SUCCESSES INCLUDE:

Innovator: Rewrote the marketing playbook for frozen vegetables, creating a $400+ million new category

BIRDSEYE FROZEN FOODS - Senior Director of Marketing

Perceive Birdseye frozen vegetables were losing share to private labels, as lack of brand differentiation allowed price to dictate purchase. Research revealed that consumers considered vegetables an afterthought and spent little effort on their preparation, with often unappealing results. A global analysis of consumer behavior uncovered a European trend toward simplifying preparation by cooking vegetables in their package.

Prescribe We quickly developed a polybag packaging process that enabled users to microwave an unopened bag, allowing the vegetables to be steamed in the bag. The SteamFresh packaging introduced an appealing, attractive way to prepare vegetables and strongly differentiated Birdseye for consumers.

Perform The launch reshaped the category, and Birdseye posted $87 million in sales the first full year. SteamFresh gained Birdseye 12 share points, and the frozen side dish category saw double-digit growth for years as other brands followed our lead.

Rebranding Expert: Reasserted brand dominance through application of unexpected consumer insights, reclaiming share from private labels

Mead Johnson—Senior Director of Marketing, Enfamil Brand

Perceive Consumer testing on price elasticity had indicated no risk to raising prices, but sudden losses in market share led me to field new research. We discovered consumers weren’t reporting brand switching if they moved from Enfamil to a private label brand with similar trade dress, believing it was from the same manufacturer. I immediately assessed the need to strengthen brand differentiation.

Prescribe I developed a multi-pronged approach to reversing the trend, shifting advertising and physician sampling support from prenatal to 3 months postnatal to sustain purchase frequency. I reallocated spend from Catalina marketing—a branded switching tactic—to boosting value and frequency for parents who had started on Enfamil. And I created a campaign spotlighting the company’s commitment to R&D and clinical outcomes, which launched in People magazine opposite the first highly awaited photos of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s newborn twins.

Perform We reversed migration to store brands and regained 4 share points. I also introduced a bulk purchase option that enabled parents to ramp up the quantity they bought as their child required more, bolstering brand loyalty.

Turn Around Lead: Captured top spot in emerging meat-substitute category by unearthing a heavy-using consumer segment driven by ethics, reclaiming share and shelf space from CPG giants Kraft and Kellogg’s

Gardenburger—Vice President of Marketing

Perceive Gardenburger was at risk of losing distribution, as Kraft’s Boca Burger and Kellogg’s Morningstar Farms wielded greater power with grocery chains, which believed all meat-substitute brands served the same target. I fielded research which revealed a significant segment of heavy users driven by ethical concerns, with purchase frequency far greater than users with a low-fat focus.

Prescribe We refocused marketing and packaging on our natural food roots and key ethical drivers (good for animals, good for the environment, good for the consumer), positioning Gardenburger consumption as a positive action. We further engaged this segment with the introduction of Kharma points, redeemable for branded merchandise in this life and the next.

Perform We quickly reversed key distribution losses, fueling a business turnaround that generated a 540% Y-o-Y gain in EBIDTA. Enterprise value was restored, and ownership gained the opportunity for liquidity at 8x trailing EBDITA.

Cultural Change Agent: Drove big-box retail distribution increases for this $600+ million manufacturer of power equipment replacement parts

Oregon Tool (formerly Blount International)—Director of Channel Marketing and Insights

Perceive The largest farm and ranch retailer in the U.S. is Tractor Supply, whose customers are heavy users of farm and outdoor power equipment compatible with Oregon Tool replacement parts. Tractor Supply had stopped selling our flagship replacement chainsaw chain in favor of its own house brand and carried only a small subset of our many categories. I set out to illustrate the impact the Oregon brand could have in merchandising and the shopper experience if it were offered more broadly.

Prescribe This type of effort would typically be kicked off by walking a store with the category buyer and influential leaders. COVID, however, made this impossible, and a standard presentation would lack the emotional impact to deliver the vision. To command my audience’s attention, I developed a virtual store walk made up of 3D images that began with the roof lifting off a model store, revealing the interior layout. We could explore aisle by aisle, stopping at each section merchandised with Oregon products and signage, zooming in on specific details.

Perform The innovative and interactive presentation delivered the “wow factor” that got the attention of multiple buyers, resulting in test programs for three products, all of which were expanded to full-chain distribution in year two. Delivered +27% revenue growth and a projected +14% for the following year.

Go-To-Market Expert: Accelerated transformation to an end-user focus, demonstrating value and expertise to retail partners

Perceive Replacement parts are not a complete product, and little research had been done on how consumers shop for them. I led an exhaustive study to map a shopper’s experience across all channels and multiple equipment types. We discovered that friction in the buying process was far greater than anticipated. Shoppers were required to know the make and model number of the equipment to get a replacement part recommendation, information they often did not have.

Prescribe I led the team that developed an app-like tool that would help shoppers find the right part more easily, whether online on in a store. The tool—which we named ufoundit!—synthesized whatever information the shopper knew about their equipment to narrow the possible choices to one or two, significantly reducing friction.

Perform Ease of shopping is expected to grow close-rate by 25%. I’m proud to say that my name is included in the design patent application.

Liquidity Agent: Recruited by the CEO to package the neglected infant/toddler feeding business company for sale

Evenflo—Senior Director of Marketing, Infant Feeding

Perceive Saw the immediate need to rebuild retailer network and exploit the brand’s over-indexing with Hispanic consumers.

Prescribe Developed a strategic turnaround plan which included sourcing updated product offering and repairing damaged retail relationships. Leveraged brand strength with Hispanic shoppers to secure placement at Target.

Perform Delivered +23% revenue growth. Successfully reshaped the business, positioning it for sale to Kimberly-Clark.

Creator: Branded, launched and operated an independent upscale self-serve yogurt emporium that offered micro-vacations from stress-filled days

T-Willy’s—Retail Entrepreneur

Perceive Recognized the need to differentiate in a crowded category by delivering a branded experience that drove customer frequency and loyalty.

Prescribe Created T-Willy, a character who traveled the world collecting flavors. Built an engaging team of high-performing students, curated an assortment of unique toppings and wrapped it all in an inviting environment with fun in-store activities that delivered a respite from a demanding day, sending customers back to the world refreshed.

Perform Sales exceeded projections; sold the business for 8X earnings after three years due to relocation.

Consumer Products | Branding/Identity | Product Development | Market Research | Shopper Journey | P&L Ownership

Analytics | Go-To-Market | Creative Direction | Innovation | Strategic Planning | Segmentation | Team Leadership | Kellogg MBA

EDUCATION:

Digital Audience Strategy Certificate
Arizona State University, Cronkite School of Journalism, Phoenix, AZ

Master of Business Administration (MBA), Marketing
Kellogg GSM, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Bachelor of Science (BS), Communication Studies
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CERTIFICATIONS:

Coursework, Finance for Executives, Continuing Education Program, Kellogg GSM, Northwestern University

Digital Marketing Certification, Google Analytics, Google Search, Google Shopping Ads

Digital Marketing Certification, HubSpot In-bound Marketing, HubSpot Social Media