rubbermustard

Introduction

Welcome to my bio, I'll be as succinct as I can as I'd much rather be working on someone else's business or out there with my camera capturing a few pictures. Of course I'd rather be hanging with my girls, catching up with friends, or out exploring the world around me but this is my business site so focusing on the work side of things here.

I am an experienced marketer, twenty plus years now. I love what I do and am driven to deliver top quality marketing programs, analysis and design to my clients. I believe in the new model of agency services where less is more and the work is the most important issue at hand. To that end I created rubbermustard 10 years ago and have been running ever since. We're a virtual agency that is connected with a wide variety of top quality resources that are brought into projects as warranted.

Early Career

It's been a great ride so far from my first job managing ticket sales for the Canadian university football and hockey championships. From there I worked a full season for the Canadian Opera Company as a Subscription Sales Manager and at Ticketmaster as an Assistant Box Office Manager at various SkyDome events.

Next stop was with Christopher Lang at Lang & Associates where I was an Account Executive developing integrated marketing programs that leveraged sponsorships. We created and managed national promotional programs for Colgate (Skate with the Greats featuring Lloyd Eisler and Isabelle Brasseur), Neison Cadbury (Slam Jam featuring Shaquille O'Neal, 10 regional basketball clinics with NBA players, 30,000 in-store displays) as well as programs for Kraft (Sharon, Lois and Bram), Labatt (True Blue Summer Urban Portage) among others.

Following Lang I joined Robert Peters and Brad Weir's crew of merry making marketers at Encore Strategic Marketing as an Account Director. We were Molson's AOR for all things cool. Our agency created and produced The Molson Canadian Blind Date program and the Molson ice Polar Beach Party among others. I managed and developed the integrated Molson ExSports platform. We created in-case promotions, field marketing events, on premise collateral, and television, radio and print advertising. In addition I also worked on Molson Dry and a host of other strategic initiatives for Molson.

After Encore, I worked a brief contract at Echo Advertising joining Steve Pulver's crew on the Labatt team developing creative for their Out of the Blue Jet Away and summer beach volleyball programs.

Shift to Client Side

It was then time for a switch over to the client side at Diageo (then United Distillers and Vintners). I was hired as the National On-Premise Marketing Manager responsible for delivering our brands' messaging and supporting our sales force in the key on-premise channel. Our portfolio included leading global brands such as Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Bailey's, and Tanqueray among others. I developed and managed collateral materials and marketing programs for all of our brands in the on-premise. I developed and oversaw consumer based ethnographic research that yielded key insights into drink selection and in venue patterns. These insights led to the creation of an on-premise launch / sampling program for Smirnoff Ice that drove the brand straight through the roof. While at Diageo I participated in Global Brand conferences for Tanqueray and Gordon's gin gaining international experience and helping shape the brands' new global positioning. I finished my days there as the White Spirits brand manager gaining pricing, SKU management, packaging development and brand planning experience.

After Diageo was a pit stop at Marketing Drive working briefly on Coca-Cola and Coors Light programs for the agency putting 5 million Olympic coins in cases, developing Coke's 2002 Olympic point of sale merchandising, and sadly leading the ill fated Coors Light Party on Top of the World Trade Center program.

Founded rubbermustard

It was post Marketing Drive when rubbermustard was born in 1992. I became we as the company became my calling card.

The early days of rubbermustard were spent nested into Strada Design with Newell Thornton. We developed collateral materials for Mott's Clamatto Caesar and provided the venerable Canadian Brass with a variety of marketing services: website design, print advertising, CD and DVD packaging among the things we did.

We took our own space at Queen and Bathurst a while back and began developing our strategic practice. We were hired by Rober Peters, then at The Hive, to help develop positioning for a 'new company' as he described. That company turned out to be Live Nation who we at The Hive created the identity, positioning and strategic direction. The original two week contract kept running and know is going on over six years later. Robert is now the Chief Strategy Officer at Live Nation out of Beverly Hills and we still work with him closely analysing programs, creating insights and strategies and helping Live Nation continue to evolve.

We also work closely with Whaley Estate Litigation having redesigned their website launching a companion blog and now manage their site, blog and monthly newsletter.

This brings us to now which sees rubbermustard and myself diving back into the marketplace looking to grow our business and serve new clients. I am most looking forward to this new phase in my professional career.

Personal Tidbits

On the personal side, I have two great girls now both teenagers and live in the Summerhill area of Toronto. I've been a lifelong resident of Toronto though often feel a bit like George Bailey, bags always packed but something always kept me here. I am an avid photographer, love music and supporting local musicians. I support Chelsea Football Club* and ride my bike everywhere I can. My Bachelor's degree is from the University of Toronto where I played football for the Varsity Blues. I have a post graduate diploma in Sport and Event Marketing from George Brown College, and also completed my Canadian Securities Course and Conducts and Practices certificate along the way but never did venture off into the financial services field. I am always on the go and constantly learning, creating and growing.

Ok, that's not exactly a succinct bio, but it tells you a bit about my journey. It would be my pleasure to elaborate more in person.

Cheers, Ken

* if you dislike the Chelsea my planet caring bike riding open minded sensibility ought to counter that!!!