CORDIE LACEY
CASE STUDY: The New York Times
0-1 Offer Management System
46%
B2C Revenue Growth
See additional KPIs in the "Results" section below.
Here is what happened...
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Problem: Digital subscription growth was constrained by a slow, manual, error‑prone offer‑creation process that created long lead times, operational waste, and frequent misconfigurations.
-
Action: I led a cross-functional 0-1 product initiative and leadership by conducting deep user discovery, writing SQL queries to bypass data gaps, defining the agile roadmap, managing product backlog and stakeholder collaborations, enabling an automated, scalable platform.
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Impact: The new platform reduced offer‑creation time from 2–3 months to 24 hours, generated over $200K in annual operational savings and increased digital subscription revenue by 46%.
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Summary
Summary
CASE STUDY: The New York Times
0-1 Offer Management System
See additional KPIs in the "Results" shared below.
Digital Revenue Growth
46%
See additional KPIs in the "Results" section below.
Summary
-
Problem: Digital subscription growth was constrained by a slow, manual, error‑prone offer‑creation process that created long lead times, operational waste, and frequent misconfigurations.
-
Action: I led a cross-functional 0-1 product initiative and leadership by conducting deep user discovery, writing SQL queries to bypass data gaps, defining the agile roadmap, managing product backlog and stakeholder collaborations, enabling an automated, scalable platform.
-
Impact: The new platform reduced offer‑creation time from 2–3 months to 24 hours, generated over $200K in annual operational savings and increased digital subscription revenue by 46%.
46%
B2C Revenue Growth
0-1 Offer Management System
46%
B2C Revenue Growth
See additional KPIs in the "Results" section below.
46%
B2C Revenue Growth
Manual Workflows
System Constraints
Engineering Dependency
Major Problem
Manual Workflows
System Constraints
Engineering Dependency
Data Management
Bottlenecks
Time-to-Market (TTM)
Digital subscriptions were being held back by a slow, manual, and error‑prone offer‑creation process that simply couldn’t keep up with the pace of a modern subscription business. Product marketers were required to complete 100‑row Google spreadsheet templates which had no validation, guardrails, or automation, creating constant errors and rework. Marketing Operations had to manually review, clarify, and de‑conflict multiple daily requests across segments, products and various bundles, all without a centralized system to prevent collisions or pricing mistakes. This created endless meetings, long lead times of 2–3 months, and a high risk of misconfigured offers reaching customers. More importantly, the business couldn’t easily respond to competitive shifts or market opportunities in real time, resulting in revenue leakage, operational waste, and a strategic bottleneck that demanded a scalable, automated solution.
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Limited artifact disclosure due to confidentiality and proprietary info
Manual Workflows
System Constraints
Engineering Dependency
Data Analysis
Time-to-Market (TTM)
Bottlenecks
Limited artifact disclosure due to confidentiality and proprietary info
Data Analysis
Time-to-Market (TTM)
Bottlenecks
46%
B2C Revenue Growth
Challenges
Building a 0→1 Offer Management System meant navigating a complex set of organizational, technical, and resource constraints. One of the biggest challenges was the lack of available data analytics support, leaving critical insights about offer performance, segmentation patterns, and historical trends temporarily out of reach. At the same time, I had to align multiple teams: Product Marketing, Marketing Operations, Engineering, Billing, and leadership. Each had different incentives, priorities, and definitions of success. And, a key legacy system we needed to integrate with was fragmented and not clearly documented, increasing technical risk and requiring careful scoping. Delivering this 0→1 platform meant keeping teams aligned, risks controlled, and decisions moving forward, even when the data, systems, and path weren’t fully clear yet.
Collaborating with Engineering to ensure the platform supports experimentation, segmentation, and rapid iteration — critical drivers of digital subscription growth.
46%
B2C Revenue Growth
Key Actions
To deliver this system successfully, I led a highly structured, cross‑functional effort and began by conducting deep discovery across marketing, operations, engineering, and finance to understand pain points, data needs, and system dependencies. When analytics support was unavailable, I partnered with Engineering to gain SQL access and ran my own queries to generate the insights needed for prioritization and data‑model design. I translated business requirements into detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and workflows, and used agile methodology to deliver features iteratively, giving stakeholders early visibility and reducing risk. So instead of spending weeks in meetings debating priorities or reworking unclear requirements, I was able to create a structure that helped key stakeholders get on the same page faster. Throughout the project, I facilitated roadmap discussions, negotiated tradeoffs, presented findings to leadership, tracked funding and resourcing, and ensured every team understood the “why” behind each decision. This combination of hands‑on analysis, cross‑functional leadership, and a structured approach towards execution was essential to driving the system from concept to launch.
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46%
B2C Revenue Growth
Data Management
Bottlenecks
Time-to-Market (TTM)
MVP Definition
Release Planning
Outcome-Based Delivery
MVP Definition
Release Planning
Outcome-Based Delivery
Stakeholder Alignment
Prioritization
Refinement
Edge-Case Coverage
Acceptance Criteria
Definition of Done
Solutions
The solution was a fully automated, scalable Offer Management System that replaced manual spreadsheets with a centralized, intelligent platform integrated across the entire digital subscription ecosystem. We built a flexible data model capable of supporting new offer types, segmentation logic, and pricing rules, and connected the system to CMS, billing, and analytics platforms to ensure accuracy and real‑time visibility. Automated workflows replaced manual reviews, while built‑in validation eliminated errors and reduced operational overhead. The platform enabled much faster experimentation, faster go‑to‑market cycles, and a single source of truth for all offer configurations. By transforming a shattered, manual process into a solid, automated engine, the system empowered teams focused on product marketing, promotions, bundling and pricing to move faster, make better decisions, and scale with confidence.
_edited.png)
Limited artifact disclosure due to confidentiality and proprietary info
MVP Definition
Release Planning
Outcome-Based Delivery
Stakeholder Alignment
Prioritization
Refinement
Edge-Case Coverage
Acceptance Criteria
Definition of Done
46%
B2C Revenue Growth
Results
The impact was significant, unlocking revenue growth, operational efficiency, and unprecedented speed. The new system enabled a 46% increase in digital subscription revenue by allowing the business to launch more promotions, respond to market shifts instantly, and experiment continuously. Automation reduced manual work and engineering dependencies, generating over $200K in annual operational savings. Most importantly, offer creation time dropped from 2–3 months to just 24 hours, eliminating Excel submissions entirely and giving the organization the agility it needed to compete in a fast‑moving digital subscription market. These results were possible because the system delivered exactly what the business needed: accuracy, speed, scalability, and the ability to innovate without friction.
46%
B2C Revenue Growth
"Cordie built and delivered the first end-to-end Offer Management platform that fundamentally changed how we grow revenue — turning a months-long process into a scalable growth engine. She is one of the rare individuals who can operate at the intersection of strategy, technology, and execution and consistently deliver material business results."
- CLAY FISHER
SVP, Consumer Marketing & Revenue
"Cordie led the creation of the first end-to-end Offer Management platform at The New York Times, transforming a months-long process into a scalable revenue engine. Her rare ability to unite strategy, technology, and execution enabled faster growth and exceptionally earned her another NYT Award."
- CLAY FISHER
SVP, Consumer Marketing & Revenue
"Cordie built and delivered the first end-to-end Offer Management platform that fundamentally changed how we grow revenue — turning a months-long process into a scalable growth engine. She is one of the rare individuals who can operate at the intersection of strategy, technology, and execution and consistently deliver material business results."
- CLAY FISHER
SVP, Consumer Marketing & Revenue
"Cordie led the creation of the first end-to-end Offer Management platform at The New York Times, transforming a months-long process into a scalable revenue engine. Her rare ability to unite strategy, technology, and execution enabled faster growth and exceptionally earned her another NYT Award."
- CLAY FISHER
SVP, Consumer Marketing & Revenue
Different Industries. Different Domains.
Same Results.
EFFICIENCY * GROWTH *
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
Case Studies
Real problems. Real Challenges. Real Solutions.
18% Drop in Cart Abandonment
I redesigned the purchase flow using data and experimentation to reduce friction and recover high‑value revenue.
21% Conversion Lift
I led integration of a major systems and AI models increasing lead generation and operational efficiency.
Major Problem
Digital subscriptions were being held back by a slow, manual, and error‑prone offer‑creation process that simply couldn’t keep up with the pace of a modern subscription business. Product marketers were required to complete 100‑row Excel templates which had no validation, guardrails, or automation, creating constant errors and rework. Marketing Operations had to manually review, clarify, and de‑conflict multiple daily requests across segments, products and various bundles, all without a centralized system to prevent collisions or pricing mistakes. This created endless meetings, long lead times of 2–3 months, and a high risk of misconfigured offers reaching customers. More importantly, the business couldn’t easily respond to competitive shifts or market opportunities in real time, resulting in revenue leakage, operational waste, and a strategic bottleneck that demanded a scalable, automated solution.
.png)
Challenges
Building a 0→1 Offer Management System meant navigating a complex set of organizational, technical, and resource constraints. One of the biggest challenges was the lack of available data analytics support, leaving critical insights about offer performance, segmentation patterns, and historical trends temporarily out of reach. At the same time, I had to align multiple teams: Product Marketing, Marketing Operations, Engineering, Billing, and leadership. Each had different incentives, priorities, and definitions of success. And, a key legacy system we needed to integrate with was fragmented and not clearly documented, increasing technical risk and requiring careful scoping. Delivering this 0→1 platform meant keeping teams aligned, risks controlled, and decisions moving forward, even when the data, systems, and path weren’t fully clear yet.
Collaborating with Engineering to ensure the platform supports experimentation, segmentation, and rapid iteration — critical drivers of digital subscription growth.
Key Actions
To deliver this system successfully, I led a highly structured, cross‑functional effort and began by conducting deep discovery across marketing, operations, engineering, and finance to understand pain points, data needs, and system dependencies. When analytics support was unavailable, I partnered with Engineering to gain SQL access and ran my own queries to generate the insights needed for prioritization and data‑model design. I translated business requirements into detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and workflows, and used agile methodology to deliver features iteratively, giving stakeholders early visibility and reducing risk. So instead of spending weeks in meetings debating priorities or reworking unclear requirements, I was able to create a structure that helped key stakeholders get on the same page faster. Throughout the project, I facilitated roadmap discussions, negotiated tradeoffs, presented findings to leadership, tracked funding and resourcing, and ensured every team understood the “why” behind each decision. This combination of hands‑on analysis, cross‑functional leadership, and a structured approach towards execution was essential to driving the system from concept to launch.
.png)
Limited artifact disclosure due to confidentiality and proprietary info
Vision
Scope / Trade-Offs
Feasibility
Dependencies
Scalability
Integrations
Solutions
The solution was a fully automated, scalable Offer Management System that replaced manual spreadsheets with a centralized, intelligent platform integrated across the entire digital subscription ecosystem. We built a flexible data model capable of supporting new offer types, segmentation logic, and pricing rules, and connected the system to CMS, billing, and analytics platforms to ensure accuracy and real‑time visibility. Automated workflows replaced manual reviews, while built‑in validation eliminated errors and reduced operational overhead. The platform enabled much faster experimentation, faster go‑to‑market cycles, and a single source of truth for all offer configurations. By transforming a shattered, manual process into a solid, automated engine, the system empowered teams focused on product marketing, promotions, bundling and pricing to move faster, make better decisions, and scale with confidence.
Limited artifact disclosure due to confidentiality and proprietary info
MVP Definition
Outcome-Based Delivery
Prioritization
Refinement
Release Planning
Limited artifact disclosure due to confidentiality and proprietary info
Stakeholder Alignment
Acceptance Criteria
Edge-Case Coverage
Definition of Done
Results
The impact was significant, unlocking revenue growth, operational efficiency, and unprecedented speed. The new system enabled a 46% increase in digital subscription revenue by allowing the business to launch more promotions, respond to market shifts instantly, and experiment continuously. Automation reduced manual work and engineering dependencies, generating over $200K in annual operational savings. Most importantly, offer creation time dropped from 2–3 months to just 24 hours, eliminating Excel submissions entirely and giving the organization the agility it needed to compete in a fast‑moving digital subscription market. These results were possible because the system delivered exactly what the business needed: accuracy, speed, scalability, and the ability to innovate without friction.