Today, on International Women’s Day, we’re proud to repost one of our most popular blogs: an interview with Digital Additive’s President and Co-Founder, Roxana Shershin, as she explains her vision for the company, its strengths, and what sets us apart.
Tell us a little bit about who you are and what do you do at Digital Additive?
I’m Roxana Shershin, President and Co-Founder. My focus — and my passion — is around Strategic Planning and Data Architecture. It’s about bringing our team’s experience, training and talent to deliver real value for our clients.
What is Digital Additive?
Digital Additive is one of only a handful of agencies devoted to email marketing and our focus is understanding data to create meaningful email experiences. Founded in 2012, we’re based in Atlanta, GA. Each month we’re creating, managing and deploying hundreds of campaigns and customer journeys for both B2C and B2B clients that include Carter’s, The Home Depot, Oldcastle Architectural Products and WeWork workspaces, plus many others.
What would you say sets Digital Additive apart from other firms who support email marketing?
At Digital Additive, we know meaningful email experiences don’t happen by accident. At its core, the kind of email that has a significant and lasting impact is really… well… just a conversation. A smart AND thoughtful conversation. After all, everybody likes to talk to (and hear from) someone who is genuinely interested in what they have to say.
We’re excited to connect with people, curious about what makes them tick — and a bit nerdy when it comes to understanding the data they generate.
But we aren’t just changing the email conversation for the consumer, we are also striving to revolutionize the experience for our clients. In today’s digital environment, companies collect enormous amounts of data. But only some can transform that information into results — using that data to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time.
With today being International Women’s Day, how do you feel your role as a woman in leadership impacts the marketing landscape?
It is interesting. Marketing is often considered a female-oriented field — and in many respects it is. But when you take a deeper look, you quickly find that the women in marketing are often the “do-ers”; marketing leadership is still predominantly male. And at the crossroads of marketing and technology where Digital Additive sits, I find there are even fewer women involved in the conversation.
I’m glad to have a voice in this conversation — not just as a representative of our company, but also as a woman in leadership — and keenly aware of the accompanying perceptions and responsibilities it carries. I hope to continue challenging the expected face of leadership while opening the door for younger women.
Do you have any women in leadership roles you look up to?
To be honest, I’m not one to look up to someone I don’t know. I find that all too often that results in idolizing the perception of someone rather than being an admiration rooted in reality. If there is a female leader that I’ve always admired and tried to emulate, it would be Maribett Varner, President and Co-Founder of Atlanta agency BKV.
To this day I will always say — without hesitation — that she is one of the smartest, most compassionate and strongest women I’ve had the pleasure to know and work with. Not only is she a great business person, I was always amazed and inspired by how she is able to truly find a balance between her work and family life.
Finally, why should someone want to meet with Digital Additive?
We blend ingenuity, creativity, technical expertise and innovation to add real value to our clients’ business. It’s pretty simple… their success is our success. And we work hard to drive the strongest ROI in the digital toolbox. It’s our commitment to email and ability to understand our clients’ data and pair that with smart strategy and great execution that sets us apart.
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Digital Additive is proud to have a woman and trail-blazer as forward-thinking as Roxana leading our team. This International Women’s Day, we count ourselves among the many women-led companies proud to #BeBoldForChange and encourage people to get involved in exciting industry networks championing women’s leadership.
