Institute of Communication Agencies

Ryerson University

Agincourt Collegiate

Business Director, Partner, Cho + Amaral

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Cho + Amaral

Business Director, Partner

clang! clang! is an independent marketing consultancy through which I assist individuals and businesses in product launch, company start-up, branding, re-branding, and creative, integrated 360 marketing, advertising and communications solutions. Expertise with Tier 1 companies in digital strategy and marketing technology solution integration. Through clang! clang!, I have propelled numerous technology firms, advertising agencies, entertainment companies and telcos to their goals, including; Umbra, Blockbuster, Dentsu, Isaac Reputation Group, YTV, Freedom Mobile and other notable market players. A few examples include: ✔ I conceived Reliable Corporation’s first all-inclusive marketing program and outlined the plan components and resources necessary for implementation, inspiring the owner to hire a dedicated Marketing Director for future continuation and management of the program to reap its benefits in full. ✔ For Blockbuster Canada, I optimized the coordination of advertising and promotion functions and improved their efficiency and ROI by consolidating multiple communications vendors into an Agency of Record (AOR). To overcome a declining rental market and the looming threat of digital distribution, I revitalized their website experience and online marketing efforts. Results included; savings in email marketing deployment and management, reduced website hosting fees and accelerated go-to-market times for website promotions and email blasts.

clang! clang!

Consultant

Valtech is a global business transformation agency delivering innovation with a purpose. We enable clients to anticipate tomorrow’s trends and connect more directly with consumers across their digital touch points while optimising time-to-market and ROI.Responsible for account management, strategy, and business development across enterprise accounts and assigned business.Member of Sitecore Craft Circle, Marketing Task Force

Valtech North America

Senior Account Director

Freedom Mobile is dedicated to bringing affordable wireless service to Canadians by offering value, fairness, and transparency. Strategy and project management for online experience and digital products. Key member of Digital Roadmap Team. ✔ Lead strategy and project management for website redesign focused on improving acquisition. Post-launch, visitor experience improved 75%. ✔ Ensured brand and communication content supported launch of online shopping. Exceeded sales above and beyond forecast in first month of operations. ✔ Supported restructure of Digital Team, on-boarding and recruiting key resources in marketing and dev, in less than 30 days during peak business period (back-to-school).

Freedom Mobile

Digital Marketing Consultant

The Isaac Reputation Group is a full-service communications and engagement company.Its unique and proven approach creates measurable enthusiasm to help companies increase the contribution of people to the value of a business. The Isaac Group builds organizational campaigns for companies and brands to help earn enthusiasm among employees, customers, allies and all groups of people that influence the success of an organization. Advertising is part of the solution, just not the only or the first.As the Digital Strategy lead on Freedom Mobile, I enabled the overall digital business strategy, aligning analytics with overall business KPIs, driving efficiencies on digital ad spend.✔	Roadmap and framework 2017 Digital Business Plan, “Winning in Digital” endorsed by management.✔	Redefined target market segments by media profile, and personas, paving the way to increase efficiencies and conversion.✔	Consolidated market research and reporting metrics, reducing costs by 50%.

isaac Reputation Group

Digital Strategist, Group Account Director

FAN EXPO HQ is the largest pop culture exhibitions group in North America and one of the largest in the world. Collectively it hosts over 500,000 fans annually at FAN EXPO CANADA™, FAN EXPO VANCOUVER™, FAN EXPO REGINA™, FAN EXPO DALLAS, TORONTO COMICON, BOSTON COMIC CON, DALLAS FAN DAYS, MEGACON ORLANDO, and MEGACON TAMPA BAY. As Head of Marketing, I lead brand strategy, creative marketing, communications, collateral materials, and PR.✔ Set a new attendance record for FAN EXPO CANADA with 132,000 fans attending. Exhibitor activations delighted attendees, show program guide featured ads contextually placed, digital and social campaigns featured bespoke contests and exclusive giveaways, all accompanied with exclusive screenings, talent Q&A, and content.✔ Successfully launched, inagural Restaurant Guide Program for FAN EXPO CANADA across web, mobile, and print, on-boarding over a dozen restaurants in a (1) week period. Participating restaurants reporting increased traffic & sales included; Boston Pizza, Baton Rouge, Joe Badali's, and The Loose Moose.

Informa Exhibitions - Canada

Director of Marketing, FanExpo HQ

Momentum provides innovative digital solutions that build stronger connections with people. As a performance-based digital marketing and business solutions leader, Momentum helps enterprises get more from their technology and marketing investments; resulting in greater efficiencies and profitability.As Director of Digital Planning, I lead the strategy practice, managing the analytics, SEO, and social media teams, while supporting corporate marketing and promotion activities.✔ As a key contributor and member of the presentation team for the FCA Canada Digital AOR review, reached short-list status of (2) from a long-list of (6).✔ Analytics lead for the multi-award winning "Life is Calling" Campaign.✔ Optimized social media resources and tools on the Castrol Oil account, improving profitability by 50%.✔ Lead development of Tableau marketing dashboards for CAA-Ontario, reducing time to produce analytics reports by 90%.

Momentum Digital Solutions

Director Digital Planning

Ipsos is a leader in Canadian market research, specializing in advertising, loyalty, marketing, media and public affairs research.My role involved growing the online business in North America through the development, implementation and support of the business strategy for Ipsos Interactive Services (IIS). I managed the media, technology, loyalty and marketing research specializations to support Ipsos Reid, the Canadian research arm of the global Ipsos Group. I also led online survey management, data collection and delivery services for Ipsos Observer research. Ipsos Observer is the global practice within Ipsos that is dedicated to survey management, data collection and data delivery.  ✔ I soared client satisfaction for the Canadian business unit by 15%, coordinating over 125 researchers.  ✔ I stabilized the business unit’s gross margin, significantly boosting overall revenue, by orchestrating seamless financial management and business process integration for Observer research.  ✔ I aligned compliance of global online survey accessibility with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).  ✔ I slashed the response time for accessibility-compliant surveys 300% by streamlining processes and implementing a new quotation methodology/approach.

Ipsos Interactive Services

Client Services Director, North America

bmir is a leading Canadian strategic communications practice that delivers in-depth expertise across a number of practice areas in all forms of traditional and digital media, including print, web, mobile, location and social. As VP of Business Development, I compelled holistic business growth by conceiving, planning and executing integrated digital and offline marketing programs. Managing key client accounts, I deployed marketing solutions for major market players and industry leaders, including Toronto Financial Services Alliance (TFSA), Altus Group, Health Quality Ontario, Cancer Care Ontario and KPMG.  ✔ I identified, approached, secured and managed three new Fortune 500 customers, responding to 10+ RFPs over a two-month period, bringing in $500K in additional revenues.  ✔  I eliminated the need for an outbound cold calling service, saving the company $10K in expenses by optimizing processes.

bmir

Vice President Business Development

Primal delivers research and information from across the web on user-specific topics to user browsers, email, and content services on a private website with an intelligent RSS feed.As the company evangelist, I engaged with and educated the community, opinion leaders, prospects and customers through traditional, online and social media, taking Primal’s message and unique selling proposition (USP) concept to market. Key elements of the marketing communications strategy included; a new corporate ID, the “Ant,” a rebranded website, a PR agency (Porter Novelli), two launch conferences (SemTech and DEMO), outbound public relations, comprised of press releases and media alerts), as well as social media (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube).  ✔ I orchestrated the company rebranding from Primal Fusion, Inc. to Primal, driving brand awareness by revamping the corporate identity, positioning, marketing collateral, website, and social media profiles.  ✔ I generated 28 million media impressions, including coverage in The New York Times, by launching the Thought Networking Platform and Primal Pages at SemTech, debuting Primal Pages for Publishers at DEMO Conference, and executing targeted PR and social media campaigns.

Primal

Director of Sales and Marketing

Umbra is a worldwide leader in original, casual, contemporary, affordable design for the home. I took on strategic and operational leadership for the underutilized website and e-commerce operations, leveraging the power of online, email, and social media marketing to seize untapped expansion opportunities and up the brand’s profile.  ✔ Overcoming management’s initial reluctance to invest in infrastructure, I completed an extensive competitive analysis and devised a three-year business plan that offered a solid business case for investment in website and e-commerce operations. I established eBusiness as a stand-alone organizational unit, achieving increases in revenue and profitability while continuously scaling up operations.   ✔ I revamped the website design/layout, e-commerce checkout, information architecture and product presentation.  ✔ I established an email-based relationship marketing program, as well as seasonal and loyalty-based promotions.  ✔ I surged sales by 40% and expanded the customer pool by 25% after only one year by launching and managing the company’s social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, exceeding targets and continuing to deliver two-digit growth even during a 2008 decline.

Umbra

Director Ebusiness

RMG Connect is the former relationship marketing division of JWT, developing solutions both online and offline in direct marketing, interactive marketing and sales promotion. I directed all facets of operations, spearheading business and sales growth through the deployment of relationship marketing initiatives for transnational corporations and global organizations.  ✔ I generated $500K+ in revenue by selling in a multi-phased website development strategy and tailored promotional programs to Tim Hortons.  ✔ I prospected, designed and pitched custom strategies and secured digital assignments worth $200K+ with Diageo, Kellogg’s, Unilever, Shell, HSBC Canada, Sick Kids Foundation and Cadbury Schweppes.

RMG Connect

Managing Director

I directed the day-to-day management and operations of this healthcare marketing communications firm’s Interactive Division.  ✔ I soared 2004 revenues by 30% and Profit Before Tax (PBT) by 5% while strengthening productivity by overhauling resource allocation and slashing staff expenses by outsourcing work to qualified freelancers.  ✔ I won and led four significant new programs for Abbott, Biovail and Bayer in 2004.  ✔ I successfully launched six client projects in 2003, including eResearch and a Patient Support Program.

Havas Life

Director Client Services, Interactive

Wysdom was a wireless middleware software company serving international mobile operators in South America, Europe, UK and APAC, focusing on the API layer and integration functionality. I handled advertising, the corporate website, sales collaterals, trade shows, corporate events, promotions, public relations, analyst relations and the overall marketing strategy.

Wysdom

Senior Manager Marketing Communications

Classwave Wireless was a wireless infrastructure enabler that built, installed and managed software for mobile personal networks.

Classwave Wireless, Inc.

Director Marketing Communications

FloNetwork was a tier 2 email marketing vendor with a superior product and stellar customer service. They aspired to tier 1 status and a top 3 vendor ranking, which is where I came in and rebranded the product (FloNetwork) as the company and launched an aggressive 360 marketing communications program. Components included; new corporate ID + website, thought leadership (media + conference sponsorships), edgy advertising, PR, whitepapers, trade show program, sales collateral and swag “tchochkes.” Over an 18-month period, I contributed significantly to the market valuation, leading to the growth and successful sale of FloNetwork to DoubleClick, and later Google.  ✔ I propelled sales 587% through integrated marketing communications program.  ✔ I took FloNetwork from a pre-IPO, relative unknown in October of 1999 to the top half of the Deloitte & Touche Fast 500, and to the #1 position in its industry by February 2001.  ✔ I increased traffic to the Corporate Website by 300% with a 700% increase in demo requests, by leveraging advertising and trade show programs.  ✔ I delivered 180% ROI on North American Trade Show Programs through a combination of innovative exhibit strategies, sponsorships, and guerrilla marketing activities that received coverage in INC Magazine, Forbes and Lycos.

FloNetwork

<a href="http://Mediconsult.com">Mediconsult.com</a> was one of the most popular consumer health sites on the Internet, winning hundreds of awards for quality, innovation, revenue programs, patient privacy, and value to consumers. It was the stickiest health website with over 5 million unique visitors per month. <a href="http://Mediconsult.com">Mediconsult.com</a> was sold to Andrex Corporation in 2001 and subsequently to WebMD in 2003.

Mediconsult

Director of Creative Services

As Internet employee #1 at The Globe and Mail, I spearheaded the introduction of Internet-based advertising programs, led the redesign of the newspaper’s web sites, and launched PointCast (screensaver-based news program) into the Canadian marketplace.

Derrick Cho

Derrick Cho