Joe Hasenzahl Joins MaxMedia
Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
Joe Hasenzahl has joined Atlanta-based MaxMedia, a digital retail design agency that produces digital and interactive content to motivate today’s always-connected shopper, as executive vice=president of business development.
Hasenzahl, who recently held key executive roles at Creative Realities, will continue to be based in Los Angeles.
The appointment greatly enhances MaxMedia’s role as a full-service digital retail experience agency, given his expertise and experience in technology, marketing and retail environments.
“One of the reasons MaxMedia attracted me so much was that I love the idea of being able to focus on stores,” says Hasenzahl. “Yes, CRI deals with retail content, too, but also with hardware and operations. Here at MaxMedia, the focus is on content, strategy and measurement. I’m not an agency guy, so I’m able to bring a fresh perspective.
“MaxMedia is interested in the message, and, to it, wherever commerce is involved, whether it be specialty retail, malls, big box stores, automotive, transit, or whatever, that’s retail to us. I’m responsible for business development and the message coming from MaxMedia.”
MaxMedia is 18 years old and works with such major clients as AT&T, Home Depot, Cisco and Cupcake Winery, among others.
“We’ve reached the tipping point regarding how the significance of in-store digital media and its message can really differentiate and enhance the shopping experience,” says Hasenzahl. “The industry has reached a critical phase where the economics are making sense and retailers are no longer looking solely at short-term sales at any cost. It has become an absolute must to provide a compelling digital retail experience as millennials become a large slice of the customer base.”
At Creative Realities, where the marketing technology firm focused on supporting retail environments, Hasenzahl’s experience in blending brand, technology, environment and operations into a seamless and measureable digital shopping experience was central to his success with retail clients. In previous roles with Ripple Networks and Universal Studios, he also successfully drove new technology initiatives to accelerate transitions to digital retail and media systems, including point-of-sale applications and advertising-funded digital signage networks.
This depth of marketing and technology experience will be essential to moving MaxMedia’s vision for providing elegant, unified, omnichannel brand experiences forward, given that approximately 80% of in-store technology budgets today are reportedly coming from marketing departments. Hasenzahl will also help educate MaxMedia clients on the value of delivering both engaging content and detailed metrics that offer insight into the success of a harmonious digital retail experience. He makes it a practice to gather data from the ‘point of decision’ instead of the point of sale as the key to building successful ongoing strategies inside the store.
“Joe brings a creative and entrepreneurial spirit to MaxMedia as a service and solution-oriented leader with proven success in retail,” says Keehln Wheeler, founder and CEO of MaxMedia. “His ability to drive in-store strategy, implement technology and communicate the overall impact to the store significantly powers our ability to build stronger connections between the retailer and the shopper, and helps the retailer make intelligent decisions through actionable data and analytics.”
Follow DailyDOOH