Nicholas Maniatis
Brand Builder, Sales & Culture Driver
Marietta,GA
Summary
Marketing professional with 12+ years of experience in the many facets of a top CPG organization. Whether it's leading a brand's campaign development or pricing strategy, I've been successful because of my ability to influence, think strategically, and drive change. I specialize in communicating complex concepts in a clear & concise manner, in building strong partnerships & in driving a high-performance culture.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Senior Brand Manager- Equity & Commercialization
Helix Innovations
08.2024 - Current
- Lead a team responsible for building out on!'s Masterbrand Architecture, enabling Helix to bring a variety of product platforms to market that appeal to Adult Nicotine Consumers
- Lead all brand efforts on bringing on! Plus Nicotine Pouches to market, from writing creative briefs, identifying strategic target audiences, collaborating with agency partners, building brand positioning pyramid, & developing brand's personality
- Improved ways of working with Ad Agency partners (streamlined feedback & briefing process) that increased both quality & speed of creative work
- Developed data-driven SKU prioritization matrix to prioritize commercialization work & ensure manufacturing capacity could scale to meet product demand
- Streamlined product innovation process to eliminate double work between departments, reduce Ad Agency / Consulting fees, and increase agility in highly dynamic marketplace
Senior Brand Manager- Retail & Trade Alignment
Helix Innovations
04.2022 - 07.2024
- Led a team that is responsible for building brand awareness of on! nicotine pouches amongst Adult Tobacco Consumers at retail (increase % of Adult Tobacco Consumers fully aware of product by 6% a quarter)
- Built trade programs that incentivized consumer trial & repeat purchase through different prices and marketing communications aligned with the trans-theoretical model of consumer behavior
- Strategically deployed marketing resources ($240MM budget) to align with retail pricing infrastructure & digital sophistication
- 3 direct reports with personalized career development plans, focused on giving them the right experiences & teaching them the right skills to accomplish their short & long-term career goals
- Ensured enterprise senior leadership is aligned with Helix's long-term strategy & short-term tactics
Brand Manager- Brand Enhancement Programs
Helix Innovations
07.2021 - 04.2022
- Built 2022 BEP trade program that 1) generated trial of on! nicotine pouches amongst current adult tobacco consumers and 2) secured highly visible, premium merchandising space
- Refocused pricing strategy to incentivize consumer trial and long-term product adoption by using advanced pricing models to align with trans-theoretical model of consumer behavior
- Standardized timing of price promotions across 40,000+ retail locations to ensure consistent, linear growth and to better align price promotions with manufacturing capacity
- Developed in-store & digital merchandising campaigns for 40,000+ retail locations
- Led cross-functional group responsible for building alignment between sales leadership & Helix Innovations
- Collaborated with sales leadership on merchandising space negotiations, retail pricing strategies & inventory solutions
Brand Manager- Sales & Trade Alignment
Philip Morris USA
08.2019 - 07.2021
- Led development of the 2021 Loyalty Fund Promotion; evolved program to improve Adult Smoker intelligence, increase brand loyalty & align with the trade's capital investments in digital ecosystems
- Established marketing protocols to respond to Menthol Ban legislation, focusing on converting competitive, menthol Adult Smokers to PM USA's premium, non-menthol portfolio
- Developed simplified in-store merchandising campaign that reduced production costs, increased merchandising flexibility & aligned store look to local market dynamics
- Hosted quarterly collaboration sessions between Brand & FSF leadership to align on key objectives & business opportunities
Account Analyst
Altria Group Distribution Company
02.2019 - 08.2019
- Developed actionable business insights through segmentation, modeling & forecasting that increased alignment between RaceTrac & Altria's operating companies
- Built & sold in strategic pricing plans on Marlboro & Copenhagen that increased local market competitiveness & exposed RaceTrac to financial benefits of precise value delivery
- Collaborated with RaceTrac leadership on innovating in digital space & evolving loyalty infrastructure to reduce friction at point-of-purchase
- Worked with sales leadership to develop analyst on-boarding curriculum that establishes baseline of knowledge on data interpretation & building data models
Region Analyst
Altria Group Distribution Company
04.2018 - 02.2019
- Built impact vs. urgency call coverage model where sales calls are prioritized based on business need, time sensitivity, FSF influence & estimated ROI
- Developed actionable business insights through analysis of micro & macro trends that drove FSF prioritization & execution
- Built predictive models that identified systemic inventory opportunities at the store level & reduced OOS instances on Marlboro & Copenhagen
- Built & led analytics training classes for Account Managers that taught analytical process, segmentation & modeling
Section Operations Manager
Altria Group Distribution Company
04.2017 - 04.2018
- Collaborated with FSF leadership on creation of Region Operations Manager position & consolidation of SOM role; dedicated more headcount to strategic business objectives and consolidated administrative workload
- Identified key growth opportunities & built FSF execution plans that balanced influence, impact & urgency
- Managed budgets, projected meeting costs and trained sales managers on corporate spending policies
- Led cross-functional group that planned multiple Region / Section meetings
Unit Manager
Altria Group Distribution Company
01.2015 - 04.2017
- Built high-performance culture that rewarded strategic risks, innovation & inclusivity
- Coached sales managers on ability to identify business & financial insights and how leverage data in selling conversations
- Collaborated with direct reports to build multi-year career development plans tailored to an individual's career goals, strengths & opportunities
- Grew team's understanding of long-term strategy vs. short-term tactics; selling in long-term growth strategies led to stronger account alignment & improved selling results
- Managed multiple wholesale accounts, selling in long-term revenue growth strategies
Territory Sales Manager
Altria Group Distribution Company
01.2012 - 02.2015
- Developed & executed long-term category growth strategies for over 120+ retail accounts
- Sold in market leadership strategies, new brands & merchandising contracts using high-impact financial & consumer insights
- Collaborated with sales leadership to build eVapor 101 curriculum that educated FSF on emerging eVapor category, our top competitors & the variety of products available
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Advertising & Sociology
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 09.2007 - 12.2011
Skills
People Leadership
Brand Strategy
Analytics
Budgeting & Forecasting
Contract Negotiation
Strategic Partnerships
Marketing Communications
Creative Direction
Brand positioning
Advertising Management
Competitor Analysis
Sales Support
Product Management
Campaign Planning
P&L Management
Culture Work
Inclusion, Diversity & Engagement Lead
- ID&E lead for Helix Innovations & PM USA Value
- Built out year long ID&E plans that focused on employee education, appreciation & activation
- Partnered with ERGs & subject matter experts to expand team's cultural perspectives
- Published ID&E newsletters to keep teams updated on ID&E activities, current events & legislative proposals
Lead Marketing Summer Internship Program
- Lead marketing summer internship program
- Coach intern managers on how to give feedback
- Collaborate with HR / brand leadership on extending full-time offers to select interns
2023 Altria Hack-a-Thon Winner
- Led a team that developed a way for Altria to leverage generative language models (GPT4) to speed up submission process for regulatory filings to FDA
Mentor Network
- Mentor 10+ individuals from across various functions at Altria
- Intentional with having a diverse mentor network, both in role and background
Timeline
Senior Brand Manager- Equity & Commercialization
Helix Innovations
08.2024 - Current
Senior Brand Manager- Retail & Trade Alignment
Helix Innovations
04.2022 - 07.2024
Brand Manager- Brand Enhancement Programs
Helix Innovations
07.2021 - 04.2022
Brand Manager- Sales & Trade Alignment
Philip Morris USA
08.2019 - 07.2021
Account Analyst
Altria Group Distribution Company
02.2019 - 08.2019
Region Analyst
Altria Group Distribution Company
04.2018 - 02.2019
Section Operations Manager
Altria Group Distribution Company
04.2017 - 04.2018
Unit Manager
Altria Group Distribution Company
01.2015 - 04.2017
Territory Sales Manager
Altria Group Distribution Company
01.2012 - 02.2015
Bachelor of Arts - Advertising & Sociology
University of Georgia
09.2007 - 12.2011
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