What lasts, matters.
I help brands build valuable customer relationships.
Yigal van Gelderen I Lifecycle marketing, loyalty & retention specialist
Hi, my name is Yigal
With over 15 years of digital marketing experience on both agency and brand side, I bring together strategy, creativity, and execution. 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. I do this by building stronger customer relationships, creating effective loyalty programs, designing relevant campaigns, and shaping smart digital touchpoints and always based on real insights from customer data, behavioral analysis, and lifecycle interactions.
I enjoy working across different disciplines because collaboration leads to better ideas. My curiosity helps me uncover new opportunities, while my focus on results ensures that strategies don't just look good on paper but truly drive growth, loyalty, and customer satisfaction.
If you're looking for someone who not only delivers results but also uplifts those around him, Yigal is your guy!Robert van Trigt - Former Head of Disney+ Benelux
I hired Yigal into Sony and didn't regret it for one moment!Jason Coward - Marketing Director Sony Pictures Entertainment
My Services
CRM &
Retention Strategy
I help develop strategies that drive long-term customer relationships and growth. The focus is on retention, loyalty, and activation, powered by insights from multiple data sources.
Lifecycle &
Loyalty Marketing
I design and optimize email flows, loyalty programs, and product experiences that activate, retain, and engage customers. Not only through campaigns, but also by improving UX and product features.
Optimizations &
Execution
I strengthen your team with the right hands-on support. I build, send, test, and improve campaigns and customer journeys and ensure data-driven optimization so that campaigns keep improving.
How I work
CRM &
Retention Strategy
- Analyze lifecycle touchpoints, customer behavior, churn drivers & customer value (CLV)
- Explore segmentation & personas
- Develop retention & loyalty strategies
- Create KPI frameworks & roadmaps
- Deliver insights & recommendations for marketing, UX, and product teams
Lifecycle &
Loyalty Marketing
- Build lifecycle flows such as onboarding, activation, retention, and win-back
- Develop customer campaigns
- Improve loyalty programs
- Conduct friction analysis & UX recommendations
- Optimize in-product activation & onboarding
- A/B test flows, journeys, and campaigns
Optimization &
Execution
- Implement in ESPs including Salesforce, Braze, and Klaviyo
- Build emails, push notifications, segmentations, copy, and test scenarios
- Manage campaigns end-to-end
- Provide hands-on interim or project-based support
My Experience
CRM Marketing
- Leading and developing the first customer journey mapping & marketing strategy
- Setting up the very first lifecycle & engagement campaigns
- Growing retention & loyalty programs through A/B testing and data analysis to increase subscriber volumes
Head of Marketing
- Developing a new marketing strategy & brand positioning for Film1
- Launch campaigns for the new DTC streaming service & Film1 rebrand
- Creating a data-driven acquisition & retention strategy across all channels to drive growth
Digital Media
- Developing media strategies & yearly plans based on data analysis
- Executing & coordinating digital media campaigns
- Monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing campaigns for maximum reach or conversion