As the child of immigrants, Adrien Lopez Lanusse recalls being a “cultural ambassador” to his French and Mexican parents.
“I was an interpreter—not just with language. I tried to understand how they could be relevant to different audiences,” Lanusse says. “My dad was a gardener, and there was an entrepreneurial spirit in the home, which helped me understand target audiences and not try to be one thing to everybody.”
It’s a skill Lanusse has used to considerable success.
From 2012 to 2021, he was the first vice president of consumer insights at Netflix, leveraging consumer insights to grow the company from $2 billion in annual revenues to $25 billion. He also helped the streaming giant expand to 190 countries.
“Traditionally, research data came from surveys or interviews. Now there are additional sources, whether it’s behavioral data or unstructured textual data in the social media space,” Lanusse says. “The expanded tool chest gives an accurate depiction of customers. It’s not just who they are and what they do but what motivates them.”
These days, he’s a consultant and adviser at ALL Insights in San Mateo, Calif., where he helps companies ranging from startups to large tech firms better understand audiences and develop strategies to drive business. The work makes a transaction feel “personal” to customers, he says.
“Algorithms allow us to create a product that adapts to an individual’s needs, but that alone doesn’t make it feel personal,” he adds. “Having a product that is relevant but feels like it comes from a human and not a machine is something a lot of companies strive to do.”