Laurence Kuykendall
Marketing Communications Director
Phone: 917-***-**** l ********.**********@*****.*** l LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/laurence-kuykendall Overview
l Seasoned marketing professional with a strong track record of increasing sales through effective marketing campaigns for luxury and premium brands.
l Led internal marketing and agency creative teams to develop long-term strategies and market analysis. Directed tactical initiatives to resonate with consumers and retailers alike. l Strong background across all media disciplines including traditional print, website, collateral, experiential and direct response. Early innovator in digital advertising and social media. l Expertise in developing actionable sale leads and strategies to ensure customer loyalty/lifetime value. l Successful in relaunching brands and targeting new demographics or consumer segments for product expansion.
Achievements
l Doubled Ducati press impressions from 550M to 1.5B via aggressive outreach to non-endemic media. l Expanded qualified Ducati leads by 134% to 21.4K through emphasis on digital and interactive. l Engaged new galleries to represent noted sculptor Arturo Di Modica in key international markets (London, Abu Dhabi, Taipei and Shanghai) leading to quadrupling of sales from $1.5M to $6.4M. l Led pre-launch for two new BMW motorcycle models in 2009/2010 beating sales objectives by >50%. l Produced demographic “millennial” studies for BMW AG in 1999 and 2003 that led directly to a new “product offensive” and development of new sport and cruiser models selling over 10,000 units in U.S. l Targeted urban and younger audiences for NHL and USTA to successfully grow audiences and TV viewership
(+8% NHL, + 16% USTA), spark diversity and youth participation. l Contributed to historic and successful launch of the Jägermeister German liquor brand in the U.S. market. Professional Experience
MARKETING DIRECTOR - DUCATI NORTH AMERICA – 2015 / 2017 Italian importer of luxury and premium motorcycles Managed corporate marketing and communications functions for U.S., Canada and Mexico, overseeing a $5.0M budget and 6-member team with 160+ dealers. Led brand management, PR, media relations, new product launches, print and digital advertising, social media and events. l Oversaw motorcycle owner, customer and dealer events at over 95 locations in three countries each year; reaching over 12.9 million consumers.
l Doubled Ducati brand and product press coverage from 550 million to 1.1 billion impressions by expanding outreach to lifestyle and non-endemic platforms.
l Significantly increased qualified leads provided to dealers by 134% to 21.4K by introducing digital ads tactically tied to test ride registrations.
Laurence Kuykendall Page 2 l Phone: 917-***-****
HEAD GURU - MOTO GURU – 2012 - 2015
Marketing consultancy for high-end B2C and B2B clients Developed marketing programs for art and motorcycle business clients including Studio Di Modica, BMW Performance Center, Ducati North America and numerous motorcycle retailers. Used analytical approach to identify key consumer targets and ensure retention of existing customer bases. l Studio Di Modica – Negotiated new international gallery representation for Italian sculptor (of Wall Street Charging Bull fame) leading to three-year sales increase from $1.5M in 2011 to over $6.4M in 2014. l Ducati North America - Crafted highly effective interactive, social and guerilla campaign resulting in 20% sales increase for second year of Diavel model launch.
l Max BMW – Analysis of customer/prospect files for four dealer locations, and proposed follow-up actions, leading to improved profitability and expanded sales volume (+13% in 2013, +15% in 2014). MARKETING/AFTERSALES MANAGER - BMW NORTH AMERICA – 2000 - 2011 German automotive and motorcycle manufacturer/importer Recruited to BMW from ad agency Merkley & Partners. Planned and executed all U.S. marketing for BMW motorcycle division, including long-term strategy, advertising, events, interactive and product launches. Led in- house team of 2 to 3 persons, managed Agency of Record and supported 145+ U.S. dealers. Managed budgets of
$4.8M to $8.0M annually. In 2011 became Aftersales Marketing and Apparel Manager, responsible for apparel sales to 97 retailers and marketing support for all apparel, accessories, services and parts. l Developed brand campaigns for cable television, consumer print and digital using actual owners. Transitioned BMW Motorcycles from “niche” brand to wider consumer awareness and acceptance, increasing retail sales over a decade from 8,600 to 15,400 units, and brand recognition from 21% to 48%. l Created “U.S. Future Demographic” studies in 1999 and 2003. Presented to BMW AG Board, these directly sparked development of new models targeted to younger urban consumers and Millennials. The result was significant commercial sales success, and a decrease in the average customer age from 53 to 48 years. l Planned and executed 2011 Aftersales Conference which increased BMW retailer orders by 60% from $1.8M to $3.02M, with 16% increase in overall BMW Aftersales consumer retail sales. Previous Ad Agency Experience / Education
• Merkley & Partners – Account Manager for BMW Motorrad USA.
• Grybauskas Beatrice – Account Supervisor for B2C liquor, entertainment and sports clients including Cuervo Tequila, A&E Networks (and History Channel launch), NHL, U.S. Tennis Association) and New Jersey Nets.
• Lowe & Partners – Account Executive on entertainment accounts including B2C for Discovery Networks and B2B on ESPN, TNT and TBS. Primarily focused on branding and content relaunch of The Learning Channel, and expansion of Discovery Channel into additional cable channel offerings.
• Muller Jordan Weiss – Account Executive on B2C and B2B for Hearst Publications and Town & Country magazine; B2C on Jägermeister account for Sidney Frank importers.
• Columbia University, School of Business - guest speaker on branding and advertising 2014-2015
• University of California, Berkeley: B.A. History - University of California, Davis: M.A. History.