Ben Peters
Creator / Merck

Specialist Direct Marketing Digital Media Agency

Creatormail / MSD

Established in 2005, London-based Creator-Mail Limited is an award-winning digital agency specializing in driving online revenues through creative electronic customer relationship management (eCRM) initiatives across all digital and data capabilities. The company offers services such as consulting, designing, database system integration, and data management.

Creator-Mail’s clientele includes prominent organizations like Virgin Media, Merck Sharp & Dohme, and TUI Group.

In February 2016, Creator-Mail Limited was acquired by Inspired Thinking Group (ITG), a marketing services and technology company. This acquisition enabled ITG to offer a deeper level of marketing intelligence and customer insight to its clients.

The integration of Creator-Mail’s eCRM expertise allowed ITG to enhance its data management capabilities, providing more comprehensive services to its clientele.

Following the acquisition, ITG Creator continued to serve major clients, including Virgin Trains, TUI Holidays, Liberty Global Group, and several global pharmaceutical brands.

The company’s focus on developing CRM strategies and delivering complex, data-led digital marketing campaigns solidified its position as a leader in the digital marketing industry.

Summary

CreatorMail | London/Paris/Brussels | 2009 – 2011

Multi Channel Marketing Project Manager

I led the delivery and development of direct marketing and communications, collaborating closely with key stakeholders and business teams across global markets.

As part of MSD’s Multichannel Marketing Capabilities and Analytics team, I managed the execution of direct marketing and communication strategies across 27 countries in the EMEA+C region. By working directly with senior stakeholders and regional business units, I ensured that marketing campaigns were effectively tailored to align with both overarching business objectives and local market requirements.

Role

Stakeholder Management across multiple European locations.
Technical coordination of product customisation and support of European marketing email campaigns
Account management and support of all client email activities.

Responsibilities

Worked with medical journal the Lancet to deliver high demand content.
Management of requirements, change, quality and risk management within a European and global infrastructure.
Delivery and management of Email Marketing with a combined global delivery rate of over 5 million a month. (35 markets, 15 languages).
Sector leading clients – TUI, First Choice, HMV, Thomson, Late rooms, Merck.

Projects and Achievements

Pharmaceutical B2B Marketing

MSD / Merck

Responsible for the development of data driven and customer targeted communication
Coordinated MSD communications across global, regional and country based business units.
Coordinated the implementation of dynamic content newsletters and marketing campaigns.
EMEA Stakeholder management throughout the planning, development and delivery cycle.
Point of escalation for issues and change requests as well as “business as usual” projects.
Email Marketing campaigns with a combined global delivery rate of over 10 million a month. (LYRIS).

Merck & Co. Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc., known as Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) outside the United States and Canada, is a leading global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Kenilworth, New Jersey. Tracing its roots back to the Merck family’s establishment of Merck Group in Germany in 1668, Merck & Co. was founded as an independent American entity in 1891.

The company focuses on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and marketing of prescription medicines, biologic therapies, vaccines, and animal health products. Its prescription products address various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular diseases, oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, respiratory conditions, and diabetes. Merck also offers a comprehensive range of animal health products, such as vaccines and treatments for livestock, poultry, and aquaculture.

In 2020, Merck reported worldwide sales of $12.6 billion in the third quarter, marking a 1% increase compared to the same period in the previous year. The company’s robust pipeline and commitment to research and development underscore its mission to deliver innovative health solutions globally.

Merck’s dedication to addressing global health challenges is evident through its extensive portfolio and strategic initiatives aimed at advancing disease prevention and treatment for both humans and animals.

Accountable for the definition of SLAs and the reliable delivery of customer campaigns globally.
Managed a dedicated customer support process and helpdesk for issue management and resolution.
Responsible for the product management and development of a SaaS based marketing service.
Change, quality and risk management within a European and global structure.
Global stakeholder coordination, translation of requirements and briefing of internal & offshore development.

European Coordination

Multichannel marketing through multiple resources

Merck/MSD Europe aimed to become the leading name in direct marketing for healthcare professionals across the region. While direct marketing was one component of a broader initiative to establish true multichannel engagement, it played a crucial role in enhancing communication and outreach efforts.

As a global organization, Merck/MSD possessed extensive resources to support its marketing strategies. In my role, I provided strategic consultation on the implementation of direct marketing, leveraging established technologies to drive additional value through advanced metrics, engagement analytics, and data-driven personalization. This included optimizing data warehousing, enhancing the online experience, and delivering targeted content to improve customer engagement.

To ensure seamless execution, I regularly traveled between London, Brussels, and Paris, collaborating with regional teams and contributing to strategic workshops, brainstorming sessions, and key decision-making processes.

Other Projects

A selection from the other significant projects undertaken

CreatorMail | London/Paris/Brussels | 2009 – 2011

Technical and Business Skills

System Architecture
Email Campaign Management
Technical Development lead
Lyris Email
Multi Channel Marketing
Consultancy / Analysis
B2B communications
European and Global Account Management

Lyris

Lyris Technologies

Lyris Technologies – now Aurea Email Marketing – is a leading digital messaging platform that has been at the forefront of the email marketing industry for over 20 years. Lyris solutions empower businesses to engage in meaningful customer conversations, increase conversion rates, and achieve superior returns on marketing investments by enhancing automation, integration, and optimization of customer engagement programs, particularly in email marketing.

The Lyris solutions portfolio features award-winning messaging automation software, digital marketing strategy, and deliverability services, alongside a flexible integration framework that revolutionizes how marketers can scale digital messaging across the entire enterprise. This platform is designed to simplify and improve the process of reaching, engaging, and retaining customers, no matter the size or complexity of the organization.

Lyris offers a comprehensive suite of email marketing tools, including advanced segmentation and targeting, real-time campaign reporting, and dynamic content capabilities. As an industry-leading, cloud-based or on-premise solution, Lyris allows customers to effectively measure and optimize the impact of their campaigns on every device. With mature, field-tested capabilities, Lyris ensures that businesses can execute highly effective, personalized email marketing strategies that drive results, reduce churn, and increase revenue.