Marketing & Digital Strategy Leader
Based in Vancouver, BC.
I add value to organizations by establishing consumer-centric marketing strategies resulting in revenue growth and cost reductions.
Areas of Expertise:
Consumer Marketing Strategy
Digital & Social Media Marketing
Communications Planning
Media Buying (Paid)
Digital Marketing Technology
Marketing Analytics
Advertising Creative
Work Experience
Native Shoes
Native Shoes is a global shoe brand selling primarily in North America and Asia online through D2C and thousands of partner retailer locations. The company is most known for its innovative use of bio-based, sustainable materials in both classic and forward thinking designs.
Lead - Digital Marketing (2024)
Acquisition Marketing Manager (2023)
Key responsibilties:
Oversaw budget and forecasting of $1.1M+ (USD) annually, setting fiscal plans using both historical and future-looking insights while optimizing on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
Achieved MER (Marketing Efficiency Ratio) of 9.7 through strategic management of paid media, affiliate, and email. Managed multiple agencies while internally leading brand and creative execution for these programs.
Leveraged extensive knowledge of digital ad platforms to implement creative best practices within internal brand and creative teams, leading to optimized creative performance.
Launchtrip Technologies
Launchtrip is a travel tech start-up headquartered in Vancouver, BC with ~15 employees. The app allows Users to find and book hotels, invite guests, and split payments in one centralized mobile application.
Senior Marketing Manager (2022)
Key responsibilities:
Led a team of 7 marketing team members covering brand, creative, paid media, content, and analytics.
Established brand and growth strategy through building customer profile framework and executing communications on social media and web/app store.
Helped hire and onboard 3 new team members.
Vega (Sequel Naturals)
Vega is the top brand of plant-based protein powder in Canada and top 3 in the US. The company has ~150 employees and annual revenues exceed US $150 million.
Senior Media & Digital Manager (2020 - 2022)
Key Responsibilities:
Managed a US $2.8 million media budget and led a team of 2 (Media & Digital Manager and Content Manager) who oversaw full-funnel digital marketing including paid, owned, and earned media.
Led internal and external agencies including media, creative, and public relations to cohesively implement tactics across the US and Canada while helping prepare the organization for sale.
In charge of all external communications to consumers (outside of retail) on behalf of Vega.
Rethink Canada
Rethink is an independent advertising agency with offices in New York, Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. The company has ~350 employees has been named Canada’s Agency of the Year six years in a row, and won Independent Agency of the Year at Cannes.
Director of Digital Strategy (2019 – 2020)
Digital Marketing Manager (2017 – 2019)
Lead Digital Analyst (2014 – 2017)
Client List:
A&W Canada, London Drugs, BC Hydro, Shaw Communications, UBC Sauder School of Business, Mr. Lube, BCAA, UNIQLO, Coast Capital Savings, Skip The Dishes, Sport Chek, YWCA Vancouver, Pedalheads and more.
Key Responsibilities:
Led a team of 4 strategists to plan, execute, and report on digital and social campaigns with annual budgets of over $2M.
Implemented strategic insights and processes that contributed to Rethink’s #1 Digital Agency of the Year award (Strategy Magazine).
Built a Digital Advertising Measurement Framework enabling the company to measure ROI on ad spend across multiple channels for clients, which evolved into a multiple 6-figure revenue stream for Rethink.
Bridged the gap for clients between creative and media strategy enabling clients to maximize the effectiveness of their ad spend.
G.Z. Marketing
An independent business building digital strategy with international clients focused on marketing, branding, social media strategy, and execution.
Principal/Owner (2017 – 2019)
Client List:
Monoqool (Denmark), Ergoflex (Australia), Banza (US), Nuhanzi (US), Kruzerboards (Taiwan), Liveo Beauty (Canada), Resonance Church (Canada).
Key Responsibilites:
Developed brand positioning, profile, tone and message with international clients, pairing with graphic standards for a full digital brand strategy.
Audited current social media practices and implemented recommendations to improve marketing results. For example:
Lowered ErgoFlex’s cost-per-sale by 70% within 6 months by optimizing media tactics through unique Facebook algorithm insights.
Achieved 11% clickthrough rates (industry average at 0.5%) for Monoqool within 6 months.
Examples of Work (In-House)
Native Shoes
Project: Jefferson Clog GTM Launch
Tasks:
Led the digital ad communications of the new Jefferson Clog launch.
Worked with brand and creative teams to build the messaging hierarchy, optimize creative output, and deliver against digital platform requirements.
Collaborated with media and affiliate agencies to build effective strategies surrounding budget, timing, and placements.
Results:
Record launch of over 31 ROAS on Google Performance Max and Search during launch week.
Sustained an average of 17 ROAS for the first month after launch.
Jefferson Clog has continued to build momentum with new colors and prints every year and has become a core part of the product mix.
Native Shoes
Project: Lead Generation Analysis
Tasks:
Analyzed our customer data platform (CDP) to identify the LTV of email subscribers that we signed up through lead generation ads on Meta to see if our investments were worth the return in incremental income.
Results:
Through deep cohort analysis, I identified a significant difference between “new” and “returning” customers that signed up for our email subscribers.
New customers had a negative return, as they showed little actual purchases after sign up.
Existing customers showed a positive return, indicating that newsletters was best served retention strategy versus acquisition.
The majority of the 6 figure annual budget for these ads shifted to alternative digital acquisition strategies that resulted in a 10x higher ROAS.
Vega (Sequel Naturals)
Project: Fuel Like the Best Campaign
Tasks:
Project lead working with internal creative teams from campaign brief to storyboarding to creative production across paid media, PR, and influencer tactics.
Partnering with media and PR agencies on strategy, execution, and measurement.
Results:
Statistically significant lift above vertical norms for brand recall and top of mind brand awareness on Meta.
50% view rate across 38 million impressions on YouTube in US and Canada.
Examples of Work (Agency)
Client: Mr. Lube
Project: Tire Change Services Launch
Tasks:
Digital lead on the Mr. Lube account.
Plan and executed social media campaigns to build awareness of the new tire change services at Mr. Lube.
Built reporting, analyzed results, and provided recommendations for ongoing improvement.
Results:
Season over season improvement in results as tire changes became 10% of business after 3 years.
Best in class Facebook brand lift study results for country and category.
Client: UNIQLO
Project: Vancouver Launch
Tasks:
Social media and amplification strategy for the Vancouver launch of UNIQLO.
Built a full funnel digital consumer journey on social media to drive awareness, consideration, and purchase of Uniqlo’s products in the western Canadian market.
Delivered a multi-faceted media plan that covered social media and digital video platforms, optimizing at every stage of the consumer journey.
Results:
Successful launch with ~1,000 people lined up for the opening day.
Case study for this project led to Rethink winning Strategy magazines’ “Gold Digital Agency of the Year” in 2018.
Client: Shaw Communications
Project: BlueCurve Launch
Tasks:
Managing team of amplification strategists to raise brand awareness and consideration for Shaw BlueCurve.
Our team delivered multiple social media amplification plans to deliver the right message to the right user at the right time.
Developed a measurement methodology using Facebook brand lift studies to track and improve results campaign over campaign.
Results:
Above 50% general awareness of Shaw BlueCurve across social media platforms.
Consistent lift in awareness and consideration brand metrics over multiple campaigns spanning 1 year.
Client: Ergoflex Australia
Project: Paid Social Media Consulting
Tasks:
Conducted an audit of existing social media practices and provided strategic recommendations.
Set up communication, media, and targeting strategy by mapping the consumer journey and finding best opportunities to reach users.
Ongoing Facebook ad execution with monthly reporting to analyze results to continuously lower CPA.
Results:
Lowered ad serving costs by 30% by streamlining media units.
2x video engagement compared to past performance.
70% lower cost per sale compared to past performance.
Get in touch
gordonzhang1@gmail.com
+1 778 858 8693