigley Company in Chicago for four years, working with brands like Skittles, Lifesavers, Starburst, and Altoids. Earlier, he spent seven years in global digital marketing at Alberto Culver.