Cablefax The Magazine - July 2011 - 32

INDEPENDENT MARKETER OF THE YEAR
Cathy Kuo
WOW!
When it comes to marketing, WOW! CMO Cathy Kuo taps into her company's greatest resource: its
1,300 employees. " We try and make sure everyone is mindful that they are literally the face of the
brand, " Kuo says.
WOW!, which provides Internet, cable and phone service to communities in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio
and Indiana, gets so much positive feedback from customers regarding its employees that Kuo and
her team made them the stars of a WOW! Moments-themed marketing campaign. Television commercials
hailing WOW!'s staffers (with anecdotes culled from customers) began airing this summer. WOW!
customers can also share praise via the WOW! Moments microsite.
Why give customers such a big voice in WOW!'s marketing efforts? " We estimate roughly forty
percent of our sales come from word of mouth, " Kuo
shares. " So it doesn't really matter what I tell you we
do. What really matters is what your friends and family
and neighbors tell you what we do. "
While customers rave about WOW!'s employees, Kuo's
colleagues at WOW! have nice things to say about her,
too. " Cathy is amazing. It is not often you fi nd a marketing
professional who has exceptional balance between
analytics, creative development, strategic planning,
tactical implementation and inspiring leadership qualities.
She is the consummate professional who quickly builds
trust and respect from all those who interact with her, "
says WOW! CEO and president Colleen Abdoulah, who
is also vice chairwoman of the American Cable Association.
" Never mind that she fi nds time to complement all
these admirable attributes doubling as a cheesy karaoke
lounge singer. "
Kuo is passionate about karaoke. In fact, she
FAST FACTS
■ Previously known as WideOpenWest, WOW! is privately
owned by Avista Capital Partners.
■ WOW! has won a dozen J.D. Power and Associates
awards for customer satisfaction over the last eight
years and has also been recognized by Consumer Reports
each year since 2007 with a #1 ranking for a variety of
its services.
■ WOW!'s corporate culture is founded on four core values:
respect, integrity, accountability and servanthood.
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recently performed at WOW!'s annual leadership conference,
which has featured a karaoke night in
recent years.
Wonder whose idea that was...
Kuo's favorite song to sing? Actually, she has
two: " Don't Stop Believin' " and " Sweet Caroline. "
We had to ask.
Back to Kuo's marketing career, she started off
in brand marketing at The Quaker Oats Company
before getting into the cable business at TCI and
later AT&T Broadband. She joined Denver-based
WOW! in 2001. " It's the best gig that I think I'll ever
have, and the sheer joy it's brought to me and my
family is incredibly special, " Kuo says, adding,
" Maybe a little 'aw shucks' corny, but true. " ■
-Christine Champagne
July 2011
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