KARIM LATEEF

SUMMARY

Experienced Marketing Director with a proven track record of 10+ years translating brand plans into robust campaigns and executional excellence, optimizing go-to-market strategies, and winning the confidence of key stakeholders through results and insights. Expertise in leading Influencer, Advocacy, and Integrated Communications strategies to achieve brand and business objectives. Skilled in creative development, project management, and data analysis. Passionate about creative entrepreneurship, fine arts, music and entertainment.

Experience

PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT (SELF-EMPLOYED) | CRAFT BRAND THEORY | ATLANTA, GA | 2021 - PRESENT

·       Led the marketing strategy and execution for the AFROPUNK Atlanta festival consisting of an always-on content plan, influencer recruitment, management, and programming, HBCU campus engagement, paid and earned media maximization, and ROI analysis and reporting.

·       Led the influencer campaign strategy and execution for Coca-Cola to drive awareness of the Foundation’s partnership with The Atlanta Braves and National Center for Civil Rights exceeding social media engagement and on-site attendance targets.  

MARKETING DIRECTOR | Arcane Distilling (Startup) | Brooklyn, NY | 2022 – 2023

·       Led the development and execution of the company's commercialization strategy and 360 marketing plan, which facilitated a rapid market entry launching three consecutive whiskeys within 120 days, effectively introducing the brand, and winning a prestigious silver medal from the American Distilling Institute.

·       Managed a lean annual marketing budget of $160K, optimizing digital spend by self-producing compelling content, and collaborating with a small social media agency to manage social media channels, paid media, and SEO/SEM efforts resulting in 200% growth in website traffic, and accelerated brand recognition.  

·       Established key performance indicators (KPIs) tailored to startup goals, enabling agile decision-making and quick adaptation to market feedback.

·       Co-developed the company’s inaugural PR strategy, securing over 20 high-profile placements, 250% increase in brand mentions within three months, and engaging over 5,000 new consumers across 15 events. 

·       Achieved a 75% conversion rate on Barcart.com by implementing a personalized email nurturing campaign with an average 35% open rate, fostering strong customer relationships despite resource constraints.

·       Oversaw the design and launch of the company website, creating a seamless shopper experience which contributed to an impressive 20% of the company's total sales.

·       Conducted ongoing ROI analysis of all marketing programs, and delivered quarterly reports to the CEO, investor board, and other key stakeholders within the brand accelerator program.

SENIOR MANAGER, CULTURE MARKETING | Pernod Ricard | New York, NY | 2019 – 2021

·   Pioneered the company's first culture marketing department, managed a $4.5M annual marketing budget, and worked collaboratively with internal & external stakeholders including experiential, brand marketing, PR, commercial sales, media, and digital leads as well as culture, creative & media agencies, to effectively create 360 brand communications plans that live across multiple channels.

·        Developed and implemented a data-driven customer segmentation strategy for Jameson, Avíon, and Martell resulting in over 30% increase in brand engagement, a significant boost in brand sentiment, and 25% uplift in on-premises sales across key markets.

·        Managed end-to-end campaign development from briefing, ideas, and concepts through to implementation, and engaging important cross-functional stakeholders along the way resulting in best-in-class programming that significantly improved brand equity and cultural relevance.

·  Negotiated and oversaw strategic partnerships with high-profile events, micro-influencers, and content creators, as well as top-tier celebrity brand endorsers such as Quavo, 21 Savage, The Roots, and Anderson Paak ensuring that campaign commitments were delivered on time, and relationships were maintained post.

·  Streamlined communication between regional marketing teams and global headquarters, which ensured better market fit and a cohesive identity cognizant of local market nuances and real-time feedback. 

·  Developed measurement and evaluation frameworks ensuring an accurate assessment of campaign performance.

·  Collaborated with an ERG team member to implement company-wide unconscious bias training, cultural sensitivity workshops, and brand communications advisory council resulting in higher-performing ads across diverse audiences and an improvement in employee engagement scores related to inclusion.

SENIOR MANAGER, MARKETING | The Fader | New York, NY | 2017 - 2019

·      Conceptualized and co-produced “Home by Martell ATL”, an 18-month curated experience that brought to life the brand ethos and fostered a collaborative community of culture creators, chefs, mixologists, artists, and professionals. Attended by over 4,000 consumers across 325 events, generating over 5M Instagram impressions, 175K consumer-generated content posts, and a 131% YOY sales growth.

·      Strategized, developed, and administered a localized Perrier Jouét Champagne prestige nightlife campaign and luxury influencer engagement platform, resulting in a 200% lift in Belle Époque Rosé on-premise sales in target Atlanta-based accounts during the 2018 Q3 & Q4 program period.

·      A key contributor to Martell and Perrier Jouët brand’s global narrative and calendar, leading cross-functional execution of the annual US plan including paid media, events, influencer partnerships, and PR.

MARKETING MANAGER | Legacy Marketing Partners | Atlanta, GA | 2015 - 2017

·       A key contributor to Martell’s communications plan, including brand advocacy, PR, and events, ranging from large-scale festivals and trade shows as well as activating smaller in-store retail demonstrations.

·       Informed annual brand plans and spearheaded media communications, advocacy, and product launch events for Martell Blue Swift and VS, including PR and social media management, and alignment with local distributors and internal sales teams.

MARKETING DIRECTOR | Breakthru Beverage Group | Washington, DC | 2011 - 2015

·      Oversaw planning of regional brands’ marketing, trade, and consumer programming, and execution of commercialization plan in conjunction with agency and key Diageo stakeholders.

·      Strategized and administered go-to-market strategies to successfully execute new product launches, including the Cîroc Peach flavored vodka, which ranked as the #1 best-selling new spirits item in 2012.

·      Overhauled all aspects of the local Bulleit Bourbon content strategy to recruit new consumers and on-premise commercialization plan, leading to 8 consecutive periods of sales growth, positioning Washington DC as the top-performing US market in 2013.

ASSOCIATE BRAND MANAGER (Secondment) – SMIRNOFF VODKA | DIAGEO, New York, NY, 2010 - 2011

·      Co-created Smirnoff’s “Master of the Mix”, a spirit industry first-ever branded-content unscripted reality TV show that delivered 10MM viewers/season across 3 seasons and 28 episodes.

·      Co-developed a $13MM marketing campaign to amplify Master of the Mix, nominated for the 2012 Cannes Festival Award, and significant increases in “brand for me” and “popularity” affinity scores.

·      Conceptualized new-to-world 30-second TV commercials that highlighted 12 local bartenders across 10 U.S. markets resulting in an average increase of +5% sales growth in the on-premises.

·      Oversaw commercialization plan including a limited-edition Smirnoff product extension resulting in 9 consecutive periods of IRI $ sales growth.

REGIONAL MARKETING MANAGER – MID ATLANTIC | DIAGEO, New York, NY, 2009 - 2011

·      Liaised with brand teams to inform, manage, and lead commercialization plans for high-profile celebrity brand partnerships with Sean “Diddy” Combs, Pharrell Williams, and Big Boi, as well as acquisitions and new innovations that led to outsized consumer demand online and at retail, as well as accelerated brand affinity.

·      Negotiated Cîroc Vodka’s multi-year partnership with the Washington Wizards transforming a past year media-only sponsorship into a fully integrated marketing plan consisting of co-branded multi-channel advertising, in-stadium OOH, retail point-of-sale, experiential, community outreach, and talent endorsements.

Education

May 2005

MASter of Business Administration, Lasalle University, Philadelphia, pa

3.6 GPA

MAY 2001

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE, Xavier university of Louisiana, new Orleans, la

3.5 GPA