For an industry-leading consumer products Arts & Crafts Company, Plaid Enterprises, Inc; whose products are sold through mass, e-commerce, and specialty retail channels throughout the world.
VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING REPORTING TO THE CEO/PRESIDENT OF PLAID ENTERPRISES, INC.
Hands on consumer products marketing executive accountable for developing and implementing the company’s long-term strategic plan to meet revenue and earnings goals. Responsible for all B2B and DTC Marketing activities for Craft and DIY products sold through multiple sales channels including Mass, E-Commerce, Specialty Retail, Value, Home Improvement Channels, and Direct-to-Consumer.
The VP Marketing’s objective is to further Plaid’s mission to reach and inspire consumers to explore their inner creativity and provide them with the knowledge and products they need to do so, strengthening Plaid’s position as the category innovator of creative and DIY products. These market leading products are sold under iconic national brands, including Mod Podge, FolkArt and Apple Barrel, as well as private label brands for retailers such as Walmart, Michaels, and Target.
Responsible for vision, strategy and execution of integrated marketing programs and campaigns across the key go-to-market pillars of Brand Building, E-Commerce, Content Creation, and Marcomm aimed at both consumer and channel customers.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
· Team Leadership: Strong individual contributor and enthusiastic team leader with a sense of urgency and attention to detail for a fast-paced 25+ person integrated creative team including Communications, E-Commerce, social media, Content Creation and Graphic Arts Studio.
· Strategic Planning: Lead the creation and implementation of strategies to drive growth for Brands and KPI’s across all marketing levers.
· Innovation Visionary: Create best-in-class, trend setting marketing campaigns capable of generating results to enhance brand positioning and drive consumer engagement.
· Digital Centric: Digital savvy marketer well versed in web commerce, SEO/SEM, online advertising, and AI marketing tools.
· E-Commerce Strategist: Drive growth of online sales, through plaidonline.com for B2C and B2B channels. Develop and manage strategies to increase customer acquisition and retention converting to revenue growth and profitability.
· Brand Ambassador: Act as the Storyteller-in-Chief both internally and externally to advocate for the brand.
· Brand Stewardship: Close collaboration with VP of Product Development to ensure brand goals are met across all consumer and retailer touchpoints. Full support for fast-paced project timelines to ensure product deadlines are achieved to meet goals.
· Creative Content:Oversee the creation of all visual marketing materials including branding, packaging, merchandising, video, e-commerce, and retailer in-store merchandising tools.
· Marketing Communications: Build awareness, trust, and loyalty amongst potential and existing customers through messaging and outreach consistent with brand positioning and corporate goals.
· Expense Management: Ensure cost-effective spending and efficient resource allocation across all department activities to deliver programs on time and on budget. Optimize balance between internal and external resources.
· Customer Centric: In-depth understanding of the needs of each customer and channel (external and internal) to provide innovative marketing campaigns. Service mindset to address customer specific opportunities and meet their changing needs on expedited deadlines.
· Collaborative: Develop and foster strong relationships with internal cross-functional teams (Product, Sales, Finance, Supply Chain and Operations) and external teams (Customers, Vendors, Partners) to ensure alignment of direction at all stages of project activity.
· Performance Analyst – Utilize data to guide decision making, inform and measure marketing strategies, optimize campaigns, and identify areas for improvement. Establish metrics for campaigns and channel goals and regularly report on results.
· Market Analysis: Monitor and stay ahead of competitive activity within category, and leverage trends in consumer lifestyles, social media, and consumer products to innovate for the future. Conduct annual market research study.
IDEAL CANDIDATE SKILLS
· Education: Bachelor’s degree in marketing, MBA is a plus.
· Experience: Previous experience as a VP Marketing or 15 years of executive marketing level experience with a demonstrated track record of successfully leading a multidisciplinary marketing team in a consumer products organization.
· Omni-channel: Strong marketing expertise in both B2B and DTC channels with particular emphasis on national retail chains, online marketplaces, and company-owned websites.
· Digital Marketing: Demonstrable experience in designing and implementing successful digital marketing campaigns. Strong understanding of E-Commerce, SEO/SEM and Google Analytics. Solid experience with Google AdWords and social medial advertising.
· Brand and Community Builder: Proven experience in brand strategy and community management
· Creative and Strategic Mindset: Inquisitive and curious, with a knack for transforming ideas into impactful initiatives and the ability to swiftly identify trends and drive innovation.
· Balanced Left and Right Brain: Strong eye for creative and equally strong analytical skills.
· Enthusiastic Team Leader: Track record of building high-performing teams with a passion for mentoring and developing talent. Ability to foster a culture of collaboration centered around creativity, communication, and accountability.
· Excellent Communicator: Ability to inspire across functions and interact closely with internal and external partners throughout the workflow process to inspire creative collaboration.
· Passionate Storyteller: Visionary with a clear passion for creativity with the ability to communicate the company, brand, and product story to all constituents in both verbal and written presentations.
· Iterative Mindset: Dedicated to ongoing process and systems improvement to seek out best in class solutions to meet an ever-changing business landscape.
· Detail Oriented: Ability to accomplish and complete tasks while demonstrating a thorough concern for all the areas involved, no matter how small. Ability to monitor and check work, while organizing time and resources efficiently.
