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Hi, I’m Yigal van Gelderen. With over 15 years of digital marketing experience on both agency and brand sides, I bring together strategy, creativity, and execution to drive growth. For the past 6.5 years, I specialized in CRM, lifecycle, and retention marketing at Disney+. Now, as a freelance lifecycle marketing & retention specialist, I help brands unlock more value from their existing customers by building stronger relationships, creating effective loyalty programs, and shaping smart digital touchpoints based on real customer data and lifecycle insights.…Hi, I’m Yigal van Gelderen. With over 15 years of digital marketing experience on both agency and brand sides, I bring together strategy, creativity, and execution to drive growth. For the past 6.5 years, I specialized in CRM, lifecycle, and retention marketing at Disney+. Now, as a freelance lifecycle marketing & retention specialist, I help brands unlock more value from their existing customers by building stronger relationships, creating effective loyalty programs, and shaping smart digital touchpoints based on real customer data and lifecycle insights.

Yigal van Gelderen

Digital Marketer, Marketing Strategist, Growth Marketer, +2

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Hi, I’m Yigal van Gelderen. With over 15 years of digital marketing experience on both agency and brand sides, I bring together strategy, creativity, and execution to drive growth. For the past 6.5 years, I specialized in CRM, lifecycle, and retention marketing at Disney+. Now, as a freelance lifecycle marketing & retention specialist, I help brands unlock more value from their existing customers by building stronger relationships, creating effective loyalty programs, and shaping smart digital touchpoints based on real customer data and lifecycle insights.…Hi, I’m Yigal van Gelderen. With over 15 years of digital marketing experience on both agency and brand sides, I bring together strategy, creativity, and execution to drive growth. For the past 6.5 years, I specialized in CRM, lifecycle, and retention marketing at Disney+. Now, as a freelance lifecycle marketing & retention specialist, I help brands unlock more value from their existing customers by building stronger relationships, creating effective loyalty programs, and shaping smart digital touchpoints based on real customer data and lifecycle insights.

Available to hire

Hi, I’m Yigal van Gelderen. With over 15 years of digital marketing experience on both agency and brand sides, I bring together strategy, creativity, and execution to drive growth.

For the past 6.5 years, I specialized in CRM, lifecycle, and retention marketing at Disney+. Now, as a freelance lifecycle marketing & retention specialist, I help brands unlock more value from their existing customers by building stronger relationships, creating effective loyalty programs, and shaping smart digital touchpoints based on real customer data and lifecycle insights.

Skills

Experience Level

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Language

Dutch

Fluent

English

Advanced

Work Experience

Sr. Manager, Customer Engagement, Retention and Product at Disney+ Benelux

August 1, 2025 - October 22, 2025

Developed targeted retention and loyalty strategies, reducing churn and increasing subscriber lifetime value. Designed and executed personalized customer lifecycle campaigns across email, push, and in-app messaging, driving uplift in engagement and optimizing early-life retention. Developed and implemented A/B testing to refine messaging, offers, and segmentation, leading to improvements in conversion and reactivation rates. Owned and optimized customer lifecycle plans for Benelux, aligning local execution with regional and global strategies to maximize efficiency. Collaborated with creative teams to develop compelling content, ensuring brand consistency and audience resonance across lifecycle stages. Partnered with product management to enhance user experience through new feature rollouts, contributing to an increase in active subscribers. Collaborated cross-functionally with product, creative, and CRM teams to ensure seamless execution of lifecycle campaigns across multiple channels.

CRM and Retention Manager at Disney+ Benelux

December 1, 2021 - October 22, 2025

Developed the first customer journey mapping for Disney+, defining key touchpoints and communication strategies to enhance subscriber engagement and retention. Launched and executed the first lifecycle marketing campaigns, sending the very first welcome emails, push notifications, and in-app messages, setting the foundation for ongoing customer engagement. Established data-driven marketing strategies, conducting the first customer data analyses to identify engagement trends and retention opportunities. Tested and optimized early retention tactics, introducing A/B testing frameworks that led to measurable improvements in open rates, click-through rates, and subscriber engagement.

Sr. Marketing Manager at Sony Pictures Entertainment – Film1

January 1, 2019 - October 22, 2025

Developed and implemented a new OTT marketing strategy, aligning Direct to Consumer value propositions with commercial objectives, resulting in new product launch, brand building and subscriber growth. Managed and executed marketing, PR, and communication strategies, increasing Film1’s brand awareness and market positioning as the #1 premium film service. Led and developed the local Film1 marketing team (5 FTE), working closely with Sony Pictures Entertainment’s international teams. Directed the digital transformation of Film1’s communications, restyling the website, app, email marketing, and social media content, enhancing customer experience and engagement. Implemented a digital and mobile app marketing and communication strategy and driving commercial success. Managed external media relationships and partnerships, strengthening Film1’s brand presence and expanding reach through strategic collaborations.

Client Director at De Franse Kamer Digital Agency

November 1, 2016 - October 22, 2025

Led business and media strategy, operations and account management for an agency. Oversaw client relationships, defined strategic direction, and managed end-to-end campaigns to deliver client goals.

Media Planner at MEC (GroupM) & OMD (Omnicom)

September 1, 2014 - October 22, 2025

Provided media planning and digital marketing services for top 100 advertisers. Supported campaign design and media buying across channels, contributing to overall client strategy and optimizing media investments.

Sr. Manager, Customer Engagement, Retention and Product at Disney+ Benelux

December 1, 2021 - August 31, 2025

Developed targeted retention and loyalty strategies, designed personalized customer lifecycle campaigns across email, push, and in-app messaging, and collaborated with product and creative teams to improve user experience and reduce churn. Led A/B testing and lifecycle planning across Benelux, aligning local execution with regional/global strategies.

CRM and Retention Manager at Disney+ Benelux

February 1, 2019 - December 31, 2021

Launched Disney+ global customer journey mapping and first lifecycle campaigns (welcome emails, push, in-app messages). Established data-driven marketing strategies and testing frameworks to improve engagement and retention.

Sr. Marketing Manager Film1 at Sony Pictures Entertainment

December 1, 2016 - January 31, 2019

Developed and implemented OTT marketing strategy, managed marketing, PR, and communications, leading to subscriber growth; Led local marketing team; Drove digital transformation of Film1’s marketing communications.

Client Director at De Franse Kamer Digital Agency

October 1, 2014 - November 30, 2016

Led business and media strategy, operations and account management; Oversaw client relationships and campaigns.

Media Planner at MEC (GroupM) / OMD (Omnicom)

August 1, 2010 - September 30, 2014

Handled media planning and campaign execution for top advertisers; Collaborated with cross-functional teams to optimize media mix and performance.