for over 20 years, High-end to low, fashion to pharma, 
finding the story and involving the customer

VISTAPRINT: rebuilding a plane at 40,000 ft. 

Five years ago, I promised I'd help turn around Vistaprint's global marketing agency and the Vistaprint brand. The company was doing $700 million but sales were slowing. The tactical marketing was hurting the brand. And the creative work was lame.

Today, Vistaprint's brand is flying high. YOY growth is around 20%. Sales are over $1.5 billion. My leadership and their supporting teams are dramatically more skilled and motivated. The work really works. And I, well.. I decided its time I started looking for my next high.

A truly global Brand spot

While I've led a lot of creative adventures, there are none I'm more proud of. 

The scene: A core creative team of only myself and my partner. No agency. No second chances. Little time. A tight budget. And a global audience.

It was an amazing experience - one that I lead with, because even if it's all you see,  you'll still go away with a decent idea of who I am. And how I solve complex challenges.

A new Corporate GLOBAL Identity system

By combining the insight of an internal design team with the expertise of a top design firm, we created a brand mark, voice, and identity system as responsive as the brand behind it. And rolled it out across multiple continents in record time. 

award-winning branded testimonial DR TV

Faced with huge sales goals and bigger brand challenges, I got to create a global campaign and train a creative team that delivered sales results and across-the-board improvements in brand metrics that surprised even me.

NEw site, display and Cross-channel work

While Vistaprint's always done a ton of email and display, both its production systems and its creative output were weak. Now, Vistaprint is delivering award-winning creative, market-dominating sales, and building a brand.

for better creative start with better strategy

There's little more interesting than business, brand, and creative strategy. Why? Because, when all the powerpoints are pointed, the whiteboards wiped, and everyone's gone home for the night... somewhere, behind some door, on some device, or in some aisle, there's a real person in a real sales process.

And your strategic decisions will resonate and that person will move forward. Or they won't. And that person will be gone. And as goes one, so will go thousands, and with them, your fame and your fortune. And all because of a little strategy.

So why do I bring this up on a Creative Directors website? Because while it is common to see creative and strategy as disparate disciplines, I see them as inseparable and essential to anyone empowered to make the most of your marketing dollar. 

Business Strategy

While some see creatives as just artful presenters of existing offers, I believe our cultural awareness, creative mindset and deep understanding of audience wants makes us invaluable at identifying and developing new opportunities and adjacencies. 

brand strategy

Deciding where you'll compete and how you'll win is one of the most challenging tasks in all of business. But by being good at it, I've been able to consistently deliver campaigns that not only sell products and services but also define and deepen brands.

creative strategy

Beyond brand strategy, it is essential that one develop a creative strategy that breaks through the clutter, moves audiences to action, and leaves a lasting brand impression. Part visual, part verbal, and part executional, this is where creative shows its exponential effect.

helping build some of the worlds great brands...