Experience

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  Freelance

  • Marketing Strategist / Creative Consultant / Writer

    • Apr 2023 - Present

    Direct branding, product marketing, and sales cycle marketing for financial services companies with a focus on retirement. Create consumer and financial professional marketing strategies and execute creative campaigns. Write ads, direct mail, promotional flyers, emails, social media posts, and web and print articles. Author of financial literacy guide for women.

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  Delaware Life Insurance Company

  • Greater Boston Area

  • Director of Marketing

    • Aug 2018 - Mar 2023
    • Greater Boston Area

    Managed staff in development of award-winning annuity product and value-add consumer and broker materials.Developed marketing strategy for product launches and value-add plans. Directed creative for branding, advertising, sales campaigns, and client materials. Wrote high-level copy/directed art/production for key marketing materials.In corporate communications role, wrote social media and web posts, press releases and company-wide emails.• Devised value-add approach for quarterly plans connecting advanced concepts to sales for RVPs and firm COIs.• Created a VA multi-media 6-month campaign coinciding with a 1000% increase in sales during that same time period.• Developed marketing campaign targeting premier broker market with meeting rates exceeding goal by over 200%.

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  Dawn McDermott Consultant/Writer

  • Greater Boston Area

  • Marketing Consultant and Writer

    • Aug 2016 - Aug 2018
    • Greater Boston Area

    Wrote for publishing and blogging on life skills that included financial literacy/planning, preventative health care, estate planning, and life coaching/thought leadership topics.

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  Sun Life Financial

  • Greater Boston Area

  • Marketing Officer

    • May 2004 - Aug 2016
    • Greater Boston Area

    Drove the execution of marketing initiatives. Experience/expertise includes Annuities, International Investments and Employee Benefits.Employee Benefits Marketing: Created thought leadership on Health Care Reform, diversity, and absence management. Developed trade ads, product marketing support, and enrollment materials. Created social media postings and blogs. Developed extensive email/web campaigns to promote thought leadership events. Created broker capabilities packages/product promotion for life, disability, dental, and stop-loss products. Annuities Product Marketing: Developed broker materials including trade ads, case studies, sales/advanced sales ideas, continuing education (CE) broker training presentations, webinars, and full-scale broker promotional packages. Created award-winning consumer materials including financial strength materials, quarterly financial updates, branding and historical materials, and investment prospectuses. International Investments Marketing: Developed international client marketing materials for offshore sales support initiatives. Created new branding approach for customer-facing materials for life insurance and investment products. Created broker promotional materials and presentations. Managed the translation and back-translation of materials from English to Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese.Annuities Channel Marketing: Developed broker and affluent client marketing materials for fixed and variable products working within complex product, legal and compliance regulations. Managed relationships with regional/planner/wirehouse/bank channel distribution partners and developed sales support initiatives. Managed account service/project management functions. Drove product launches including the successful launch of the company’s largest initiative for 2004. Translated sub-segment customer market research information into sales strategies and broker presentations.

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  Bank of America

  • Greater Boston Area

  • Investment Communications Manager

    • Sep 2000 - May 2003
    • Greater Boston Area

    Drove CMG ($150 billion in assets) investment communications targeting Investment Advisors, Private Clients Group, and respective clients. Edited and produced market commentaries, quarterly performance reports, client portfolio profiles and investment highlights documents. Developed comprehensive sales presentations for separate account management, mutual funds, hedge funds and REITs. Managed overall content/design of CMG Internet site. Moderated/Interviewed economic and portfolio manager speakers for international market conditions conference call. ~ Created cross-business process for 25% faster sales presentation delivery at 50% cost savings.~ Developed successful branding strategy for Columbia Management field and client materials.~ Managed outside vendors for maximum creativity, production quality and cost effectiveness.

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  Fidelity Investments

  • Greater Boston Area

  • Vice President Account Services, Ad Agency

    • Mar 2000 - Jul 2000
    • Greater Boston Area

    Managed account service function for large-scale in-house agency with capitalized billings of $230 million (number four agency in New England). Directed advertising, direct mail, Internet, branding and collateral initiatives. Managed a staff of 25.~ Restructured account management area to maximize skill sets and provide better service.~ Reconfigured job flow process for higher quality creative and production deliverables.~ Directed development of ad campaigns for launch of 401(k) e-business products.

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  Funds Distributor, Inc.

  • Greater Boston Area

  • Vice President Communications Director

    • Sep 1996 - Jan 2000
    • Greater Boston Area

    Managed a staff of 17 in the development of strategic marketing communications campaigns for external retail and institutional investment clients. Developed branding and positioning, advertising, corporate identity, prospectuses, Internet sites and shareholder reports. Clients: Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Brinson Partners, DLJ Winthrop Funds, Dresdner RCM Global Funds, Conseco, LaSalle Partners (REIT) Funds and Financial Research Corporation.~ Built Funds Distributor’s agency from small design shop to number eight in New England.~ Sold and delivered full-scale ($1-3 million) strategic marketing and literature programs. ~ Created the winning concepts/tag lines for numerous fund branding/positioning campaigns.~ Mentored/trained account service team to function as a full account planning team.

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  Mellon Financial/The Boston Company

  • Greater Boston Area

  • Corporate Identity Consultant

    • 1993 - 1996
    • Greater Boston Area

    Directed post-merger identity development for Mellon Private Asset Management (high net worth business managing $37 billion in assets). Formed marketing and creative strategies. Managed writers, designers and printers. Produced corporate identity and branding programs, annual reports, capabilities/product brochures, investment commentaries and consumer/ intermediary direct mail programs. Developed institutional presentations and seminar support.Positive performance resulted in expansion from short-term assignment to long-term contract. ~ Created company-acclaimed post-merger identity for use by three major business areas. ~ Realized 25-50% project cost savings through strategic direction and vendor management.

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  Blue Cross Blue Shield

  • Greater Boston Area

  • Manager of Marketing Communications

    • 1991 - 1993
    • Greater Boston Area

    Directed 15-person unit and $4 million budget in the development of marketing programs to promote health insurance products. Managed three business functions: Sales Promotion, Corporate Support and Benefits Communications.

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  John Hancock Financial Services

  • Greater Boston Area

  • General Director Retail Communications

    • 1989 - 1991
    • Greater Boston Area

    Managed 12-person department and $3.5 million budget toward the creation of product promotional programs.