Cole Young
Seattle,WA
Summary
Impact-focused leader that thrives on disruption, challenge, and making the extremely complex and ambiguous - SIMPLE:
- 12 years in product, retail, CPG and B2B marketing, business development and strategy, product planning, product PR and event activation – spanning across gaming, automotive, sports, M&E and food and beverage industries
- Proficient in app distribution and tech monetization strategy, navigating ambiguity across product, engineering, legal, marketing and business planning teams to establish high impact deals
- Proven history of team leadership and people management, utilizing consumer-driven insights to meet sales and profit plans for global organizations
- Fiscal responsibility with strategic P&L management and implementation of $100M+ budgets
- Management across agencies, product planning, engineering, merchandising and business partners to monitor campaign, product development, sales trends and forecasting to meet fiscal goals
- Proficient in query process and key reporting and data resources such as Tableau, NVCS, NVS, PIN, Polk, Oracle and J.D. Power
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Business Development Manager
Microsoft Corporation
11.2020 - Current
- Navigation through Microsoft organization and third-party platform partners to create net-new business models that drive consumer product improvement and increase per user economics
- Strategy and business owner of Game Pass app distribution into the TV landscape, driving service monetization strategy, navigating ambiguity across product, engineering, legal and business planning teams to establish high-impact deals
- Thesis development for partnership and M&A assessment of start-ups in partnership with Corporate Strategy and M12 (MSFT VC)
- Expanded endpoint reach and monetized distribution of the Xbox cloud gaming platform
- Generate partnerships across OEM marque product launches to access new audiences, generate awareness and drive Game Pass trial, acquisition and post-sale monetization
- Study market trends, consumer media behavior and sales growth patterns to help navigate corporate business objectives and determine key partnership areas
- Build and strengthen relationships across media & entertainment to engage cross-category partnerships into Windows, Azure, Office 365, Xbox and Microsoft Edge properties
Sr. Analyst
Toyota Motor North America
11.2016 - 11.2020
- Vehicle Marketing and Communications
- Subject matter expert for Avalon, Corolla and Toyota Racing Development models, respective segment competitors and industry landscapes
- Managed Corolla and Avalon marketing strategy which contributed to exceeding 350K unit sales goal, a 15% lift year-over-year, earning top awards and accolades across respective segments
- Proficient in product planning specifications, consumer behaviors, communication targets identification and segment dynamics for Total Light Vehicle landscape
- Product communications lead across Toyota truck portfolio, crafting core messaging and executive speeches for product launch and media event activations
- Successful implementation and management of $100MM marketing campaign budgets
- Drove partnerships with Apple, Amazon and Toyota Connected Technologies to successfully implement, launch and market Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa vehicle features
- Navigated through Japan leadership, Field leadership, Manufacturing, Engineering, Product Planning and Distribution to successfully educate and communicate product offerings and respective forecasts for seamless supply chain movement and share growth
Product Marketing Manager
GameStop, Inc
07.2015 - 11.2016
- Successfully lead and motivated core AAA title launch team to exceed annual objectives
- Partnership owner across all 1P platforms (MSFT, Sony, Nintendo) to develop retail programs and drive cross-category growth (software, hardware, accessories, Xbox LIVE, etc.)
- Project lead for top software publishers in the gaming industry, driving ROI and retail strategy and owning $25MM+ budget in FY16
- Product owner in the launch of GameStop’s publishing division, GameTrust, serving as Lead Product Marketing Manager for all current and future titles
- Utilization of GameStop ecosystem and external marketing vehicles to exceed sales and profit plan for all game-related categories
- Collaborated with six direct reports, cross-functional teams and agency partners to re-structure co-op media partnerships and consumer engagement programs
Senior Marketing Specialist
GameStop, Inc
02.2015 - 07.2015
- Led product marketing strategy and production including national media advertising, consumer events, and partnerships, increasing market share of GameStop’s “Core 3” products by an average of 10 pts year-over-year
- Developed new GTM strategy of thematic events, resulting in an average of 15x pre-order lift
- Managed $20M annual marketing budget, tracking monthly forecast and actuals across all marketing activities, while mentoring a team of three direct reports
Marketing and Promotions Coordinator
GameStop Inc
10.2013 - 02.2014
- Created and implemented lifecycle marketing plans to help drive all areas of the GameStop business – inclusive of media, multichannel, CRM, in-store and GameStop TV vehicles
- Tracked and reported weekly reservation lifts for all AAA titles and high-ticket products
- Developed publisher and developer relationships to increase business opportunities and retail tactics for AAA titles
- Served as marketing liaison between store ops, multichannel and merchandising to keep projects moving on time and on budget
Account Coordinator
The Marketing Arm
05.2012 - 09.2013
- Management of agency promotions, events and advertising campaigns for the Frito Lay portfolio
- Assisted in reports, status reports and tracking of changes, approvals and direction from internal and client meetings
- Managed client expectations of promotional partners and national programs
- Presentation, POV, budgets and creative brief development and management
- Assisted account team in coordinating and producing special projects for clients
- Monitored industry trends to support team/client/business needs
Assistant Account Executive
McCormick Company
04.2011 - 03.2012
Education
Advanced Advertising
Northwestern University – Medill IMC
2011
Bachelor of Science - Mass Communication
West Texas A&M University
2010
Skills
- Enterprise Sales
- Marketing
- Training and Development
- Mentoring
- Event Planning
- Strategic Selling
- Business Planning
- Strategic Partnership
- Business Management and Development
- Market and Competitive Analysis
- Revenue Forecasting
- Negotiation
- Verbal and Written Communication
- Campaign Management
Timeline
Senior Business Development Manager
Microsoft Corporation
11.2020 - Current
Sr. Analyst
Toyota Motor North America
11.2016 - 11.2020
Product Marketing Manager
GameStop, Inc
07.2015 - 11.2016
Senior Marketing Specialist
GameStop, Inc
02.2015 - 07.2015
Marketing and Promotions Coordinator
GameStop Inc
10.2013 - 02.2014
Account Coordinator
The Marketing Arm
05.2012 - 09.2013
Assistant Account Executive
McCormick Company
04.2011 - 03.2012
Advanced Advertising
Northwestern University – Medill IMC
Bachelor of Science - Mass Communication
West Texas A&M University
Similar Profiles
Sidhartha SunkaraSidhartha Sunkara
Threat Hunter 2 at Microsoft CorporationThreat Hunter 2 at Microsoft Corporation
Tahki ShieldsTahki Shields
Direct Sales and Support Education Specialist at Microsoft CorporationDirect Sales and Support Education Specialist at Microsoft Corporation
Archana Mallali ShadaksharappaArchana Mallali Shadaksharappa
Software Engineer II at Microsoft CorporationSoftware Engineer II at Microsoft Corporation