Auction.com has named John Ken senior vice president of marketing. He will work to grow the platform’s buyer base and expand its marketing technology, with a focus on bringing more qualified buyers to properties the marketplace sells.
Distressed property investors make up the core of that base, leader said. Ken plans to widen it with education paths for buyers new to the process and with channels including SMS and the mobile app.
“We have a huge opportunity to drive education and assist individuals to become successful buyers and sellers,” he said. “That’s part of our responsibility to set people up for success.”
Ken comes to Auction.com from Experian, where he was head of customer lifecycle and marketing technology for a base of more than 80 million U.S. consumers. He previously worked in e-commerce, publishing and enterprise technology, including IBM.
“Credit is an incredibly complex topic which carries a high responsibility to support consumers at key financial moments, much like distressed real estate,” Ken said. “The skills and marketing experience I built in that world are extremely portable here.”
Mike Kilander, chief operating officer at Auction.com, said Ken’s experience matches what the marketplace needs.
“John brings the performance marketing and data discipline that our marketplace growth strategy needs right now,” Kilander said. “His experience building education and lifecycle programs at scale will help us reach more buyers and get them ready to participate with confidence.”
Other priorities for Ken include building marketing capability and improving how the company applies models across buyer touchpoints, with a “next best action” model to prepare first-time and early-tenure buyers.
The role also covers digital marketing across paid media, search, lifecycle, product marketing and data science and working with product, data and sales teams.
This article was generated using HousingWire Automation and reviewed by a HousingWire editor before publication.
