With extensive experience across insurance marketplaces and performance-driven customer acquisition, Tom Groux serves as Interim General Manager of the P&C division at Digital Media Solutions. Known for his practical approach to growth and partnership development, Tom has worked closely with carriers, agencies and marketing partners to build strategies that balance scale with long-term value.
In this Q&A, Tom shares his perspective on how the P&C market is shifting, where agencies should focus their acquisition strategies and how strong partnerships can help drive sustainable growth in today’s performance-focused environment.
1. You recently stepped into the role of Interim General Manager for the P&C business at DMS. What are your immediate priorities for the team and the business?
I’m extremely excited to join the DMS team and get a better understanding of operations. My main priorities are getting to know the team and identifying areas of opportunity that, with my knowledge and experience in the industry, I can help outline for short term wins and some potential medium to long term strategies and gains.
2. The P&C insurance market has faced significant disruption, from carrier appetite shifts to rising acquisition costs. What challenges are you hearing most often from agencies right now?
The P&C insurance market has been on a bit of a rollercoaster over the past few years following the pandemic, and it’s still working through the recovery process. The market tends to ebb and flow as carriers shift strategies, sometimes prioritizing quality by focusing on lower volume and stronger lifetime value (LTV) of policies, and other times pivoting back toward driving higher sales volume. Current market conditions and trends appear to be placing greater emphasis on the quality of traffic and LTV, bringing increased attention to ROI and overall performance.
3. How can a data-driven marketing partner like DMS help agencies navigate challenges and create more predictable growth?
I think, given current conditions in the market and the industry’s focus on quality, the best approach is to really drill down on our acquisition strategy by focusing on our funnels, diversifying our direct partnerships and doing our best to control the quality of traffic. This also means continuing to grow our SEM and SEO traffic, targeting the right consumers through our social media strategies and maintaining strong guardrails for third-party traffic.
4. What does a successful partnership with DMS actually look like for an agency and how do you see the team implementing that in 2026?
The best partnerships are built on trust and give and take. Building that trust allows agencies and partners to invest in quality traffic with us, while still operating within the constraints of their ROI metrics. In 2026, my main focus will be helping our agencies better align with our quality owned-and-operated traffic so we can truly deliver the high-quality product agencies are asking for.
5. When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your time?
When I’m not working, I love to travel and explore with my family. We enjoy trying new and different foods, either by cooking at home or finding new dining experiences out and about. I also enjoy going to sporting events and concerts. Our recent move to the New England area has made me newly interested in different sports like hockey, so I’ve been checking out all the local and professional teams.
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