I am a versatile and creative marketing professional with proven success in leading cross-functional teams in the strategic development and tactical execution of fully integrated global marketing campaigns. I am a passionate team player with a strong track record of creating effective brand and product communication plans that cut through the clutter and achieve results. I have been fortunate to work with many creative designers, fellow marketers and agency partners on dozens of amazing and impactful campaigns. Below are examples of some of my favorites which I led from concept to execution along with great teams of dedicated professionals.
Launched at the 2016 NAMM Show, the A Avedis Collection is a vintage recreation of the cymbals originally created by Avedis Zildjian III from the 1930s through the 1960s. The campaign was led by a very cool and beautifully filmed digital video which I produced with a small and nimble crew in NYC. This video raised the bar for drumming/cymbal video content.
Additional ads and marketing collateral also featured.
REEBOK BACON
To engage the CrossFit community in an authentic and memorable way, I led an agency team on a PR and on-site activation before and during the annual CrossFit Games that targeted top athletes and all attendees.
Pre-Games - Packed in dry ice, 74 bacon boxes were distributed to athletes in the community before the games, driving social engagement and helping to fuel their bacon eating habits.
On-site - attendees at the CrossFit Games were able to sample bacon treats from the Reebok Bacon Box food truck. We used social media to post about a daily “secret menu” item at the Bacon Box and those who ordered the secret item received a “You Had Me at Bacon” card to be redeemed for a special prize at the Baconcierge. This campaign generated tremendous buzz leading up to and throughout the Games. Each of the 3 on-site days, all bacon was consumed and thousands of photos were posted across social media.
PR Highlights:
With the request coming directly from the Zildjian family, I was tasked to create compelling content that maximized our relationships with the world’s best drumming influencers and stood out from the sea of sameness that existed within the industry. Working with a contract video producer/director, we created “Passion Play” – An online video series that highlights the “passion” of drummers and their fierce and relentless spirit to create…to express themselves and to experience all that life has to offer. And it’s what fuels their approach to drumming. Featuring: Jay Weinberg (Slipknot), Ilan Rubin (Nine Inch Nails) & Branden Steineckert (Rancid).
TRAILER - Passion Play x Zildjian
Episode 1 - Branden Steineckert of Rancid
By feeling the lows, I can appreciate the highs. If I would have just rolled through life monotone I wouldn’t have the passion and love I do for things.” - Branden Steineckert on living his passions.
Episode 2 - Jay Weinberg/Slipknot
Filmed on location in Nashville, TN, this second episode features the passions and stories of Jay Weinberg from the legendary band, Slipknot.
I led the three year partnership with Reebok and the NFL on the creation and execution of the NFL.com Fantasy Files, captured by Reebok. These videos have generated over 45 million views on YouTube and dozens of user generated versions around the world. I was proud to have created this fun and unique video campaign for Reebok which drove traffic to both NFL.com’s Fantasy pages and Reebok’s digital channels.
To keep the Zildjian story relevant with today’s younger demographic, I created a scripted podcast entitled, “The Company You Keep. The History of Zildjian and Music in America.” I collaborated with music historians, the Rock & Roll Archeology Project as subject matter experts and together we produced this dynamic 73 minute podcast documentary, available on iTunes, Spotify and all top podcasting platforms.
This dynamic podcast takes you a journey over five centuries and across multiple continents to discover the official birth of Zildjian cymbals, the heroes who helped create them, and the importance of the cymbal to the rise of popular music in America.
I highly encourage you to download or stream this incredible story, perfectly told and brilliantly executed.
CATEGORY LAUNCH OF REEBOK LACROSSE
In 2008, Reebok entered the Lacrosse equipment business. Without any real credibility in the sport, I led the development of an integrated set of tools to educate, entertain and engage with the young lacrosse consumer. It's success led to sales that exceeded expectations and helped establish Reebok as a player in the Lacrosse business.
In 2016, Zildjian revolutionized the cymbal industry with the launch of the very first collection of low volume cymbals. It's USP- they are 80% quieter than traditional cymbals without losing the authentic feel. These cymbals became an incremental purchase by drummers for use within practice spaces, lesson rooms and low volume gigs (cafes, acoustic, etc.), thus creating an entirely new market. This product launch, fueled by a fully integrated marketing campaign brought in over $1M of additional revenue and blew away all sales targets in its first year.
On the strength of the Zildjian brand, I formed a strategic partnership with Harpoon Brewery to create a limited edition beer called The Secret Alloy Ale. This beer was part of their 100 Barrel Series and we generated over 500,000 impressions through PR and product seeding to Zildjian artists. The beer was distributed nationally and sold out after 2 months.
I led the planning and execution of an entirely new product line for Zildjian - the launch of the S Family of cymbals. This is now one of only three cymbal families in their line and the first cymbal family launch since the 1980s. I created a global marketing tool kit to drive awareness and sell-through, including a comprehensive retail POP kit that shipped globally with all new orders.
In 2017, Zildjian's most popular and best selling cymbal series, A Custom, celebrated its 25th anniversary. To commemorate 25 years of success, I led the launch of an integrated marketing campaign that consisted of:
- Limited edition product launch that sold out in 5 days.
- Global digital sweepstakes that generated 8,000 entries.
- Social media campaign featuring 25 Artists for 25 years.
- In-store, Print, and PR tools kits for all global Distributors to localize.
- Custom video content created in partnership with online influencers.
