Danny Gardner, head of social intelligence for the U.S. and North America at Haleon, received the Advertising Club’s Honorary Award.'s “Young Professionals” Gardner has been a pioneer in the field of social intelligence and analytics. The Drum spoke with Gardner to discuss his journey to success and his vision for the future of social intelligence in the marketing industry.
Danny Gardner is head of US and North American Social Intelligence at Haleon, a leading consumer healthcare company whose innovative approach to social analytics is transforming the industry.
With a background in data science and a passion for social intelligence, Gardner is uniquely equipped to incorporate technical expertise into marketing. Under his leadership, Haleon's social intelligence team has implemented advanced techniques ranging from cluster analysis to semantic modeling.
Already named to The Drum's Future 50, Gardner is committed to using cutting-edge technology to power social listening capabilities that drive effective marketing strategies. His pioneering efforts earned him the Advertising Club's “Young Professional” award. The Drum sat down with Gardner to discuss his journey so far and his vision for the future of social intelligence in marketing.
As Haleon’s Head of Social Intelligence for the US and North America and a recent recipient of The Drum’s Future 50, what successful initiatives have you led recently?
We continue to benefit from a best-in-class social intelligence team that leverages a balance of in-house analytics and self-service data via always-on tools. We've become more intentional and strategic about how we use this data, and we're boiling the ocean a lot less than we used to.
Cluster analysis, semantic modelling and trend spotting are some of the powerful techniques we have deployed to our team that allow us to gain deeper insights faster than ever before, which is crucial for large companies like Haleon and the larger CPG/FMCG space.
We take great pride in our best-in-class social listening capabilities.
This year we are upgrading our measurement methodology. We've had measurement methodologies before, but now we run social analytics across our entire portfolio, giving us our most holistic view yet. This brings together social listening (voice of customer/UGC), organic social, and influencer marketing into one framework.
We're honing our skills now, when optimization has never been harder. Should we prioritize TikTok? Short videos? Which demographic of influencers? Is Facebook still a good option for organic social? Do we need paid ads, but organic? What's the best mix of KPIs? Many of the answers we're looking for are in the numbers.
Last year, I shared my journey from data scientist to social intelligence expert with The Drum. What emerging trends in technology, marketing and retail do you think will shape your industry and how do you feel about them?
I mention AI here because it’s still in its infancy in my line of work. I couldn’t be more serious about AI’s ability to revolutionize social listening. Currently, my role, and others like it, involves gleaning insights from millions of data points on social media, especially when it’s full of emojis, inside jokes, slang, and other tricky elements that AI currently struggles to discern.
I see AI as a complementary means to automate and delegate tedious but necessary tasks (such as writing Boolean queries, flagging spam, summarizing mentions per day, etc.), freeing up time to focus on higher-level reasoning, analysis, and strategy.
Despite TikTok's challenges with direct purchases and live shopping in the US, e-commerce still has a lot of potential. I oversee ratings and reviews, so I have some perspective on the convergence of social and e-commerce. It's oversaturated, with both creators and brands upselling, creating decision paralysis. Combined with the record inflation we're experiencing, people have less disposable income to spend on non-essential items (though Olive Garden cheese graters are cool). There are a lot of negative forces working against TikTok's (and other companies') vision of improving social commerce.
But we will get there. The digital buying experience is so streamlined these days, it's only a matter of time before it becomes second nature over social.
What advice would you give to other “young professionals” looking to break into your field?
One of the smartest moves I've made in my career was to start writing about my work and career on LinkedIn. When I first joined in 2015, LinkedIn was an entirely different site and the creator economy wasn't what it is today. The barrier to content creation has never been lower.
What I do is extremely niche in the marketing world, but that won't always be the case. It serves as a great diary, a reference point for others, and a unique perspective that can't be replicated. I've learned that slowly building my following over time can open doors that normally wouldn't be accessible to me.
It has allowed me to take on many speaking and leadership opportunities, including serving as a judge for The Drum's Social Media Awards. It's like compound interest; I put content out there once and it keeps paying me back. Or maybe I should have used the fine wine analogy.
Either way, this is the biggest piece of advice I give to others and those I mentor: let your content (i.e. your experience) speak for itself. You'll be amazed at what can happen with a little bit of luck, sincerity, and hard work.
How do you feel about being awarded the title of “Young Professional”?
It's a great honor, and I hope it doesn't sound too awkward, but it's especially special to receive this award alongside industry giant Shelley Lazarus. I feel the same way about the other recipients, Suzie Jaramillo, Tiffany Warren and Elizabeth Rutledge, all of whom are incredibly accomplished marketing and advertising executives.
Although I have had a lot of success early in my career, these incredible women remind me that I still have so much to learn and that my best days are still ahead of me.
What exciting prospects lie ahead for your career and what are you most looking forward to?
I'm excited about the opportunities that my personal brand is creating – a new wave of B2B influencer marketing is on the way, and I'm excited to be part of it, especially as a tech expert, SaaS power user, and leader in the space.
And no, we won't ignore the B2C brands! We'd love to work with Lenovo (for personal computing), Notion (for task management), Celsius (for the boost we need to crunch numbers and analyze social), and American Express (Elizabeth, if you're reading this!).
Naturally, I was analyzing myself and with guidance from other creatives, I realized the possibilities were endless.
For more information about the “Advertising People of the Year” awards, click here.
