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In today’s customer-obsessed world, it’s easy to talk about personalization, omnichannel journeys, and “data-driven CRM.” What’s harder is bridging the gap between strategy and execution — actually making those visions real. Few people understand that tension better than Ryan McGuire, who has spent two decades leading CRM and customer analytics efforts from both the client side (Carter’s, Luxottica, Bob’s Discount Furniture) and the agency side (including 8451, Kroger’s analytics arm).
We sat down with Ryan as part of our Data Leaders Uncovered series to explore what it really takes to build CRM capabilities that drive results — and why the real work lies in connecting insight to action.
Ryan has had a rare vantage point. At 8451, he helped Kroger segment millions of shoppers and quantify the ROI of communications. Later, on the client side, he helped brands like LensCrafters build internal CRM centers of excellence to bring that capability in-house.
“I’ve been on both sides — I know the pressure of proving CRM value quarter after quarter. And I’ve also seen how it looks from the outside. That empathy helps in both directions.”
On the agency side, Ryan values the variety and pace of learning. On the client side, he appreciates the control and continuity. His key takeaway: CRM success requires both mindsets. Strategy without delivery doesn’t move the needle. Execution without insight leads to waste.
When Ryan joined Luxottica, the company relied heavily on agencies to run CRM. LensCrafters had the data, but not the internal muscle to activate it effectively.
“It was a bit like the Wizard of Oz with the agencies. We wanted to pull back the curtain and say: we can do this internally. Cheaper, better, and with more transparency.”
He helped build an internal center of excellence, shifting from external dependence to internal ownership. The result: faster turnaround, deeper insight, and more alignment between customer strategy and business priorities.
Ryan’s favorite ROI measurement methodology is simple but powerful: the Global Holdout Group. A statistically representative group of customers is withheld from all CRM communications — creating a clean control group.
“It’s the cleanest way to prove your CRM efforts are working. When your treatment group consistently outperforms the holdout, you’ve got evidence — not anecdotes.”
Few teams use this rigor consistently. But it’s exactly the kind of blocking and tackling that separates high-performing CRM teams from the rest.
Ryan also highlighted how AI is changing team dynamics. CRM teams once spent 75% of their time on execution; now that’s flipped — with more time available for deep insight and optimization. That’s where real value is created.
Ryan believes we’ve passed the peak of loyalty program enthusiasm. Consumers are overwhelmed, and often enrolled in dozens of programs with little motivation to engage.
“The value exchange has to be clear. Just offering points isn’t enough anymore.”
That said, loyalty isn’t dead. He points to Kroger’s fuel program as a model that combines clear economic value with behavioral incentives. Brands that lead with relevance and utility, not just gamification, will win.
Ryan’s experience reveals a deeper truth: the best CRM leaders today are bridge-builders. They connect teams, systems, and strategies. They balance insight with execution. And they know how to spot smoke and mirrors — because they’ve seen both sides of the table.
“You want to get to 1:1 personalization? Great. But you’ll never get there without clean, trustworthy data and real analysis capacity. That’s the hard part — and the valuable part.”
His advice: invest in foundational capabilities, prioritize customer insight, and develop fluency in both marketing and data. That’s how CRM becomes more than a channel — it becomes a growth engine.
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