CREATIVE DIRECTOR/MARKETING PROFESSIONAL

Resourceful, hands-on and flexible award winning professional with experience in broadcast advertising, social media campaigns, corporate communications, and marketing materials for numerous clients in a variety of industries. Exhibits a talent for rapidly assessing challenges, making effective decisions under challenging conditions, developing action plans, and evaluating alternatives as necessary to ensure adherence to global brand standards.

EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

  • Lead brainstorming sessions resulting in messaging, value statement and brand promise contributing to unique themes and branding components for clients.
  • Maintains daily interaction with clients to effectively manage customer constraints with regards to budget, time to market, and business priorities toensure a high rate of customer satisfaction.
  • Manage and direct staff in very busy, fast-paced environment, effectively and efficiently delegating tasks and providing regular and appropriate feedback to develop creative team growth in a positive team focused workplace.
  • Recognized as a consummate professional well versed in identifying needs and understanding products benefits and features to develop a brand identity and brand personality aligned with the target audience.
  • Demonstrates a natural talent for identifying and anticipating challenges and develops effective on-the-spot contingency plans to sort through the complexities of issues to make the best possible decisions and eliminate detectable disruptions.
  • Continually evaluate organizational objectives to devise innovative ways to develop and implement improved standard operational procedures to provide for scalability, growth and operational excellence.

ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Successfully recaptured name recognition and sales leadership position in the US for Tecan US, a Switzerland-based manufacturer of laboratory automation equipment and increased sales 38% within the first year with a campaign featuring a Toucan mascot to distinguish ads and increase name recall. Mascot campaign was acclaimed throughout industry and was published in Creativity Annual, an international showcase for outstanding work in advertising and graphic design.
  • Effectively attracted and secured three major investors within the first quarter for start-up drug development company, Erimos Pharmaceuticals, with a theme based on unique product origin of novel product, “Brighter Medicines. Brighter Futures” with appropriate imagery featured throughout the website, product sheets, and company brochure.
  • Created a strong brand identity and increased sales by 42% for United Phosphorus Inc., a manufacturer of herbicides and pesticides used in agriculture. Effectively livened up subject matter with “tongue-in-cheek” headlines advertised in trade publications and created a flexible region-specific trade show display. Recognized with the National “Best of NAMA” Award.
  • Challenged to increase sales for Audi of America in the face of significant loss in US sales and market share after “unintended acceleration” accidents and litigation. Created Dealer “safety” sales training modules as well as showroom collateral outlining Audi’s heritage and commitment to safety and effectively reversed downward spiral resulting in 6% increase in US sales for first time in 18 months.       Efforts were awarded by American Graphic Design, Ad Club of New York and for Magazine Design and Production.
  • Developed highly successful campaign featuring a memorable homonym – “coyote” for KIOTI Tractor and used the Pure Animal theme across print broadcast, and collateral, resulting in dealer network growth by 85% in the first year of the campaign in market dominated by high name recognition manufacturers including John Deere. Efforts were recognized by the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA).
  • Effectively outlined a new corporate identity for Figgie International, now Scott Technologies Inc., a $2.8B corporation.
  • Created memorable identity for PBS Series, Creativity with Bill Moyers, sponsored by Chevron. Logo design was applied in 3D as opening title animation and multi dimensional stage.
  • Directed branding systems for Fortune 50 companies including American Stock Exchange, and NTT, as well as for additional high profile clients including Panera Bread, the John Rex Foundation, Volkswagen, SAAB, Subaru TDK, Weight Watchers, Matsushita (Panasonic, JVC, and Hitachi), Advil, Stress Tabs, Robitussin, Towle, Leonard Silversmith, Tuscany, Brach’s Candy, Totes, and Tensor.
  • Outlined branding guidelines, standards, and architecture, and created a graphic philosophy carried across multiple product lines for an ever growing product line of trademarked licensed characters for Buddy L Toys.
  • Developed ISO 9000 procedure manual, designing new processes that reduced man hours and materials costs by a minimum of $10K per month.

WORK HISTORY

Creative Director; Winfield and Associates, Raleigh, North Carolina                                                    2009 to present

Creative Director; Articulon, Raleigh, North Carolina                                                                               2007 – 2009

Design Director; Triangle Communications Group, Raleigh, North Carolina                                      2006 – 2007

VP, Creative Director, Advertising; Signature Agency, Raleigh, North Carolina                            1994 – 2006

Graphic Services Manager; Southeastern Screen Print, Raleigh, North Carolina                              1992 – 1994

Senior Art Director/Creative Director;Gary Stock Company, Croton Falls, New York                 1988 – 1992

Art and Print Production Manager; Impressions-ABA Industries, Roslyn, New York                    1987 1988

Senior Art Director Corporate Communications; Ruder Finn, New York, New York                  1980 – 1987

Art Director, Packaging; Jack Schecterson & Associates, New York, New York                                   1980 – 1980

Graphic/Structural Designer, Packaging; The Queens Group, New York, New York                     1979 – 1980

EDUCATION

Advertising Design; Pratt Institute, New York, New York