One minute with: Lee Wilson Head of SEO @ Vertical Leap

This week’s unmasked marketer is Lee Wilson, Head of SEO at Vertical Leap. Wilson cringes every time “synergy” accidentally tumbles into his digital vocabulary and thinks a balanced mix of AI and human expertise will fuel stronger marketing decision making this year.

Find out what happens when you give marketers seven questions and one minute to explain what inspires and motivates them.

 

What do you want to be remembered for?

Professionally, helping search and digital marketing more accessible for people regardless of their current experience levels. Personally, being a good dad, husband, son and human being.

 

What’s your favourite quote?

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” – Albert Einstein

 

What makes you wake up in the morning?

My daughter, Sophia – usually before 6am, or my alarm clock on a gym day, by about 5am. A sunny day also works great.

 

Who’s your biggest inspiration?

My mum and dad (cheating with more than one answer), who instilled from day one, the need to work hard and be a positive impact whenever you can. Also, my wife and child, who inspire me to become a better person every day, something I fail at regularly, but always aspire to achieve.

 

What’s going to be big in marketing this year?

Deep data combined with expertise. This includes the broader application of machine learning and artificial intelligence to help specialists make efficient sense of the new depth of information available to them. It’s an evolution that is already happening – expert liberation for highest value focus.

 

What’s your least favourite “buzz word”?

I fall into the trap of using a few buzz words myself, which people love to remind me about, but I always cringe when ‘synergy’ is used regardless of context.

 

What was your favourite digital campaign from 2014?

It has to be the ‘ALS ice bucket challenge’. Not only did this raise over 100 million dollars for a great cause, but it inspired people to personalise it for a myriad of other charities too. It did ruin social media for a period through over exposure, but many great concepts suffer from this side effect.

 

Lee is Head of SEO at Vertical Leap, and has headed up digital marketing departments since the early 2000’s. He’s enjoyed delivering search marketing success to businesses from start-ups and SMEs, through to multinationals and global brands and still enjoys the challenges that this brings.