VisualCV

Establish and execute on-going strategic marketing and communications programs for the institute.

Challenge: Drive growth of region’s practice areas by providing a marketing-based approach to regional business development.

Crafted ‘pursue, capture and keep’ strategies for new business and existing clients based on practice area strengths and competencies.  Implemented thought leadership strategies and tactics to differentiate Gensler architects from competition.

• Generated numerous articles in regional trade publications and weekly business journals on sustainable design, a key Gensler initiative and competency.
• Opened Austin office with aggressive media outreach resulting in coverage in key client-facing publications in all three markets.
• Began marketing personnel exchange program with the European region to develop global perspective and reinforce best practices.
• Headed regional CRM initiative including opportunity tracking, mailing lists, reporting, and metrics.

Challenge: Revitalize company’s corporate marketing efforts by providing experience and leadership, and establishing overall marketing vision.

At the request of the CEO, served fourteen months as acting chief marketing officer while the company conducted a national executive search to fill the CMO position with an A/E industry tenured individual.  In that time, elevated the role of the Corporate Marketing department from order taking operations to strategic marketing partner by basing department programs on achievement of business objectives.  Marketing initiatives included creating a competitive and differentiated positioning, brand strategy and brand identity.  Consulted and collaborated with company executives and stakeholders on new corporate positioning for support and buy-in.

Accomplishments

• Conducted market research in four geographic areas of the country to determine growth potential of 10 key industries.  Results showed which markets were attracting investment over the next ten years.  This provided an analysis and rationale for the local offices to add new service offerings and/or expand existing services.
• Spearheaded re-branding initiative and created differentiated positioning, brand identity, and corporate message platform.
• Conducted customer research which validated new “One Source” differentiated positioning.
• Co-sponsored with CIO the development of a new, news and information-rich company intranet.  Site usage jumped from 24% of employees to 72%.
• Marketing initiatives included a new publication strategy which reduced the printing budget by 30% while increasing the quality of the corporate collateral; implementation of quantifiable communications measurement and lead generation tactics; plus a powerful thought leadership program which provided higher visibility to company stakeholders.
• Public Relations efforts positioned company as “go to” authority for trends, news, and technological innovations within the A / E industry.  Company became the “first call/first choice” leader for local, regional, and national editor-developed stories and for company placement of byline issue and trend columns.
• Launched “Focus Local” strategy that identified, contacted and built relationships with key local editors and people of influence. Also developed open relationships with company office managers, unit leaders and marketing managers to optimize local message creation and opportunities.
• Gained numerous speaking opportunities for company stakeholders at industry trade shows and conferences including a prestigious panel position during the I35 Corridor Growth Summit sponsored by The Austin and San Antonio Business Journals.
• Directed media outreach efforts of public relations team, which resulted in more than 120 press releases with more than 130 feature articles in core market sector and business publications.  In 2005, achieved a 2-to-1 hit ratio over closest competitor.

 Challenge: Develop and execute U. S. market entry strategy for a United Kingdom-based email security Managed Service Provider start-up company

Accomplishments

• National press and analyst outreach efforts earned coverage in more than 30 trade and business publications, including syndicated stories distributed by Dow Jones and Reuters News Services and online coverage in PBS.com’s, I, Cringely
• Publicity generated more than 100 qualified prospect leads.  Direct marketing program (email, direct mail, and follow-up telemarketing) generated more than 30 corporate IT and ISP leads.
• Increased market understanding of service and reduced sales cycle time by 25%.

Challenge: Develop strategic and foundational marketing platforms and programs for start-up software company

Designed marketing platform of business plan, which generated $4 million in angel investor funding.  Created unique positioning concept for product and coined concept name. Developed market entry strategy based on technology adoption life cycle and market segmentation.

Accomplishments

• Worked closely with press and analysts leading to concept endorsement in feature stories.
• Pitched business concept to venture capital firms.
• Established testing relationships with Lifetime Fitness, Inc., Juniper Networks, Inc. and UPS.

Challenge: Define and manage global marketing and communications processes and programs.

Provided overall planning and coordination of corporate marketing activities with company’s three regional marketing organizations in Dallas, London and Sydney.  Managed annual global communications budget of $2 million (US).  Marketing programs supported both direct and channel sales.  Delivered skilled crisis communications management when company was mistakenly included in high-profile Holocaust lawsuit in 1998.

 Accomplishments

• Coordinated global marketing activities with regional offices (EMEA, Americas, and AsiaPAC) and with their channel distributors, ad agencies, and PR firms.
• Instituted a corporate repositioning and branding program with global identity rollout.
• Managed and coordinated global product launches including press tours, trade show attendance, print and web advertising, and channel promotions.
• Conducted both outbound press and analyst tours and inbound, international analyst and press junkets to Montreal for business model and product technology presentations.

Challenge:  Develop corporate message platform and conduct aggressive public and analyst relations programs to achieve company's buy-out exit strategy.

Accomplishments

• Dominant “share of voice” helped ink company sale to McAfee.