Jonathan Blaine

Marketing Agency:Communications, direct and integrated marketing, advertising, social media, change management, and marketing and business plans for small to medium business clients.

• Significantly increased retail client’s qualified-buyer web traffic – more than 10x – through cost-effective and targeted search engine marketing and optimization, including #1 on Google for numerous product queries in a very competitive market. Client comment: “This is very exciting! I know you have put a lot of work into this and I appreciate it very much! Finally, we are seeing some results!”
• Developed comprehensive marketing program for client’s music festival; increased revenue per visitor 12%.Increased corporate event sponsorship revenues 325% from the prior year.Acquired new mineable database for future events and sponsors’ offers.

Direction of all global marketing, member services, fulfillment and communications activity for a 1.8 million member direct-marketing focused international non-profit operating on 4 continents.  Redesigned all North America MarCom and customer service programs to directly result in increased response, better branding, a higher degree of member care, and 25% better cost effectiveness through innovation, leveraging my extensive professional network and the adoption of industry-standard marketing practices.

During my year as CMO (and management consultant previously), I completely redesigned and re-energized customer acquisition efforts. Reversed the trend of several years' increasingly lower membership levels and exceeded 2008 budget and expectations. How it was done:

• Simplification of marketing message: Benefits, benefits, benefits!
• Marketing 101 and Direct Marketing 101
• 55% reduction in postage costs, which allowed for a 400% better direct mail package, and still saved money year over year!
• Repetition. Logical frequency. Repetition. And Repetition.
• More streamlined marcom and ordering systems

These new initiatives and more are turning around the business.

My efforts now allow the organization to test results much more than was possible before, makes it much more nimble, gives new head room to try other tactics, presents a better image to prospective members, and is improving response rates even under the cloud of a potential US economic meltdown.

Challenge:  Organization’s prior years’ annual membership levels were spiraling downwards, while acquisition costs were increasing, in a very lean resource-challenged operation.

• Replaced all marketing programs and materials with tried and true communications and marketing methods within six months. 
• Reduced mailing and production costs by 40% while vastly increasing the quality of the communications.  Scientifically tested programs and sourced vendors that are leaders in the industry.  Instituted extensive and intensive response-tracking systems. 
• Grew sales by 22% in one year at dramatically lowered costs, even under difficult worldwide economic conditions.

“Despite significant institutional resistance, both internal and external, Jonathan was instrumental in helping me transform Golden Key’s marketing and customer support operations from a status quo, highly bureaucratic, process-centric, inflexible nature to a flexible, customer-centric, value driven and delivering operation. Moreover, Jonathan’s intimate knowledge of the Canadian marketplace enabled us to incorporate that country's campaign into the US-based international head office operations for the first time. The new marketing materials and streamlined business and customer care systems he developed and implemented helped Golden Key beat its budgeted membership goals!” - CEO

Management of marketing and advertising for urban cable television system. Directly manage 2 marketing coordinators, a marketing analyst and direct sales team.

• Retooled and re-energized direct sales program; doubling sales performance
• Redesigned digital cable and High Speed Internet advertising and direct marketing campaign schedules and channels to increase cost-effectiveness and marketing message repetition; most recently exceeded Q1 2007 budgeted gains across all managed product lines (cable, digital, HSI).
• Tied quarterly campaigns with the same messaging, look and synergy to increase cost-effectiveness and marketing message repetition
• Introduced tracking of marketing campaigns and their various tactics
• Established retention marketing programs, including post-order tele-retention and direct mail, to increase customer satisfaction levels and lower churn

Challenge: Company’s direct sales program was ineffective and demoralized, with only low-margin sales.

• Retooled and re-energized the program with a “back to basics” approach and institution of innovative revenue-per-sale pay scale.
• More than doubled sales performance and vastly increased multi-product sales in both the consumer and B2B segments.

Challenge:  Company’s public advertising image was “all over the road” with little consistency.

• Redesigned advertising and direct marketing campaign schedules and channels that resulted in increased cost-effectiveness and marketing message repetition. 
• Exceeded budgeted gains across all managed product lines.

Challenge:  There was no track record of direct marketing results; costly mistakes were often being repeated.

• Introduced and improved tracking and performance of marketing campaigns by using in-house and cost-effective external resources; company was then able to better target offers to specific customers.  Tested different direct marketing elements to determine best ROI.
• Significantly increased cost effectiveness.

Controlled all marketing activity, budgeting and P&L for Atlantic region throughout 8 eastern and Midwestern states, stretching from Missouri to Maryland.

Challenge:  New product launches in disparate markets: company had been taking a “cookie cutter” pricing strategy against different competitors, which was not maximizing margins.

• Successfully launched and re-launched products and price points in numerous and varied markets; increased product penetration levels and customer loyalty. 
• More than doubled product segment revenues in one year and maximized revenues.

Challenge:  Direct mail campaigns were not being audited; the marketing mix was very limited and untested.

• Determined that much of the budget was being wasted on non-deliverable bulk mail.
• Saved 1/10 of region’s campaign budget by optimizing mailing database. 
• 200% increase in cost-effectiveness of direct mail campaigns by testing and introducing direct marketing industry standard methods to the marketing mix.

Marketing planning for small businesses and large corporations. Consulted on current and future marketing practices, recommend critical paths, create, outsource and manage marketing campaigns and projects.

• Increased clients’ qualified web traffic 1000+% through cost-effective and targeted search engine advertising (SEO / SEM) and optimization

Responsible for retention programs for 1.2 million customers. Leader of Churn Task Force.

• 18% direct marketing sales response: Initiated and produced database-driven upgrade direct mail campaign to retain high-value customers and extend contracts at least one year; utilized LTV (Life Time Value) and revenue scores to determine target
• Saved over $150,000 in projected annual losses: Researched and wrote white paper, and trained Retention Call Center staff, about a major competitor’s new “rollover minute” threat in the marketplace
• Improved region’s Churn Task Force to be more responsive to Loyalty Call Center and distribution channel concerns about competitive threats; saved potential annual losses of over $500K

This is the same broadcasting program Emmy Award winning director Brad Turner (24, Prison Break, etc.) attended, and is a fellow honors graduate. Academy Award winner Paul Haggis also attended Beal before hitting Hollywood.

WGU (www.wgu.edu), founded by the governors of 19 US states, is a non-profit university financially supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and its corporate National Advisory Board includes Google, Dell, Microsoft, AT&T, HP and Sun Microsystems, among others. It is listed in the U.S. News & World Report 2011 edition of America's Best Colleges as one of the Best Baccalaureate Colleges (Western Region). Fully accredited for undergraduate and graduate degrees by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities; regional accreditation is considered the highest form of accreditation given to institutions in the United States of America.

See: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/items/33394

and http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/31971183

“Despite significant institutional resistance, both internal and external, Jonathan was instrumental in helping me transform Golden Key’s marketing and customer support operations from a status quo, highly bureaucratic, process-centric, inflexible nature to a flexible, customer-centric, value driven and delivering operation. Moreover, Jonathan’s intimate knowledge of the Canadian marketplace enabled us to incorporate that country's campaign into the US-based international head office operations for the first time. The new marketing materials and streamlined business and customer care systems he developed and implemented helped Golden Key beat its budgeted membership goals!” July 6, 2009

“Jonathan is a direct marketing visionary with all the necessary tools needed to tranform a vision into a logical and detailed action plan. His action plans always provide for measurable results, which is key in direct marketing campaign management. Jonathan rolls up his sleeves in working with staff, management and business partners. Working with Jonathan I've witnessed his efforts to actualize drastic strategic and creative changes to turn things around within an organization. He understands the critical elements of testing and projects his ideas with expert logical marketing reasoning. Good guy with positive attitude. I recommend Jonathan to any organization needing a leader who is not afraid to lead.” October 14, 2008

“Jonathan is one of the most talented people I’ve had the pleasure of working with and has an amazing ability to get marketing results. He is a creative writer, and has a good eye for successful copy and design as well as the bottom line, which is not always easy an easy leap for a creative marketer. He’s also very diplomatic and knows what it takes for organizations to bring in and keep customers. He is truly an amazing resource.” September 13, 2007