Summary
Overview
Work History
Skills
Education
Work Preference
Timeline
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JOHN GONNELLA

JOHN GONNELLA

Advertising
BOSTON,MA

Summary

Bold & innovative creative leader with proven track record of developing and implementing big ideas for brands, with an integrated, multi-channel approach. Gutsy presenter with experience leading and selling in new business pitches and creative presentations. Known for building strong relationships and teams, and providing perspective and strategic context to creative work for global B2C brands. World traveler, surfer, rebel, painter, not-so-fine artist and storyteller.

Overview

25
25
years of professional experience

Work History

V.P. Creative Director

Matter Communications
BOSTON, MA
07.2023 - Current
  • Skilled at working independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
  • Worked effectively in fast-paced environments.
  • Proved successful working within tight deadlines and a fast-paced environment.
  • Strengthened communication skills through regular interactions with others.
  • Proven ability to learn quickly and adapt to new situations.
  • Self-motivated, with a strong sense of personal responsibility.

Executive Creative Director

Goodbaby international
Boston, MA
01.2018 - 01.2022
  • Transformed Evenflo brand from a 100-year old discount brand to a premium brand with innovative products, relevant to today’s parents, resulting in revenue growth of in 4 years to $300MM+, and improving margin by 20 points
  • Elevated brand & drove digital transformation through creative strategies and cross functional organizational alignment to deliver best-in-class consumer experience, leading to increased distribution in Target & Walmart, and doubling Amazon sales
  • Transformed creative organization to a consumer-led, digital-first approach through a multi-year plan involving consumer insights, creative testing and educating cross- functional partners on go to market campaigns and e-commerce best practices
  • Concepted and developed omni-channel strategies and campaigns with heavy emphasis on video and content creation to launch new products and grow existing product lines
  • Won Best New Product of 2021 (JPMA Best in Show) for Revolve360
  • Car Seat, and it became the top-selling premium car seat in the US in six months
  • Redesigned brand collateral, including website and full line of packaging for retail and online sales, resulting improved sustainability, and cost savings of over $1MM+
  • Built and managed in-house creative agency team from the ground up, consisting of art directors, designers, photographers, videographers and video editors, as well as external agencies and vendors to support creative development and production
  • Expanded creative team to China to support multiple brands globally, while building strong relationships across the global organization to further the brand objectives

Skills

  • RESUME
  • ALLSTATE
  • AMERICAN EXPRESS
  • AT&T
  • BASKIN-ROBBINS
  • BESTBUY
  • BMO HARRIS
  • CITIZENS BANK
  • COOPERVISION
  • DAIICHI SANKYO
  • DUNKIN' DONUTS
  • ELI LILLY
  • EVENFLO
  • FEDERAL EXPRESS
  • GENERAL MOTORS
  • GLIDDEN PAINTS
  • HUAWEI
  • JOHN DEERE
  • IBM
  • KEURIG
  • KITCHENAID
  • NHL
  • OLYMPIC PAINTS
  • PANASONIC
  • PITTSBURGH STEELERS
  • REEBOK
  • SAMSUNG
  • TIMBERLAND
  • UNICEF
  • VIRGIN
  • Scaled production to support over 900 projects annually, including website, Amazon
  • A, social media, instructional videos, campaign assets for performance media (paid
  • Search, paid social), OTT hero video ads, product packaging, and retail pitches
  • Created and implemented photography and video process, including build out of in
  • House, state-of-the-art photography and video studio, massively reducing
  • Production costs
  • Executive Creative Director, Racepoint Global, Boston MA 2013 - 2018
  • In 5 years, completely rebuilt creative offering at Racepoint Global, hand-picked
  • The team, and established new capabilities, formats, templates and processes
  • Resulting in new capabilities across video and social media creative globally
  • Led countless new business pitches, delivering on the promise of creative
  • Storytelling through a lens of emotion and impact with video and content Won
  • Multiple new accounts, including Panasonic and Huawei, and grew revenues
  • Developed new agency branding, including logo & brand strategy, changing
  • Positioning from traditional PR to global integrated communications agency
  • Led teams in London, Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai with regular
  • International travel to maintain leadership connections with the team
  • Led photoshoots domestically and internationally, including large scale
  • Productions in Switzerland and Spain to create content for global campaigns
  • Group Creative Director, VMLY&R (a WPP company) Boston MA 2008 - 2013
  • Led international team of designers, copywriters and user experience experts
  • Across offices in Boston, Atlanta and Bogota, to deliver leading-edge digital
  • Marketing solutions as AOR for Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins
  • Led and won multiple new business pitches, including NHL, Daiichi Sankyo
  • UNICEF, activating creative digital marketing across channels and industries
  • Developed creative concepts and campaigns for promotions, website, online
  • Media, email, mobile, social media, CRM and advertising campaigns, resulting
  • In increased audience engagement and brand growth across channels
  • Led entrance of Dunkin’ Brands into the digital marketing landscape, including
  • Launching a meaningful Twitter and Facebook presence, creating and testing
  • Loyalty programs, and developing the first branded mobile app “Dunkin’ Run”
  • Listed as one of Forbes' Top 10 branded apps of 2009
  • Led team to create award-winning Dunkin' Donuts: Create Dunkin’s Next Donut
  • Campaign, generating interest in a declining category with over 1MM earned
  • Impressions Winner/finalist for multiple Hatch & MITX awards
  • SVP, Group Creative Director, Digitas, Boston, MA 1995 - 2006
  • Responsible for leading six full time creative teams serving several flagship agency
  • Accounts across offices Participated in management of the Digitas Boston Creative
  • Group as a member of Senior Leadership Team
  • Creative Lead for the General Motors (North America), Virgin Life Care and AT&T
  • Accounts, managing strategic development, creative direction and production
  • Across print, interactive, direct marketing and promotion programs
  • Key leader in positioning development, launch strategy and advertising for six GM
  • Model launches across brands, including Cadillac & GMC Sierra and Yukon Denali
  • Senior Creative Leader for General Motors’ customer retention initiative (CRM) to
  • Keep GM customers active, engaged and excited about GM brand Led turn-around
  • In client relations from an account that the agency was in jeopardy of losing to a
  • Growing account with improved margins and $30 million in billings
  • Directed brand strategy and development of interactive, web-based campaign
  • Designed to change perceptions of the GM brand This included development of
  • The integrated multi-media “Live Green Go Yellow” campaign that positioned GM in
  • A more progressive light with its cars running on “flexible fuel” (ethanol)
  • (wwwlivegreengoyellowcom)
  • Led redesign of GM website (wwwOnlyGMcom), and the design of GM’s Proving
  • Grounds website, designed to be the ultimate experience for deepening the
  • Customer’s engagement with GM vehicles
  • Senior Creative Lead on Virgin Life Care strategic and creative direction for fully
  • Integrated campaign of interactive, outdoor and print
  • Played key role in landing new business pitches including Virgin Life Care and
  • Cingular Wireless
  • Team Development
  • Creative Team Leadership
  • Design Understanding
  • Assignment Delegation
  • Storyboard Creation
  • Campaign Development
  • Creative Team Collaboration
  • Strategic Leadership
  • Concept Pitching
  • Art Direction
  • Creative Vision Development
  • Complex Problem-Solving
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Marketing Expertise
  • Visual Communication Expertise

Education

Associates - Advertising

Suffolk University
Boston, MA

Credits - Advertising

Massachusetts College of Art And Design
Boston, MA

Work Preference

Work Type

Full TimeContract Work

Work Location

On-SiteRemoteHybrid

Important To Me

Company CultureWork-life balanceHealthcare benefits401k matchPaid time offStock Options / Equity / Profit Sharing

Timeline

V.P. Creative Director

Matter Communications
07.2023 - Current

Executive Creative Director

Goodbaby international
01.2018 - 01.2022

Associates - Advertising

Suffolk University

Credits - Advertising

Massachusetts College of Art And Design

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