So after spending most of my career working as an advertising executive with larger regional, national and global clients, I formed Brandmarken a consumer insight planning firm, to help marketers immerse themselves in their consumers' worlds to uncover hidden insights unobtainable with traditional research. Then hurricane Katrina paid me a visit and it gave me a chance to re-enter the agency world, so I returned to agency life as President of Zehnder Communications where I spent my days helping the firm’s clients find new and interesting ways to combine traditional, digital and social media marketing strategies to create ongoing consumer conversations. It was during this time that I became convinced that the future of marketing and advertising lies in the ability to effectively monitor, create and engage in digital conversations with consumers. In order to fully focus on that belief, I created Converse Digital.
When I'm not working on behalf of Clients, I spend a lot to time speaking at conferences and private seminars and workshops, I blog over at Positive Disruption by Tom Martin, and I'm a regular contributor to Ad Age’s Small Agency Diary.
And if you're looking for the really, really deep back story on me, I once spent time at Temerlin McClain Advertising in Dallas, Texas where I was fortunate enough to work with teams that developed direct marketing, retail and corporate branding programs for various American Airlines service offerings. Additionally, I served as Vice President, Business Development at Peter A. Mayer Advertising of New Orleans, Louisiana where I lead a team that created the firm’s business development program, which generated over 35% growth in new billings in just over four years. In addition to my business development duties, I was responsible for developing and implementing strategic marketing and branding programs for a vast array of clients including gaming, retail, entertainment, hospitality, dot-com and telecommunications.
I try to support and be an active member of the New Orleans marketing community. I recently served as the President of the American Marketing Association chapter and in 2008, the Advertising Federation was nice enough to name me Agency Executive of the Year and in 2010, the IABC was kind enough to name me Communicator of the Year. I am a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a BS in Advertising and is a happily married, but tired father of four.
When not working with companies to create and engage in digital conversations, I like to read and a very, very occasional round of golf. Want to know something really cool about me? I once appeared on an episode of Food 911 on the acclaimed Food Network and I won my Cadillac Escalade with a half-court basketball shot at my kids' school fair. Pretty cool eh?
If you want to know more about me or my company, Converse Digital, just drop me a line.