Scientific Games Corporation has announced that Merv Huber-Calvo has been named 2021 CRM Executive of the Year in the Heptagon Awards for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Digital Marketing Excellence by Optimove.
Huber-Calvo, Director of ilottery Growth Marketing for Scientific Games, was recognised for his work on the Pennsylvania Lottery’s ilottery customer relationship management program. His team was also nominated for 2021 CRM Team of the Year for its work on the program.
This was the inaugural year for Optimove’s Heptagon Awards, which honour the most inspiring digital CRM campaigns, teams and marketers across hundreds of professionals and well-known brands spanning many industries.
With 15 years of work in online game entertainment, Huber-Calvo led CRM for the record-breaking Pennsylvania ilottery program and helped Scientific Games grow the lottery’s online/mobile sales to $1bn in less than two years.
His team cooperates with seven US lotteries, implementing digital marketing strategies to engage with players and responsibly grow both digital and retail lottery sales.
Varda Tirosh, Chief Customer Officer for Optimove, said: “There’s one thing that makes the difference between great and incredible teams: superstars. Our Individual Awards category is where Optimove singles out specific people who led measurable growth by planning, orchestrating, measuring and optimizing hundreds of personalized CRM marketing campaigns.
“Merv continuously leads his team to test and experiment, leverage data to optimize marketing strategy, and find ways to stand out. His vast experience in CRM combined with his sharp and analytical mindset makes him an undisputed leader in the space.”
Optimove provides a CRM marketing hub that helps promotional and data-centric brands intelligently scale their CRM marketing by gaining a stronger understanding of customers and organising multichannel marketing campaigns, leveraging advanced AI.
Pat McHugh, EVP and Lottery Group Chief Executive for Scientific Games, added: “We are so proud of Merv and his entire team for their outstanding work for our lottery customers’ digital programs. This significant recognition in global digital marketing outside our industry validates that great work and results. Merv is a dynamic and creative leader.
“His out-of-the-box thinking helped the Pennsylvania Lottery make ilottery history and maximise the performance of all our customers’ digital programs including loyalty and online promotions.”
Huber-Calvo manages a CRM team that applies segmented multi-channel marketing campaigns and promotions to drive player engagement and retention for all Scientific Games digital programs including ilottery, loyalty and second-chance solutions. The company’s investment in this critical discipline and team over the last several years ensures its lottery partners have the right expertise to help facilitate their growth initiatives from retail to digital.
Under Huber-Calvo’s CRM leadership, his team helped grow the Pennsylvania Lottery’s online/mobile sales to nearly $1.7bn since the launch in May 2018, increasing 72% from 2019 to 2020 and helping the lottery return maximum proceeds to support vital state programs for older citizens. The growth is continuing with record revenue in January 2021 at 103% higher than the previous year.
