Hi. I’m Anthony.
I have 25+ years of marketing experience from agencies to brand teams to non-profit organizations. My career has wound through the disciplines of creative execution, strategic development and analytics, to account leadership - across categories such as travel & leisure, healthcare, beer & spirits, CPG, QSRs, cultural institutions, financial services, and sustainability. I partnered with brands in their nascent start-up period to decades old and facing new challenges and new generations of consumers.
My roles often have required identifying gaps in capabilities, writing job descriptions, hiring, and then mentoring high performing marketing communications & strategic planning teams. I enthusiastically take full ownership over the hiring & training process, identifying strengths and growing internal abilities to exceed expectations.
The omni-channel strategic work I’ve been a part of has embedded me deep in some of the largest QSR chains and partnered with growing regional brands on the scene. I’ve championed a focus on identifying the foundational & organizational needs required to pivot to a digital-first mindset, restructuring workflows to meet demands, evaluating mar/com tech stack capabilities, guiding teams along new software adoption and training regimens, and recommending testing and analysis models to ensure ROI.
I’ve supported some of the largest CPG companies, providing strategic insights towards entering new markets, meeting the changing needs of consumers, or integrating new trends.
Any way you slice it, I am obsessed with the power of brands - their ability to influence our society & politics, the way they blend cultures and beliefs, and most importantly the way we communicate about them and how they can drive economies.
“Anthony is a unicorn. The kind of person you encounter in the workplace once or twice throughout your career. His creative and strategic mind operates in unison, allowing him to lead a team from both fronts. Anthony's drive and passion for what he does inside and outside of work is contagious while challenging. He challenges you to push boundaries, check every detail, and do it with compassion. In the car industry they say, "there's no replacement for displacement". I can confidently say there's no replacement for Anthony, powering any team you throw at him.”
EXPERTISE IN
Consumer Packaged Goods
Much of my agency work has been in leading teams in support of large CPG companies like Kraft Heinz, P&G, and Unilever covering strategic planning & research, retailer support, new product launches, shopper marketing, and content creation. Despite years of work with the big brands I have a soft spot for entrepreneurs and start ups! It is super rewarding helping new brands with their go-to-market strategies.
Quick service Restaurants
Helping create a unified ordering experience through digital channels for quick-service restaurants (QSR) has been a rewarding challenge. Adopting a digital-first approach involves evaluating your marketing technology, rethinking content creation, developing new project management structures, adjusting timelines, and ensuring proper setup of digital asset management tools. This process can be difficult for large global brands which I understand very well.
Beer, wine, & spirits
I have extensive experience in the beer, wine & spirits categories from developing on-premise and off-premise merchandising strategies, launching new products, and planning distributor events for Diageo, DeKuyper, and Molson/Coors. I have worked closely with small and large brands across economy to premium/imports portfolios and served on a Hispanic consumer advisory team for Corona Beer.
sustainability & the environment
My passion for nature, sustainability, and the environment runs deep. I have my Permaculture Design certification from Midwest Permaculture. I’ve worked on strategy and creative direction with the environmental education non-profits (SEEDS), on ecological agricultural additives product launches (Nutrient Recovery Services), with wastewater municipal building codes outreach (reCode), and in landscape architecture digital branding (Lando & Assoc. Landscape Architecture).
arts & culture
As a life long creative and amateur cultural anthropologist, I have always sought out organizations to partner with in support of the arts & culture. I served as Director of Marketing for the National Hellenic Museum, building a marketing team from the ground up, supporting national development outreach, and co-designing an award-winning exhibition on the street art in Greece. I was co-founder, publisher and at various times, creative director and photo editor of the national arts & culture magazine, TENbyTEN.
GOOD FOOD MOVEMENT
I am a life-long foodie who loves to cook for friends and family every chance I get. My passion has led me to cook in many restaurants, to the Whole Foods Market deli kitchen and ultimately a marketing job there as they expanded across the midwest. I’ve worked with start up CPG brands committed to clean products, was a co-founder, board member, and marketing director for a Oak Park, Illinois-based community owned grocery store (The Sugar Beet Co-op) and built and led the marketing disciple for the Chicago region grocery distributor & retailer Local Foods (now Common Market).
REACH OUT FOR A FREE CONSULTATION
I’m happy to have a zero pressure conversation (coffee optional) about the challenges you are facing and see if there is a good fit for what I offer. Always willing to throw in some free advice whether it is something I can assist with or not. Take the first step and reach out.