44: Jeff Meisel of the U.S. Census Bureau knows what counts

It makes all the sense in the world that U.S. Census Bureau CMO Jeff Meisel hails from the American heartland, part of a rural community of ranchers and farmers who count on being counted. More than that, Meisel exhibits a genuine affinity for and attachment to not only our country but data science, too. Which makes him a natural for his role as marketer-in-chief for the Census Bureau.Meisel started his career in the private sector before heading to the government side as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow at the U.S. Census Bureau. That led to a short stint at the U.S. Department of Commerce before he found his way back to the Census Bureau and his current role of CMO. In this podcast, Meisel ranges far and wide, discussing the modern age of the Census Bureau — which will use online gathering of data as a primary channel for the first time in 2020 — while also delivering a mini history lesson on Herman Hollerith's development of early machines that presaged the computer industry and helped modernize the way the census was tabulated in 1890.All that said, for Meisel, on an elemental level, his role is all about making things more accessible and “helping people who need the data get to it quicker.”Highlights from this week's “Marketing Today” podcast include:Meisel is on a mission to deliver better services for our government. (3:27) The Census Bureau and its strong culture of innovation. (7:20)Making data easier to use in today's “app economy.” (8:55)From data scientists to rock-and-rollers: How people are using census data today. (10:17) The U.S. Census Bureau: Increasing data accessibility in the face of daunting scale. (16:06)Meisel discusses the census from a customer acquisition perspective. (19:04)Meisel speaks up for the USA brand — and smaller brands, too. (25:14)Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/marketingtodaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.