Settling In
In this installment of our Ei series, Kieran reflects on what caught his attention after years in agencies, ad tech and data—and why Fusion92’s connected approach to marketing stood out in a crowded landscape of point solutions.
Kieran Dunn
VP, Growth
Kieran is a sales and media strategist who helps brands navigate the evolving data, ad tech, and omnichannel marketing landscape. He advises organizations on audience strategy, activation, and measurement to drive smarter growth and marketing performance.
When I received a recruiter's message on June 17, I initially glanced at it and moved on with my day. Was it another bot? What the hell is a Fusion92? I came back to it several hours later, glanced at the recruiter and confirmed yes...an actual person this time…thanks, LinkedIn! The immediate timing helped, and that's another story, but I shined up the resume.
Several weeks later when I happily and wholeheartedly agreed to join the team, I was obviously more enthralled. Between 2010-2020, I spent 11 years at two media planning and buying agencies. From there, and like many in this post-COVID era of AI marketing disruption and consolidation, I had a few more stops than usual over the last six years — working at three marketing data and identity companies (some more prominent than others).
What immediately grabbed my attention
Fusion92 is a data and identity provider. Our foundation centers on identity and audiences. We are backed by the entire Experian Data and Identity Graph, paired with ~10 other data and identity partners. But unlike most other identity and martech companies, Fusion92 is a full-service agency as well. We manage nine figures of omnichannel media — and best, we can use our identity spine to curate audiences across channel, onboard and activate, and use the same identity layer to measure performances against actual client results. Many independent media buying and creative agencies don't have the full-scale identity solutioning that we do. Creative and personalization at scale? Check. CMS and CRO, along with SEO & AEO? Check 1, check 2 (sibilance, sibilance).
Marketplace fit
As our comprehensive solutions may well indicate, we operate like a mini-holdco. From my vantage from afar and not having known of Fusion92 prior, founder/CEO Matt Murphy and the team have been quietly building. For Murphy, I am sure it's been anything but quiet. But after five acquisitions between 2019-2023, they're on to something. As for me, I've been searching for my work home via Chicago for a little bit now...and like the Fall, I am settling in. We realistically aren't a fit for much of the Fortune 500 (data aside). We most definitely have not been invited to the Pepsi and Coca-Cola® holdco game of musical chairs. And that's fine. I will say, my hope is we'll be a bit like the Indiana University football team, in that you didn't see us coming.
My 45-day perspective on what the hell a Fusion92 is
Like all companies, there is work to be done and efficiencies to be gained. But the team here has seemingly fused together most of the 92 elements from a theoretical marketing periodic table into one connected system for our client partners. Regardless of any brand's size, marketing teams are sick of one-off point solutions, tired of having too many martech systems, vendors, IDs and beyond. Fusion92 pairs items such as audience intent data with activation and measurement. This tends to work really well and is akin to capturing that elusive “Moby Dick” drum solo…I mean whale…that most marketers are chasing.
Back to me, of course, just one more time though: After six years of fully remote work, the daily catered lunches and Thursday happy hours do not have me regretting being in-office (three days a week, anyway). Working at The Merchandise Mart downtown, right on the Chicago River, is kinetic; and happiness is non-negotiable. Like all the best things in life, it's been the people and establishing some real connections. Reach out if you ever want to (re)connect on anything at all. To directly quote Chicago's Jeff Tweedy this time: “I'll be around.”
