Laurie McAndish King

Strategic Business Development

OVERVIEW:

I love building business. My experience spans multiple industries, including financial services, high tech, telecommunications, and travel, and includes a wide variety of successful B2B and consumer marketing programs.

SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS:

  • In my first twelve months as Director of Marketing for luxury educational tour operator, total bookings increased by 98.5% and fill rate increased by 27% over previous year.
  • Team-developed marketing strategy for national telecommunications company (Telecom Australia) undergoing deregulation. Managed ongoing strategic refinement (in response to rapidly changing marketplace) and campaign implementation. Retained 33% more customers than anticipated in aggressive marketing plan.
  • Led agency team that introduced a new marketing vehicle — direct response software sales — to the U.S. marketplace and built direct response business for Borland from zero to 60% of sales in two and one half years. (During the same period, revenues grew from $90 million to more than $500 million.)
  • Analyzed direct marketing expenses and leverage points for major Silicon Valley client; developed and negotiated plan to save client over $1,000,000 annually — without decreasing revenues.
  • As member of 3-person circulation department, increased PC World circulation from 30,000 to more than 300,000. (Folio 400 ranked PC World the fastest-growing U.S. consumer magazine … and I received a Folio Gold Award for Excellence in Direct Marketing.)

Project Management — Advertising and Marketing

OVERVIEW:

Experienced at hands-on project management, including working with clients, creative and technical staff, and outside service providers. I know how to develop and manage a campaign that works.

SKILLS and EXPERTISE:

  • Experienced across a broad range of project types, including B2B and B2C, new product launches, demand generation, product sales, and fulfillment.
  • Experienced with web-based technologies, including blogging, podcasts, Twittering, community-building forums, video tutorials, e-mail marketing, and social networking.
  • Develop strategic marketing plans, including identifying key market segments; determining positioning, marketing objectives, and communications objectives; recommending test matrices; writing creative briefs; analyzing results.
  • Manage creative and production processes, including developing schedules and estimates; managing in-house or freelance copywriters, art directors, and designers; list ordering; fulfillment.
  • Team building, including recommending and managing talented creative directors, copywriters, art directors, designers, and photographers.
  • Manage client communications and expectations, deepening client relationships in the context of a rapidly-changing marketplace and evolving client strategy.

Educational Travel Know-How

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OVERVIEW:
My experience in educational travel includes individual travel, participating in organized trips, marketing travel experiences, managing a marketing department for a tour operator, freelance consulting, and serving as an advisor for conference developers.

CONTRIBUTIONS:

  • Served as Director of Marketing for luxury educational tour operator High Country Passage (HCP; now named World Leaders Travel). Clients included National Geographic, the Smithsonian, the American Museum of Natural History, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, as well as the alumni associations of Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Cal Berkeley, Smith, and other distinguished institutions.
  • In my first twelve months as Director of Marketing at HCP, total bookings increased by 98.5% and the fill rate increased by 27% over the previous year.
  • Managed marketing department responsible for filling more than 100 trips/year using direct mail, e-mail, websites, magazine ads, and co-op programs. Department produced more than 100 brochures and four catalogs/year.
  • Produced trip journals for 2007 World Leaders Symposium to the Balkans; lecturers included Secretary Madeleine Albright, William Perry (former U.S. Secretary of Defense), Peter Galbraith (former ambassador to Croatia). The print-on-demand books were very popular with experienced travelers (”We are completely blown away by the quality of what you have accomplished. Thank you very much.”) and can be viewed here.
  • Participated in 3 two-week Earthwatch expeditions, assisting scientists with field research Argentina, Brazil, and Madagascar.
  • Participated in planning sessions for the Educational Travel Community’s 23rd and 24th annual international conferences (2009 and 2010).
  • Have traveled in more than 30 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Egypt, France, Fiji, Greece, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malta, Paraguay, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.
  • Lived and worked abroad for more than one year as Senior Vice President at EuroRSGC-owned advertising agency; selected to open new office and develop business in Melbourne, Australia.

CLIENTS:

When I was Director of Marketing at High Country Passage, (now World Leaders Travel), my clients included:

Not-for-Profit Prowess

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OVERVIEW:

My experience with not-for-profit organizations includes fundraising, active participation on several boards, marketing to constituents, newsletter and magazine publication, working as a docent, and conducting scientific field work.

CONTRIBUTIONS:

  • San Francisco Zoo: Part of 3-member marketing team hired by the San Francisco Zoo to develop their Capital Campaign; raised more than $24,000,000. Assisted with production of multiple issues of member publication (Zoo Views). Managed redesign of SF Zoo website.
  • Elected and re-elected officer (treasurer and vice president) for three years at Bay Area Travel Writers, a 160-member organization of professional travel writers and photographers. Also served as webmaster, and managed transition from traditional newsletter to Web-based e-zine.
  • EarthWatch: Participated in three programs (in Argentina, Brazil, Madagascar) working with scientists in the field.
  • Golden Gate Raptor Observatory: Participated for eleven years in scientific research program (tracking migration of hawks) as trapper and bander.
  • Audubon Canyon Ranch: Experienced docent—led 4th- and 5th-graders on nature hikes. Board member and newsletter editor / producer.
  • As Director of Marketing at educational travel operator, worked extensively with not-for-profit clients, including the Smithsonian, National Geographic, the American Museum of Natural History, California Academy of Sciences, and the alumni organizations of Harvard, Yale, MIT, Stanford, Cal, Smith, and more.

Change Management

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OVERVIEW:

I have made senior-level contributions at companies that are managing significant change: start-ups, turnarounds, stall-outs, and new product launches.

CONTRIBUTIONS:

  • Opened direct response agency (DirectWorks) in Melbourne, Australia for U.S. parent company; first year billings exceeded $U.S. 23,000,000. Responsibilities included new business development, strategic planning, developing client relationships, and managing account and production teams … as well as hiring and training staff, setting and maintaining quality control standards and procedures, and researching, contracting, and managing suppliers.
  • Turned around faltering design studio (DMZ) by establishing and implementing operating procedures and quality control standards. Responsible for significantly improved product, faster service, increased volume and profitability, and much higher levels of customer satisfaction and confidence.
  • Turned around integrated advertising agency (Wells Nobay McDowell) in Melbourne, Australia which had recently lost two of three principals and three of four major clients. As General Manager, I stabilized agency, improved morale and retained personnel, regained confidence of remaining client and expanded relationship, won significant new business, and attracted high-quality new talent.
  • Hired to help manage major new product launch (SmartRate) for client PG&E at Yates Advertising. Defined project requirements, oversaw functional and visual microsite design processes, and worked closely with 3rd-party web developers.
  • Participated in launch of new product for Intuit, Quicken Kids & Money. As the Content Manager, I was responsible for the successful development, acquisition, organization, and delivery of hundreds of games, learning modules, worksheets, and parent instructions.
  • Built marketing department at San Francisco-based tour operator High Country Passage (now World Leaders Travel). In my first twelve months as Director of Marketing, total bookings increased by 98.5% and the fill rate increased by 27% over the previous year.
  • Managed transition from legacy software to new membership mangement system for Bay Area Travel Writers, integrating member database, online credit card merchant functionality, membership applications, renewals processing, events posting and RSVP functionality, member messaging, and more. Also managed transition from traditional newsletter to Web-based e-zine.

Management Experience

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OVERVIEW:

I have managed departments of 3 to 15 employees, including recruiting, hiring/firing, training, coaching, supervising, motivating, and reviewing performance. I developed strong planning, problem-solving, and prioritization skills in management positions at High Country Passage, Cohn & Wells, and EuroRSCG Worldwide.

SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS:

  • Built and managed marketing department at educational travel company. Developed or supervised development of infrastructure — including management reports, budgets, estimate formats, proforma schedules, brochure templates, top-off programs, approval checklists, offer summaries, client profiles, style sheets, etc. Hired, trained, and managed department.
  • Participated — along with owner, president, and CFO — in executive team responsible for long-term planning, policy development, product and personnel decisions, budget issues, and executive reporting at luxury educational travel company. In my first twelve months there, total bookings increased by 98.5% and fill rate increased by 27% over previous year.
  • Managed advertising agency’s most profitable account team at Cohn & Wells San Francisco, generating annual revenue in excess of $20,000,000. Experienced in training both clients and agency employees in direct marketing methods and procedures, and in managing high-volume, detail-oriented direct marketing projects. Over a period of ten years, contributed as Senior Vice President, Director of Strategic Planning, Studio Director, and Group Account Director.
  • Analyzed direct marketing expenses and leverage points for major Silicon Valley client (Borland); developed and negotiated plan to save client over $1,000,000.00 annually without decreasing revenues.

Laurie McAndish King