Core innovator/builder marketing executive and passionate brand warrior with strong business acumen. Experienced leading teams to execute innovative, creative, and effective B2C and B2B marketing programs.
My strengths lie in marketing leadership, strategy, brand vision, content development, team mentorship, creative project management, and budget accountability. I listen actively, think strategically, am skilled at prioritizing, and have a knack for cutting through the clutter to achieve targeted marketing solutions for effective ROI. I am a humble, positive, energetic, insatiably curious communicator who thrives in challenging and fast-paced environments. I understand the need for immediacy for marketing effectiveness (timing really can mean everything in the success of a campaign). I keep a smile ready and have a great sense of humor, which are personality traits that have served me well to easily build positive relationships with industry peers, co-workers, and direct reports.
Loree A. Blue
336.416.6595 | loree@loreeblue.,com
E X P E R I E N C E
NC State University Industry Expansion Solutions Raleigh, NC
Director of Marketing and Communications April 2022 – current
State agency that provides resources and services to mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities, narrow the workforce gap, leverage advanced technology adoption, enhance productivity and profitability, and strengthen the economic impact of small to medium size manufacturers in North Carolina.
- Serve on the core leadership team, participate in establishing priorities, define processes and identify opportunities for organizational growth. Participate in board meetings for two different advisory boards.
- Guide marketing and creative strategy, organic and earned media strategies, web development, social media content, event promotions, email marketing programs, organic advertising campaigns and collateral development to support vision, mission, and organizational business objectives. Currently in process of complete website redesign/build to reposition the brand.
- Provide support for 10 regional sales managers and nine different organizational divisions.
- Own brand identity, assess all marketing activities for consistent message voice, positioning, and visual identity.
- Mentor and inspire marketing staff that includes visual artists, video producers, web developers and communication specialists. Identify and collaborate with third-party vendors as needed.
- Consolidate and streamline messaging, prioritizing a consistent and engaging user experience for all brand touch points, marketing, and communications.
- Implement data collection procedures/schedules to capture engagement, acquisition, and conversion. Utilize data-driven strategies and define metrics to measure the success of individual and collective performances.
- Nurture strong relationships with multiple industry leaders and organizations, board members and partners, media influencers and clients to organically grow brand identity and program awareness.
- Meet with clients, in person and virtually, to understand their challenges and solutions, and capture success stories.
- Perform a dual role as the Marketing Director of the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP), a member of the National Institute of Standards (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). MEP is a public-private partnership with Centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico dedicated to serving small and medium-sized manufacturers. Last year, MEP Centers interacted with more than 36,000 manufacturers, leading to $16.2 billion in sales, $2.9 billion in cost savings, $4.8 billion in new client investments, and helped create or retain more than 107,100 jobs.
– Promote federal grants, events, programs, and resources available to manufacturers in North Carolina.
Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission Wheaton, MD
Principal Marketing & Public Affairs Manager February 2019 – April 2022
Government agency
- Guide brand vision and creative strategy.
- Serve as project manager; set marketing priorities and allocate talent in a fast-paced, quickly changing landscape.
- Hire, manage, and mentor creative staff, negotiate, and manage media, advertising, freelance talent, agency, vendor, and supplier relationships for accountability of the 400k+ marketing budget.
- Lead integrated digital and traditional, cross-channel marketing and communication strategies that include website development, search engine optimization (SEO), user experience (UX), owned, earned and paid media including search, display, pay-per-click (PPC), and organic advertising, press releases, media story pitches, influencer marketing, email marketing campaigns, special events promotions, content expert articles and storytelling blogs, and social media and reputation management, videography, photography, illustration, animation, PowerPoint presentations, direct mail, print collateral, television commercials, radio spots, signage, and corporate crisis communications.
- Establish key performance Indicators (KPIs) and track return on investment (ROI) to manage the department’s priorities, budget allotment and accountability, productivity, and marketing team effectiveness.
- Achievements:
– Aligned social media and advertising messaging that resulted in 60% growth in website traffic and a 45% growth in social media followers in year one.
– Enhanced SEO tools, which influenced a 30% increase in unique visitors and 22% expansion in the length of time visitors remained on site within the first few months of plan implementation.
– Developed an interactive, customizable digital Program and Activity Guidebook tool to assemble program data in real-time via API (manual program updates are no longer needed-saving 10% in labor costs), provides custom content based on preferences for our customers 24/7. (The project provided a sustainable solution that reduced print waste and realized a savings of over $100K/year).
– Utilized A/B testing to improve email engagement, which is resulted in a 15% increase in opens
– Grew the email marketing database at an average rate of 100 new registrants per week through
ongoing, targeted organic social and paid digital marketing campaigns.
ds2Creative Marketing Communications Lewisville, NC
Chief Marketing Officer / Creative Director August 1999 – February 2019
Boutique creative communications agency
- Business development and account management expanded account base 10%/year consistently for 20 years.
- Led project execution of client-focused, creative marketing deliverables that were on brief, on deadline, and on budget. Planned and executed marketing promotions, demand generation programs, multi-channel marketing programs, brand identity, website, social media, content development, public relations, customer service and sales strategies, digital and traditional advertising campaigns, email marketing and loyalty club management, merchandising including limited-time offers (LTOs), point-of-purchase (POP), signage, packaging, sales collateral, and manager and franchisee incentive programs.
- Sampling of accounts / areas of industry expertise:
– Battery Watering Systems, Global Battery Watering System Accessory Manufacturer
– TW Garner Food Company, Texas Pete® Sauces, International Food Manufacturer
– Chesson Labs, Pharmaceutical
– Dize Company, Regional Manufacturer and Distributor of Awnings, Tarps & Specialty Products
– Febreze Home Collection, Global Candle, and Scent Manufacturer
– Green Energy Concepts, National Distributor of Imported Charger Technology
– Industrial Battery & Charger, Inc., Regional Distributor of Power
– L’eggs Hosiery, Global Textiles & Apparel Manufacturer
– Lowes Home Improvement, National Home Improvement Retailer
– Micromem, Inc. and Mast, Inc., Global Sensor Technology Products & Applications
– Red Hot & Blue Restaurants, Inc., National Casual Restaurant Chain, Franchisor & Caterer
– Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Art Museum & Tourism
– SciWorks Science Museum and Environmental Park, Educational Tourist Attraction
– Sticky Fingers Smokehouse, Regional Casual Restaurant Chain & Caterer
– Variety Wholesalers, Roses Discount Stores, Regional Discount Retail Stores
Pioneer-Eclipse Corporation Sparta, NC
Director of Marketing May 1997 – August 1999
International floorcare equipment and chemical systems manufacturer
- Planned and executed regional, national, and international B2B marketing, sales, and service strategies for an international floor care equipment and chemical company spanning 40 countries with a manufacturing capacity of 30 million gallons of chemical per year.
- Established priorities and scheduled new product launches and new program rollouts. Oversaw product development, testing, coordinated stakeholders, senior staff, salesmen, and product engineers to ensure a successful and profitable product launches.
E D U C A T I O N
Strategic Marketing, Professional Certificate, Cornell University • Essentials of Marketing Strategy • Applied Marketing Strategy and Decision-Making Tools • Marketing Research and Analysis • Creating and Communicating the Value of Your Brand • Introducing New Products: Success and Failures • Distribution Strategy and International Marketing
Executive Leadership, Professional Certificate, Cornell University • Quality and Service Excellence • Leading Collaborative Teams • Strategic Decision Making • Leading with Credibility • Motivating People for High Performance • Coaching Skills for Leaders • Leading for Creativity and Innovation • Planning and Delivering Effective Presentations
Data-Driven Marketing, Professional Certificate, Cornell University • Measuring Consumer Preferences • Analyzing Segmentation and Targeting • Using Data for Positioning Brands • Predicting and Managing Customers’ Lifetime Value • Market Response Modeling • Optimizing Digital Advertising with Analytics
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Commercial Art, East Carolina University
R E F E R E N C E S
Available on request.
P E R S O N A L
- Problem-solver, skilled at assessment, identifying solutions, and implementing effective approaches
- Enjoy mentoring staff to expand their professional expertise and love sharing the “high-five ah-ha” moments
- Dependable and attentive; work with immediacy to project/task completion
- Calm-under-pressure; prioritize the chaos of deadlines in fast-paced multitasking project management
- Passionate about technology and best practice
- Follow trending social, cultural, economic and design influences
- Self-motivated, high energy, entrepreneurial spirit team leadership
- Collaborative, trustworthy, interpersonal skills, building long-term professional relationships
- Conversationalist, well-mannered, considerate, with spirited sense of humor
- Expert in Adobe CS, Microsoft Office, Content Management Systems (WordPress) and Project Management CRM