In my own words
— Michael<p>Marketing | Advertising | Branding | Creative Services | Creative Operations | Studio Management | eCommerce | Thought Leadership | AI implementation | Analytics | Executive Leadership | PR | Budget Management | Marcom | Martech | Thought Leadership | Print Production</p>
Trajectory
Jan 1985 — Now
Fractional CMO / Consultant · Michael Margolies Photography & Design
Fractional CMO, Marketing, Marcom, Martech consulting and advisory.
Studio design, workflow planning, server and storage design, creative operations technology, creative production planning. Productivity and process improvement planning and coaching, Digital Asset Management Systems Design, executive and leadership mentoring, new manager coaching, arbitration, procurement, production design, style guide planning and development.
Prepress, print and paper buying, press checks, color management, lighting design, publication and catalog design, traditional print, media, signage design and buying. Branding, advertising, and trade show management.
Pricing development, list and demographic management, new product development, product design. Outsourcing.
Email and digital marketing, web site design, email marketing, online advertising, eCommerce planning, SEO/SEM, banner advertising placement, ad buys (PPC), user experience analysis and testing, social marketing, social media marketing, thought leadership, multi-channel marketing and planning.
Commercial Photography; fashion, product and advertising, on-figure, tabletop, environment, editorial, luxury goods, models, location, food, architecture and interiors, lighting design. Video and photo art direction and editing. Creative production direction. Social media content creation.
Branding, brand research, persona development, competitive research, product development, campaign management, remote creative and marketing management, board level advisor, board of directors, techncial consulting, rights management, public speaking, panels and round tables, endorsements, writing, and creative project management.
Jun 2016 — Jun 2023
VP, Marketing + Creative · Leggett & Platt
Senior Marketing, eCommerce, and creative executive (Leggett has no CMO) for a global marketing & advertising in-house agency that serves Leggett companies and clients worldwide. We provided campaign management, marcom, branding, advertising, web development, and marketing content for automotive, aerospace, industrial manufacturing, steel, hydraulics, flooring, industrial textiles, hospitality, office and home furniture manufacturing, geo textiles, mattress, and bedding, and other B2B and B2C brands and businesses.
Accomplishments include global management for all marketing, analytics, thought leadership, art direction, editing, creative operations, and design. Manage an international staff of 50 professional graphic designers, art directors, video editors, photographers, web development, e-commerce, digital marketing, print and packaging operations, 3D and animation, social media, commercial photo, and video production, global trade show design and production, corporate global branding, campaign strategy, and executive marketing communications leadership.
Additionally, I chaired various corporate boards and leadership committees, chairing and managing the fine art collection, executive process improvement committee, corp. sustainability reporting management, eCommerce development, digital transformation co-chair, and global video asset management.
Feb 2012 — Feb 2016
Senior Manager III · amazon.com
Promoted to senior manager over multiple creative studios including high-end jewelry & watches, apparel, accessories, luxury goods, shoes, office products, furniture, and home studios. While also managing North America’s largest commercial studio for Amazon. Personally designed and deployed new creative and imaging production studios and led many global projects. Manage a staff of 60 creative and operations professionals and 250 full-time freelance. Responsible for A/B testing, landing page design, copy editing, video production, and content management.
Assigned the complex responsibility to convert Zappos studios, editors, video, and other teams, and culture to Amazon standards of quality, productivity, and leadership principles. Manage conversion of technology, assets, workflows, and databases over to Amazon systems. Tasked with providing digital imaging to both Amazon and Zappos globally, developing and aligning style guides and systems to support both companies’ goals and business models. After demonstrating procurement and contract management, I was given the additional responsibility of managing procurement and capital planning for all North American design and photo studios. Recognized for managing the highest-producing photo/video and creative studio in North America and the second-highest-producing studio globally. Reduced average cycle times from 7 days (time-to-site) to 0.5 days average (time-to-site) while reducing production and labor costs by over 60%.
Apr 2010 — Sep 2010
Executive Director of Marketing · Emergency Medical Products & School Kids Health
Manage creative production, campaigns, lists, trade shows, art direction, branding, marketing, merchandising, PR, eCommerce, and new business development. Lead digital advertising, social media, catalogs and direct mail, analytics, SEO, PPC, SEM, and photography for a multi-division multi-title medical products distributor with brands in B2B /B2C.
Project manage and direct eCommerce and email campaigns. Develop new creative, studio, eCommerce, and marketing departments from scratch. Drastically increase web traffic and conversions. Identify new channels, markets, and prospecting vehicles. Expand into new industries developing new product lines, new product categories, and new revenue streams. Design and source new products and sales channels. Design and art direct all communications.
Dec 2005 — Aug 2007
VP Creative Services · Footsmart (Benchmark Brands)
Promoted from Director to VP and served as acting VP of IT. Manage art direction, marketing, creative production, designers, copywriters, budget, eCommerce and content creation, SEO, SEM, PPC programs, branding, analytics, photography, Internet creative services, e-mail promotions, customer list management, sales promotion, package and collateral design, print and paper buying, graphic arts technology and creative related procurement.
As an executive committee member with responsibilities that included managing the operations, pricing, governance, customer service, brand management, and P&L we worked to manage all functions of the company. I personally managed all vendor relationships and contracts, including printing, paper, photography, Internet, design studios, postal and shipping, creative contractors, copywriters, developers, and external agencies.
Designed networking and server systems, storage solutions, CRM, PIM, and DAM systems and managed IT vendors during an extended leadership vacuum in IT.
Launched a new brand label which included websites, catalog, direct mail, email, and product sourcing. Significantly contributed to growing the company from $40 million to $120 million before being acquired by the Walking Co.
Apr 2001 — Aug 2005
Advertising Director · macy's west
Administer creative, technical, and operational budgets, manage creative, design, photography, prepress and operational staff. Manage major projects and processes across a 200-person marketing sales promotion staff.
Report to and act in the absence of the Vice President of Operations. Recruit, train, and develop staff of creative, operational, and technical employees. Provide high-level consultation and corporate-wide initiatives to executive offices and other Federated (Macy’s) divisions. Negotiate and manage all aspects of vendor contracts, external agencies, printing, and capital expenditures. Manage production prepress, color management, model management, photography, traffic, digital imaging, branding, and remote creative teams in Hawaii, Guam, and East Bay. Design and build creative production and photo studios, production workflows, and DAM solutions for other Federated divisions.
