Idil Cakim

Founder & CEO, Iris Flex

Idil Cakim has devised marketing and communication strategies for Fortune 500 companies and non-profit organizations for 20 years. She is the author of the book Implementing Word of Mouth Marketing: Online Strategies to Identify Influencers, Craft Stories and Draw Customers (Wiley), as well as numerous industry briefs and articles on media insights, brand and audience strategies.

Cakim has been a public speaker on media trends, influencer marketing and communications with diverse audiences. She has been widely quoted in trade journals and newspapers such as Adweek, CNet news, CBS Market Watch, San Jose Mercury News, Chicago Sun Times, Harvard Business Review, the Financial Times and the New York Times. She was selected ‘Digital Communicator of the Year’ by PRNews.

Cakim is the Founder and CEO of Iris Flex, a research agency focused on thought leadership research and content marketing. She also serves on the Ad Council’s Research Committee.

Previously, she was the Head of Research and Insights at Audacy, a leading multi-platform audio content and entertainment company, and VP of Media Analytics at Nielsen, overseeing advertising and brand communication effectiveness measurement for advertisers across sectors. She was also a VP of Client Development at NM Incite – a Nielsen / McKinsey company, identifying and amplifying business opportunities in social media for clients.

Prior to her roles at Nielsen, Cakim was a Senior Vice President in the global PR agency Golin’s digital practice and a Director of Burson’s think tank—the Knowledge Development group.

A native of Istanbul, she holds an M.A. in Communication from the Annenberg School at University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Sociology from Bryn Mawr College.