As a Senior Marketing Manager I was part of a marketing and merchant team that determined the role of food as a trip frequency driver. With national brands I helped secure $20 million annually to support key marketing initiatives; with private label brands I managed the promotion, packaging and in-store marketing of 1800 SKUs.
As an ad agency VP and account supervisor on General Mills I was an integral part of brand marketing teams that helped promote, develop, position and name new and existing products.
Highlights include this :30 TV commercial for Honey Nut Chex that resides in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for its stop-motion animation technique.
As Feeding Team Business Unit Leader, I drove the entire process of product development, pricing, and sell-in to Babies ‘R Us. I was point on market research, product naming, assortment, licensing, quality control and marketing communications that included video production, public relations, digital marketing and social media.
Manitou Pontoon boats are high end — and powerful. For three years I wrote attitudinal headlines and body copy for the company’s entire 88+-page catalog, which drove content across all marketing communications channels: print, digital and dealer point of sale.
In the money transfer category, 12-year-old MoneyGram needed to redefine the playing field to take on 120-year-old Western Union. With half the advertising spending of Western Union, "The Money Gram" campaign repositioned the brand not only as the value leader, but also as the brand that gives back to the community. As an ad agency Account Executive I was part of the team that made awareness double, quality perceptions increase, and transactions increase for the first time in 28 months — not to mention garnering a Silver EFFIE, the American Marketing Association’s highest award for effectiveness.
As Director of Communications & Marketing, I championed “Campaign Michigan,” a brand campaign designed to raise the Institute’s state-wide profile. I orchestrated a comprehensive marketing communications campaign including advertising, public relations, paid and earned media planning, pre- and post- awareness research, an updated website, digital marketing, annual report and sports marketing with the Detroit Red Wings.
As its inaugural Director of Communications & Marketing, I was charged with establishing a centralized team from in-house communications professionals that had previously been in separate departments. Our team branded and leveraged the legacy of “The Rivalry” between Calvin & Hope colleges, ranked the #2 rivalry in all of college hoops by both ESPN & Sports Illustrated, while negotiating additional sponsor support from Pepsi without increased spending.
As a Marketing Consultant, I helped define this growing business. I advised on everything from positioning, competitive set, digital presence (e.g., e-commerce site versus positioning site), product assortment and line extensions, company and product naming, business-to-business and business-to-consumer lead generation and more.
Yes, this is the kitchen sink. You see, I’ve helped grow a wide variety of other brands, including Weber Grills, Spectrum Health, Zondervan, GEMS, Pageworks, White & Bright and Staging Partners, to name a few. Perhaps yours is next?
