COLLEEN KELLY
Award-winning strategic leader with 20 years of experience in insight-driven brand strategy and storytelling.
Offering a breadth and depth of experience that not only crosses major categories on top global brands, but also spans disciplines from the beginning to end of the consumer journey.
I trust my gut, validate with data, operate with agility, and am never satisfied with "good enough."
2021 Sundance Film Festival
2020 Sundance Film Festival
Passion: Travel
2021 Sundance Film Festival
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
SVP, COMMERCE AND DIGITAL STRATEGY
2019 - today
Head of Agency's Commerce and Digital Strategy Practice. Responsible for building and guiding the vision for Saatchi & Saatchi’s strategy offering, collaborating with clients and agency partners across disciplines to ensure vision is put into practice via marketing plans and recommendations that drive tangible results.
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, MARKETING,
SUNDANCE INSTITUTE
2019-2021
Brand and Communications Strategy for the Sundance Film Festival and Sundance Institute.
Responsible for marketing plan development and execution including branding, messaging strategy, advertising, publishing, and audience experience.
SVP, STRATEGIC PLANNING, TPN
2014 - 2019
Leadership. Insights and Activation. Brand Positioning and Advertising. Omnichannel Planning. Business Development.
Brands: Hershey's, Clorox, Danone, Gatorade, Women's Sports Foundation
PLANNING DIRECTOR, ARC WW / LEO BURNETT
2012 - 2014
Brand Marketing. Cross-Functional Integration. Retail Go-To-Market. Global Extension. Store-Back Activation.
Brands: Pantene, Herbal Essences, Vidal Sassoon
STRATEGY DIRECTOR, OLOGIE
2011 - 2012
Brand Strategy. Positioning. Architecture. Essence and Character. Messaging Strategy. Qualitative Research.
Brands: Cardinal Health, UC Berkeley, Nationwide, Fordham University
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR, RYAN PARTNERSHIP
2003 - 2010
Trajectory from Assistant Account Executive to Account Director.
Brands: Ziploc, Saran Wrap, Edge & Skintimate, Stouffer's, White Castle
WORK
A few of my favorites.
INSIGHT CURATION
With the intent of democratizing insights across the agency, we created a knowledge sharing platform to house and share intelligence about various channels, categories, audiences, and trends.
MARKETING INNOVATION
INSIGHT
Going back to school is more than just being physically ready, it’s feeling emotionally and socially prepared to connect with others.
STRATEGIC IDEA
Use the Hershey's bar as a conduit for conversation, fostering kid-to-kid connections.
BRAND ACTIVATION
INSIGHT
Our target reserves s'mores for camping and select other rare occasions. Examining her behavior, Google Trends showed us that outside holidays, s'mores are most searched on Saturdays.
STRATEGIC IDEA
Reframe as an "everyday" occasion, and make s'mores the next Taco Tuesday.
BRAND POSITIONING & ADVERTISING
As the lead brand agency, we were tasked with modernizing Thomas’ English Muffins to attract new and younger households with a relevant and distinctive campaign that focused on the key product POD, Nooks & Crannies, while still resonating with those who already know and love the brand.
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
1:1 interviews providing a look at the changing dynamics of the milk category.
BRAND STRATEGY
The Fordham name is prestigious, but this rebranding approach for the School of Professional and Contunuing Studies underscores that it’s also accessible for adult students. We focused on demonstrating the recognition and academic credit PCS gives for the lives they’ve already lived while inspiring them to take the next big step to finish their degree. This helps students envision continuing their life stories there and all the possibilities that await them.
ENTERTAINMENT ALLIANCE
INSIGHT
She thinks she has to sacrifice her health to look good.
STRATEGIC IDEA
Help her create a healthy relationship with her hair so she doesn’t have to make personal trade-offs for her style.
SPORTS MARKETING
On behalf of Gatorade, built and maintained relationships with key influencers in secondary schools, primarily coaches and athletic trainers. Primary research uncovered insights about this specialized and complex audience, much different from the typical consumer target. Our highly targeted brand campaign executed in key channels including print, OLV, digital, and events.
EDUCATION
MIAMI UNIVERSITY RICHARD T. FARMER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
BS, MARKETING
1998 - 2002
Marketing Major
International Business Minor
Courses in branding, promotion, supply chain management, consumer behavior, market research, sales management and personal selling, imagination and creativity, problem solving skills, creating customer value, global marketing, and interactive media studies. Experiential international business study abroad program in London, Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva, Munich, and Barcelona.
OMNICOM UNIVERSITY ADVANCED MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
2015-2016
Omnicom University is considered one of the pre-eminent management development programs in the industry. Course format is based on the Harvard Business School case study method and is led by professors from HBS.