Qantas' data and loyalty hub Red Planet is continuing its rampant recruitment drive by hiring the Standard Media Index's (SMI) global director of analytics APAC and commercial director, Tristan Masters.
Masters, who has been at SMI since 2012, will join Red Planet as senior manager, professional services.
He will be responsible for client engagement, modelling role partnering with clients to deliver customer centric strategies, and data and insights to drive "excellent commercial outcomes".
Masters' Sydney-based role at SMI saw him head up SMI's analytics function globally, and business development throughout the APAC region. The job involved leading client services and sales with major media and financial services clients, acting as the touchpoint for SMI for major media agency partners, and leading the development of analytics tools and engagements for clients.
SMI partners with global media buying agencies to provide independent advertising expenditure data to clients, giving them informed analysis of the media sector.
Red Planet, which was created by Qantas Loyalty, a division of the Qantas Group, in early 2014 and launched commercially in September last year, has clients ranging from National Australia Bank and Avis, to Qantas itself, Dymocks, iSelect, American Express, Budget rental and more.
The business appears to be on a recruitment drive, having scooped some other well-known industry talent so far this year.
In March AdNews revealed that Fairfax Media's head of business development and commercial partnerships, Ben Gunn, was set to join the burgeoning loyalty hub. We also revealed how Nine Entertainment Co's director of programmatic and strategic partnerships, Jeremy Neyman, had left the business in favour of a role at Red Planet.
The emerging data powerhouse, and a somewhat media agency rival, Red Planet tailors services across media, analytics and research to deliver marketing advantages for its clients.
Speaking to AdNews earlier this year, executive manager of insights and innovation at Qantas Loyalty, Vaughan Chandler, said the media campaigns it trialled for Qantas, via Red Planet, were four times more effective than traditional campaigns it had run.
Last month Red Planet also announced it would begin establishing a 100,000 strong research panel. At the time, Chandler, said the new the panel would fundamentally change the face of market research in Australia.
The research panel aims to give businesses and brands an opportunity to look at customer intention, giving them access to industry insight and intention, purchase intention, brand tracking and awareness and product testing.
“We have achieved remarkable results for clients in the media and analytics side of our business and the creation of the research panel is the next exciting chapter in Red Planet’s offering,” he said.
“Clients will be able to engage Red Planet to conduct market research on their behalf and feel extremely confident that the insights will be real and therefore highly valuable to inform their business decisions.
“The panel will be made up of a diverse range of Qantas Frequent Flyer members who opt-in to receive and complete market research surveys, in return for earning Qantas Points.”
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