Lola Copeland is a senior-level Marketing Executive with diverse industry and product category experience on both corpor...
LOLA A. COPELAND Dallas, Texas 75248
[email protected] | 972-816-6677 (C) http://www.linkedin.com/in/LolaCopeland
CREATIVE MARKETING AND BRAND MANAGEMENT Senior-level Marketing Executive with diverse industry and product category experience on both corporate and agency sides. Creative strategist and team leader who builds brands into profitable growth units. Expertise in new product/service development, positioning, branding and launch, as well as segmentation, portfolio management, market research, marketing analysis and promotional marketing. Background spans multiple industries including packaged goods, restaurant, software, nonprofit, and consumer services. SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS Led cross-functional team in development and launch of Super Soft flour tortillas, resulting in 20% increase in sales and exceeding Q1 2013 profit goals by 50%. Developed product/brand portfolio segmentation strategy to optimize corporate profitability resulting in 25% more efficient marketing spend across brands. Won a PMAA Reggie Award (one of the ten best promotions of the year in the U.S.) for Cocktail Collection tie promotion with Stonehenge, Ltd., the first time a nonprofit organization had won the award. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE LAC MARKETING SERVICES, Dallas, Texas
2013
President | Managing Director Provide business and marketing consulting services in the areas of strategic planning, marketing plan development and execution, branding, new product development and launch as well as marketing research and analytics to a variety of clients. Current projects include: Insights analysis and go-to-market strategy recommendations for an online retailer Marketing plan development and execution for a local consumer services company ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS, Dallas, Texas
2013
Director of Marketing, Brand Management Led a team of four brand managers in the launch and optimization of university brands’ online degree programs. Oversaw 15 active universities encompassing 100 online degree programs. University brands included: LSU, UT Arlington, UT El Paso, Texas A&M Commerce and Arkansas State. Developed university brand and degree product portfolio maps and strategies leading to enhanced differentiation; developed and executed marketing plans to optimize student acquisition, enrollment and retention, turning 80% of problem program enrollments around in just 3 months Directed cross-functional digital, creative and brand management teams in development of online and offline assets and media plans to support launch of new university brands and degrees Led cross-functional marketing team in development and launch of first-ever AP university MOOC2 Degree course for UT Arlington College of Nursing GRUMA CORPORATION / MISSION FOODS, Irving, Texas
2006 – 2013
Marketing Director, Innovation – Gruma Corp. U.S., 2012 – 2013 Created and managed Gruma U.S. innovation pipeline encompassing Mission Foods and Azteca Milling inclusive of product, promotion, and distribution innovation projects (70+). Directly managed staff of 1; matrixmanaged staff of 50+. Developed 6 brand-stretching innovation platforms for MASECA corn flour Delivered $50M in new products sales for 2012
LOLA A. COPELAND Page Two GRUMA CORPORATION / MISSION FOODS (Continued) Marketing Director, Product Innovation And Consumer Insights – Mission Foods, 2006 – 2011 Directed and implemented new product development and portfolio management strategies as well as consumer/shopper insight and analytic projects for Mission, Guerrero and Calidad brands. Managed staff of five. Built insights and innovation department from ground up, establishing new product development stage gate process as well as culture of listening to the voice of the consumer by instigating concept screening, product sensory CLTs, In-Home Use Tests, qualitative focus group and ethnographic studies as well as pioneering segmentation and decision tree research; Grew Insights/Innovation budget from $0 to $5M in four years through the demonstration of the value of insights-based decision making Developed, consumer tested and launched two SKUs of Life Balance flour tortillas gaining $8.5M+ in first year with just 35% ACV distribution; recognized as IRI Pacesetter innovation Directed comprehensive dual-brand stretch project resulting in 18 new product platforms across 8 new product categories LAC MARKETING SERVICES, Dallas, Texas 2002 – 2006 Provided marketing strategy and implementation services to a variety of clients including Mission Foods, Dr Pepper/7 Up, Brinker/On The Border, Texas Instruments, ReSource Flooring Group, and CoServ. Managing Director, Brand Marketing Directed development and consumer testing of 16 new menu items for On The Border restaurants working with Executive Chef and cross-functional business team resulting in 10%+ increases in sales Increased brand awareness by developing and helping to execute comprehensive 2006 marketing plan for CoServ Electric Directed re-branding effort for ReSource Flooring Group from positioning through logo development, website design and trade show materials enhancing brand equity and customer engagement Developed and executed multiple account specific marketing programs for Dr Pepper, 7-Up, and flavored brands of Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverage leading to increased sales and customer satisfaction Managed re-branding of DLP brand for Texas Instruments including selection of brand consultancy, management of vendor chosen, development and presentation of senior management updates, and coordination with national agencies; managed advertising agency in development of “it’s the mirrors” integrated marketing campaign which resulted in 20% sales increases of DLP HDTVs Authored and presented Mission Foods’ brand stories to senior management at National Sales Meeting giving sales team unprecedented sales tools and resulting in increased sales and distribution in 2007 CROSSMARK MARKETING AGENCY, Plano, Texas
2001 – 2002
Vice President, Client Services, 2002 Director of Marketing, 2001 Client and operations management and new business development within a start-up marketing agency division of a large food broker. Clients included: Hills Bros, Parmalat, International Delight, Reily Foods, Lea & Perrins and AIPC Pasta. Managed account service staff of five. Wrote five-year agency strategic plan defining core service offerings, client and revenue/profitability targets and strategies for achieving our goals helping drive revenues from $500K to $9M in 18 months and achieving first quarterly profit in agency three-year history Developed internal systems for agency (traffic, electronic timekeeping and billing, contracts, insurances) allowing for more efficient use of resources and quicker, more accurate client service Acted as defacto marketing department for new Parmalat product introduction in U.S. (Esker bottled water); led team in development of store-centric media plan for phased launch (2003 annualized spend of $16.8M) resulting in 40%+ ACV distribution
LOLA A. COPELAND Page Three ADDITIONAL RELATED EXPERIENCE STICK NETWORKS, Dallas, Texas Director of Marketing Established marketing structure and plans for the business-to-consumer portion of this wireless Internet software start-up company. Developed marketing plans based on various business model assumptions. Researched over 30 advertising agencies and successfully recruited FCB-Chicago, one of the largest advertising agencies in the U.S. to handle our account Led web team and Teen Research Unlimited (TRU) in establishment of year-long web panel of teens and young adults; wrote all questions for this research project; issued executive summaries of results TRACY LOCKE, Dallas, Texas Account Director – Pizza Hut account Developed strategies and marketing plans for the Pizza Hut brand encompassing all businesses: national advertising, new concepts, new products, and Pizza Hut Express. Matrix-managed 26-person agency team. Created positioning statements and brand names for various new products, along with their marketing support materials (i.e. The Edge Pizza, The Sicilian Pizza, The Big New Yorker Pizza); created marketing plan for The Big New Yorker covering seven promotional windows; included campaign theme and layered executions from trial and frequency elements to events and media recommendations. Developed fully integrated marketing plan and broadcast through collateral executions for the launch of a new restaurant concept, resulting in 25% sales increases over control stores. Successfully repositioned Personal Pan Pizza via fully integrated advertising and promotional campaign (broadcast through print), increasing sales 40%. Co-managed multi-function client team in development of future brand positioning and logo. MOTHERS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING (MADD), Irving, Texas Director of Corporate Marketing Raised funds and educated the public on the dangers of drinking and driving for the national office of this nonprofit organization through the development of cause-related marketing programs with corporations. Created organization’s marketing plan. Created and managed MADD’s Corporate Marketing Advisory Council composed of senior corporate marketing executives. Raised a record-setting $625K. PEPSICO – KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN, Louisville, Kentucky Project Manager, Consumer Promotions Developed and executed national and local consumer promotion strategies. Managed national print activity, including establishing annual plan, developing creative and coupon offers, and analyzing and reporting results. Marketing Project Manager Led 12-person project team that developed and introduced eight new side items, a 200% product line increase, leading to 20% higher side item sales. Developed project plans, supervised design of market research studies, directed product development work, and sold in recommendations to senior management. Associate Marketing Manager Developed and implemented marketing plans for five new value promotions. Directed an “everyday value menu” test encompassing 200 stores in six Markets. Assistant Marketing Manager Directed a menu structure and pricing test in three markets with 175 stores. Assisted in developing and executing marketing plan for a 20-store, two-market test of char grilled chicken. EDUCATION MBA – Case Western Reserve University, Weatherhead School of Management, Cleveland, Ohio BS – Marketing Major, Finance Minor, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
