Checkout.com CMO, Rory O'Neill: Best Marketing Does More Than Stand Out

At Money20/20 in Las Vegas, Financial Narrative’s Ashley Jones caught up with Rory O’Neil, Chief Marketing Officer of Checkout.com, to discuss how the global payments company is positioning itself in a crowded digital economy.

O’Neil said the company’s focus is deliberately narrow: every R&D dollar goes toward AI, machine learning, and algorithms designed specifically to improve digital payment acceptance. That laser focus, he noted, is why more global brands—from Uber and ASOS to eBay—are choosing Checkout.com to power their online transactions.

Reaching those brands means reaching their decision-makers, a task O’Neil said begins long before a sales call. “Seventy percent of our buyers know who they want before they start their journey,” he said. While heads of payments drive much of the conversation, 62 percent of contracts are ultimately signed by CFOs or CTOs, making executive-level awareness essential. The key, he added, is trust—and the most powerful proof point is the company you keep.

O’Neil sees no real separation between brand and product marketing. “Our brand is our product, and our product is our brand,” he said, describing how Checkout.com’s first global ad campaign helped define a distinctive tone and identity. With the digital payments sector now topping $3 trillion, he believes that features alone won’t set companies apart; storytelling and voice will.

For a firm that powers the world’s biggest digital brands, visibility is a paradox. “We’re the invisible engine behind commerce,” O’Neil said. “Ideally, no one should notice us because everything just works.” Still, he couldn’t resist a wink toward Money20/20’s spectacle: “We like to say we’re the only thing in Vegas not trying to stand out—even though our billboards are everywhere.”

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