Vega School of Brand Leadership

St Mary's DSG

Head of Marketing

Manage international brand and business strategy for 2019's award winning, hottest curling gadget.

Chopstick Styler was designed for the new generation ( foundered in 2019 ). It's iconic rectangular curling wand is shaped to make your curls last longer than any traditional round barrel and scientifically designed for all hair types. Rated by Glamour, Cosmo, Marie Claire, Sheerluxe and more.

I'm responsible for all online / offline brand direction and marketing communications. My role is strongly involved in new product development and enhancing our current brand image, new business strategy, brand design, social media strategy and overall creative direction. I work alongside many top UK retailers inc. Look Fantastic, Pretty Little Thing, Missguided, Just my Look, Argos, Boots , Very, JDW Williams amongst others. I'm responsible for brand direction and all content development on @chopstickstyler social media channels.

Email for partnerships/requests : <a href="mailto:amandac@mplhome.com">amandac@mplhome.com</a>

Chopstick Styler™

Head Of Marketing

World renowned restaurant, P.F. Chang's offers a casual dining atmosphere to experience authentic Chinese food & Asian cuisine. With over 208 restaurants, P.F Chang's Asian Table was created as an extension of the brand and has now opened it's very first flagship restaurant in London, Covent Garden.

-  Role & Responsibilities:
Head position where I lead all marketing activities for the new P.F. Chang's Asian Table restaurant and oversee the brand growth in the UK market. I take full ownership of the marketing plan and ensure that our marketing plans fits in to the global brand marketing strategy.

-  Partnership & Events Management
-  Building presence amongst key press publications
-  Social Media Marketing
-  Customer aqusition
-  Executing & measuring overall annual marketing plan
-  Brand Development & Management
- Influencer Marketing & Managing VIP relationships in an organic way ( in fashion, lifestyle, beauty, travel and food )
-  Project Management
-  P&L ownership - Managing all top line marketing spend
-  Ensuring ROI targets are met across all channels
-  Issuing performance reports and providing recommendations
-  Reporting & Tracking KPI's / marketing ROI
-  Collaborate with agencies and suppliers for ATL & BTL requirements
-  I work closely with senior brand team in the US, Middle East and UK to ensure that marketing activity supports the overall revenue growth targets of the brand.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro Inc.

Senior Brand Marketing Manager

Perkbox is ranked 2nd in the 100 best UK start-ups 2017. Perbox is an award-winning platform that is designed to help businesses either drive customer loyalty or engage, motivate and reward their employees.  We work with a variety of clients including : Worldpay, British Gas, Holland & Barrett , Nando's, Deliveroo, Wasabi,  AXA and thousands more.

-  Role & Responsibilities:

-  Grow and develop the Perkbox brand and brand strategy.
-  Organise, execute and create impactful marketing campaigns and efficient multi-channel marketing executions for Perkbox & their clients.
-  Managing brand assets
-  A/B testing + landing page optomisation
-  Working with internal and external departments to create consumer-centric marketing outcomes
-  Execute various Perkbox branding initiatives
-  Supervising and directing marketing team
-  Provide marketing collateral / camapigns for our clients

-  Achievements :

-  Developed, co-ordinated and executed a very successful Christmas Countdown campaign. Partnered with Morton's, Borough Box & Pines & Needles. Results included over 18 000 entries, generating on average  400% increase in partnership online  deal redemption, 2297 new Perkbox social media followers, 8901 unique email capture. Zero paid ad spend.

-  Managed the most effective, social media video competition(#tagateammate) in partnership with <a href="http://Hotels.com">Hotels.com</a>. Not only did we smash targets for brand awareness, viral mechanics helped us generate over 15 000 unique entries,  this increased our social media engagement by 115%. This competition was  successfully delivered with no marketing spend.

Perkbox

Brand Marketing Manager

Cazabella is a leading fashion accessories brand supplying, timepieces, handbags, costume jewellery, cosmetics and fragrances. The sell to a variety of major retailers in South Africa.

-  Role & Responsibilities:

-  Freelance role, I provided  strategic web design and online content recommendations.

Cazabella

Freelance Brand Strategist

RM Integris is the number 1 online Management Information System (MIS) in the UK education sector, that drives school and pupil development through comprehensive data and Ad hoc reporting. RM Education partner with Google, Apple & Microsoft and are a  respected IT software and services company in the UK.

-  Role & Responsibilities:
Temporary role managing the 'go to'  brand strategy and marketing implementation for RM Integris.

-  Handled & developed marketing reports, budgeting, tracking and creating PowerPoint presentations
-  Responsible for customer acquisition & monthly review marketing reports
-  Planned strategic events, summits & seminars
-  Content for RM Integris for the BETT 2016 event
-  Lead the event strategy for RM Integris - tailored it to fit the new business plan & orgainse sales team around new lead activities.
-   Press releases / articles ( Education Technology, Education Business & School Business Mag)
-  Monthly email newsletter
-  Website content

-  Achievements:

-  Changing the negative thinking around 'data' and solve the brands confusing positioning issue:
Collated substantial research insights to inform, guide and help drive key brand decisions and opportunities in order to reposition and revitalise RM Integris brand proposition in a highly competitive market. In order to change negative customer perceptions around 'data', a customer centric approach was applied and I advised Integris 'IT' language, tone & voice be more friendly, interesting, conversational and from a teachers perspective - giving Integris a human association.

- Recommended a new, relevant approach: evaluated the effectiveness of current marketing activities.

RM plc

Product Marketing Manager

- Role & Responsibilities:
Managed all  in-house marketing activities from new product development, web design & development, digital marketing, market research, social media, PR, blogging, visual identity, brand strategy events, graphic design and content marketing.

-  Achievements:
-  Won Best Vending Operator 2015. Provided strategic executions that helped them win the most respected industry award effectively beating their biggest rivals.

-  Rebranding the company: This included creating a new, modern, professional visual identity that reflects a refreshed brand vision and promise.  Since rebranding Connect have gained nationwide industry appraisal and have had extremely positive feedback from  industry professionals, suppliers,  vending press/ media contacts and all stakeholders.

-  Enhancing Connect Vendings website & improving lead strategy:
Responsible for redesigning & updating Connects current website (Feb 2015). This included effectively implementing the company's rebranding, creating punchy, targeted content that creates Connects personality led, chatty and friendly voice as well as, organically improving their SEO. Since launch in Feb 2015, Connects website visits are up 1807%, page views have increased by 1700%, they now rank on page 1 of Google SERP’s ( previously were on page 4).

-  From no online leads in 7 years, Connect have tripled conversions, resulting in their best sales year to date in 2015 due to new marketing plan.

-  Created relevant, engaging and SEO friendly blog posts that drove brand awareness:
Developed Connects first blog strategy for 2015. Connect never had any blog strategy in place. This created inconsistent communication. Articles I produced were theme specific, concise, visually appealing and formed to create maximum impact. Increased Facebook likes by 62%, Twitter followers by 7.4% in less than 6 months.

-  New product development: Successfully launched and commercially deliver 3 of Connects own label products.

Connect Vending Ltd

Senior Marketing Executive

OTA is a creative Digital Commerce solutions provider, specialising in eCommerce, Mobile Applications and Digital Marketing.

-  Role & Responsibilities:

-  Provided a current and dynamic brand communications strategy for OTA’s current website. This involved creating a new site navigation structure as well as, producing interesting, fresh and relevant content for the OTA’s new service offering.

- Developed a strategic brand strategy document for OWETHU, a Cipla Foundation initiative. This involved generating additional primary research and ideas for the OWETHU, medical clinic campaign.

Over The Air SMC

Strategic Market Researcher : Internship

Work experience as part of my tertiary education:

Operation Bobbi Bear are a NPO in South Africa that help sexually abused children.

Evaluated OBB current brand image as well as, analysed their online and offline communication platforms. We helped get local and international sponsorships, partnerships with schools, townships, community counsels, corporates and celebrities.

We created a campaign that connects a social network of conscientious heroic citizens that care about child abuse and together raise aware so that we form a prevention partnership.

From our executions OBB are now loved by many celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Alicia Keys,  Versace, Heidi Klum & more.

operation bobbi bear

Brand Strategist / Internship

Azura Media Limited is an online marketing and management services company, servicing large international clients.

-  Role & Responsibilities:

-  Involved in various digital marketing & market research responsibilities.

-  Achievements:

-  A major project I worked on was providing strategic direction for the launch of Interbet & Interbet Mobile. Interbet is now a leading, elite online sports betting service that has gained hundreds of brand loyal customers.

AZURA Media Ltd

Marketing Executive : Freelance

Participate in numerous Blue Chilli in-store/RGB promotions and events such as: The Durban July 2013 and Top Gear Festival ( Durban 2013 ) as well as, the uShaka We Chat app event.

Blue Chilli Promotions

Sales Promotions Manager

The Flagship Group is ranked the largest independent communications group in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa.

Developed a unique brand identity for an upcoming,premium tampon brand 'Coco' Tampons, and conducted market research on the current beverage and energy drinks industry as well as, did a industry analysis on the Au-pair market.

The Flagship Group

Brand Strategist : Internship

Work experience as part of my tertiary education :

Absa Bank Limited (Absa) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Barclays Africa Group. They offer a range of retail, business, corporate and investment banking, wealth management products and services primarily in South Africa and Namibia.

Executed an innovative 'Curiosity' campaign activation for ABSA within Cape Towns most prestigious artistic event, the Design Indaba.  Provided 'sustainable creative substance' by facilitating sensitivity towards sponsorships and ensuing ABSA is a pro-active participant within the Design & Creative Industry. We helped ABSA look less like a 'bank sponsorship' and more like a valuable, creative company that's values align with the creative industry.

Barclays

Internship.

Analysed and solved the internal brand communication problems thus achieving their team's core objective : achieve pervasive consumer mindshare through the ideal brand experience. Outlined key brand strategies that Toyota can use in order to achieve their goal - reposition their dealership to be front of mind and positively influence consumer buying behaviour.

McCarthy Toyota

I have promoted numerous SAB ( South African Breweries ) brands both in-store and at specific Durban events.

First Line Promotions

Brand Promoter

Part-time employee that has promoted and been the team leader for KWV beverages at specific events, such as: the Keg and Trout Golf Day, Tops Kloof Wine Festival,The Sibaya Casino Indian Comedy Festival and the Tops Richdens Wine Evening.

Amanda Creed