Sam Romero

Phone: 512-923-5551
sam@samromero.com

SENIOR MARKETING EXECUTIVE

MESSAGING & POSITIONING - LEAD GENERATION - BRANDING - PRODUCT STRATEGY

Strategy-driven enterprise software marketing executive. Proven ability to develop brands, positions, messages, and campaigns. Expert at lead generation for business and consumer markets. Delivers award-winning marcom with on-time/on-budget execution and deal-closing sales support. Deep understanding of high tech and strong product direction experience. Able to establish credibility with industry analysts. Rapidly analyzes and locates untapped markets and establishes competitive landscapes and associated SWOT. Highly adept at assembling, managing and developing talented teams. Collaborative consensus-builder able to make tough decisions.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

JonnyCo, AUSTIN, TX, JAN 2007-Present
Principal

Provide strategic and tactical marketing consultation, including creation of marketing plans, schedules, and associated budget requirements. Provide creative services and copywriting services. Markets served include energy, software, and higher education. Clients include BP Amoco, Lieberman Software, St. Edward’s University, and ITS Quest.

WINTERNALS SOFTWARE, a Microsoft Company, AUSTIN, TX, DEC 2001-DEC 2006
VP, Marketing

Led marketing component through acquisition process and served as member of executive transition team post-acquisition. Led company through self-funded (no outside investments) continuously profitable growth, moving from a sales run rate of ~$6 million to ~$18 million at acquisition. Responsible for $2.1M marketing budget. Developed product positioning and messaging for four product lines; one utility software suite and three enterprise solution suites. Headed marketing division with three teams totaling 13 members.

• Served as Corporate Creative Director and Chief Copywriter.
• Restructured marketing organization to enable support for enterprise solutions in addition to utility software.
• Established and developed corporate strategy, position, message, and brand.
• Contributed to product strategy and roadmap.
• Developed and grew industry analyst relations program.
• Established and developed market research/competitive landscape team to support product management.
• Established and developed robust marketing events (tradeshows, seminars, etc.) program.
• Implemented matrix team with IT to align internal technology efforts with marketing and strategic goals.

ENRON ENERGY SERVICES, HOUSTON, TX, JULY, 2001-DEC, 2001
Creative Strategist

Developed creative messaging and communications for seven product lines across five concurrent state-by-state programs.

• Established go-to-market messaging and positioning of various energy and financial products and services.
• Developed core methodologies for implementing market segmentation across key verticals.
• Directed internal creative team in development of direct marketing and advertising materials and sales collateral.

M2K ADVERTISING, AUSTIN, TX, 2000-APRIL, 2001
Creative Director, Interactive Director

Established corporate identity and look-and-feel for American Airlines/AOL Advantage joing consumer loyalty program, including developing and delivering one billion trackable impressions to consumer market in a single quarter as part of go-to-market strategy. Pitched and won business totaling $6m. Directly supervised creative/interactive team of 14 art directors, designers, copywriters, and web programmers.

• Developed concepts and wrote copy for high-profile print and online ad campaigns, direct marketing campaigns, marketing collateral, sales support materials, corporate identity materials, web sites and multimedia CD-ROM projects.
• Advertising (print ads, outdoor, Web banner ads) clients included America Online/American Airlines, Dell Computer Corporation, Hoover’s Online, and ObjectSpace.
• Direct marketing (direct mail, dimensional mailers, email and e-zine) clients included i2 and TradeMatrix.
• Interactive media (Web sites, CDs, Flash) copywriting clients included Sabre, Johnson Controls, Primary Knowledge, and PointServe.
• Identity and collateral (taglines, positioning statements, corporate brochures, sales collateral) clients included NewsStand and WindWire.

OAK SANDERSON, AUSTIN, TX, 1999-2000
Director, Creative Services

Co-wrote business plan, set short- and long-term company goals, and developed strategies to achieve them. Worked with agency principal to acquire and grow new business. Supervised team of 5 full-time and freelance designers and programmers.

• Developed concepts and wrote copy for direct marketing campaigns, sales incentive promotions, and web sites.
• Direct marketing and collateral clients included Q UP systems and Dell.
• Interactive media copywriting clients included ArtCarved and Barnes & Noble.

BAZZIRK, AUSTIN, TX, 1995-1999
Interactive Creative Director

Established and developed interactive marketing group. Held primary responsibility for pitching and winning new Interactive accounts totaling in excess of $4M. Recruited and directly supervised a team of six designers and interactive programmers.

• Developed concepts and wrote copy for direct marketing campaigns, print and online ad campaigns, marketing collateral, sales support materials, web sites and multimedia projects.
• Advertising and direct marketing clients included Dell Computer Corporation, Sun Microsystems, NEC, Stream International, CIDCO, Fujitsu, and Motorola.
• Interactive media clients included TransUnion Corporation, Emerson/Fisher-Rosemount, Advanced Micro Devices, and Motorola.

DELL COMPUTER CORPORATION, AUSTIN, TX, 1990-1995
Marketing Copywriter

• Developed concepts and wrote copy for direct marketing campaigns, print advertising campaigns, marketing collateral, corporate identity materials, and sales support materials.
• Established and maintained corporate communications style guide.

Education

1990 University of Texas Austin, TX
BA in French Language.