Product Marketing Manager

JIM BENSON

Pine, Colorado ***** 216-***-****

***.******@**.*** https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrobertbenson/

SUMMARY

A seasoned and accomplished marketing executive with experience in brand management, website design, strategic communications, event programming and production, public and media relations, social media strategy, and advertising campaigns. Displays a proven ability to apply foundational strategies and tactics ahead of the marketing industry curve to drive brand awareness and revenue for pioneering startups and large corporations. A transformational leader with a history of success in developing high-performing teams and building long-term professional relationships with key customers and media.

EXPERIENCE

REDAPTIVE Denver, Colorado

Vice President, Marketing and Communications 2023-Present

Built and optimized the marketing function to drive brand awareness and demand. Performed SWOT analysis on marketing function, brand, and competitive position to drive strategic transformation plan and executed it ahead of the planned timeline.

Revised company’s value proposition, messaging, and collateral, and launched new Sales Enablement system, Seismic.

Drove strategy and tactical execution to raise industry share of voice to top position versus company’s closest competitors in EaaS and Data Solution SaaS.

Improved employee social media engagement by implementing training, tools, and motivational programs, resulting in leading the EaaS industry in employee engagement on LinkedIn.

Created marketing automation and demand generation process, which delivered a 117% increase in MQLs, over $200M in marketing attributed pipeline, and $24M in new revenue.

Directed website optimization, driving 27% increase in traffic and 140% increase in conversions.

CURRENT LIGHTING Cleveland, Ohio

Vice President, Marketing and Communications 2022-2023

Managed marketing and communications of newly formed $1B company after Hubbell and GE Lighting merger. Designed and launched all-new brand identity and messaging, including purpose, mission values, tone, and voice, with positive partner and customer feedback. Structured and developed a high-performing team of 14 communicators and marketers.

Launched new post-merger website in record time and began exceeding old site’s traffic in less than five months.

Improved SEO results 43% through data-driven content development and execution.

Refreshed 35 brands to develop a strategic hybrid house of brands.

Enabled company to lead industry in overall share of voice in media mentions for eight consecutive quarters.

Implemented training and motivational program, leading to company’s top rating within the electrical industry for employee social media engagement.

GE CURRENT Cleveland, Ohio

Head of Strategic Communications and Marketing 2019-2022

Designed and directed post-GE divestiture branding, communications, and digital marketing with focus on increasing business awareness. Established, led, and trained teams to enhance business performance. Executed multi-channel marketing tactics and surpassed goals and objectives by growing new brand identity and market preference.

Increased traffic by 101%, reduced bounce rate by 27 points, and increased lead-generating form fills by 15% through assessing and restructuring new website.

Built and led marketing automation and content marketing initiatives, accelerating leads by 23% in 2021 and marketing-influenced pipeline growth by $85M.

Drove 18% growth in followers and 32% increase in engagement in social media channels.

Designed strategic communications plan and operating mechanism, allowing company to outperform top 15 competitors in media mentions.

GE CURRENT San Ramon, California

Head of Marketing and Communications 2015-2019

Developed ecosystem and drove valuable city outcomes by devising CityIQ smart city SaaS solution, acquiring seed capital, creating value proposition and go-to-market strategy, and managing ultimate sale of business unit. Boosted market awareness by managing strategic communication efforts, brand building, provocation messaging, sales enablement, and account-based marketing pipeline and revenue growth. Prepared and controlled marketing budgets with focus on driving ROI and profitability. Established and maintained long-term professional relationships and partnerships with all key market constituents while validating product strategies, roadmaps, and promoting retention, satisfaction, and loyalty.

Led CityIQ brand from industry unknown to top right of Gartner smart city Magic Quadrant.

Designed and executed industry-leading ecosystem with 50 partners, including identification, contract negotiations, onboarding, solution innovation, and integration to commercial execution and revenue generation.

Drove continued business unit funding through exclusive rights agreements with AT&T and Ericsson.

GENERAL ELECTRIC Cleveland, Ohio

General Manager, Global Marketing 2004-2015

Progressed through various roles from product manager of $150M product line to general manager of core lighting marketing prior to being promoted to general manager of global marketing. Served as GE Lighting's Ecomagination director working with corporate to message sustainability efforts and results. Defined, identified requirements, and prioritized new product launches, bringing critical voice of customer and competitive analysis to drive specifications and successful commercial launches.

Selected to lead GE’s “Experienced Commercial Leadership Program” (ECLP) for lighting business, delivering marketing and sales training and experience to high-potential employees in a two-year program.

Partnered cross-functionally to shift business focus from traditional lamps to LED fixtures and IoT offerings.

Developed and executed a cross-country LED Lighting Revolution Tour, which drove significant awareness and demand for LED product launches and educational content, establishing GE as the trusted industry thought leader.

Restructured marketing team to focus on crucial selected verticals and marketing revenue generation resulting in year-over-year sales growth for LED fixture business at twice the market rate.

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

THE HOOVER COMPANY, North Canton, Ohio. Held two positions as Director – Marketing and Director – New Product Development & Commercialization. Recruited to create multigenerational product development process and drive improved profitability and market share. Drove vitality index improvement through new MGPD process and improved ethnographic customer research, resulting in two-year improvement in index by two points and 10% revenue improvement.

GENERAL ELECTRIC – LIGHTING, Cleveland, Ohio, Finance Manager Linear Fluorescent, FM High Output Products

GENERAL ELECTRIC – APPLIANCES, Louisville, Kentucky, Finance Manager Dishwasher Mfg., Sears Marketing & Sales, FP&A Manager

GENERAL ELECTRIC – POWER GENERATION, Schenectady, New York, Financial Management Program – 2.5-year program

EDUCATION

NORTHWESTERN KELLOGG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, Evanston, Illinois

Executive Marketing Management

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, Columbus, Ohio

B.S., Economics

B.S., Finance

CERTIFICATIONS

Digital Marketing, HubSpot Academy

Career Essentials in Generative AI, Microsoft and LinkedIn

Advanced Product Marketing, LinkedIn

Next-Generation AI: An Intro to ChtGPT-3, LinkedIn

Lean Six Sigma – Green Belt, General Electric

FastWorks, General Electric

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

AI Foundations for Business Leaders, Microsoft

Product Management Leadership, General Electric

Management Development Course, General Electric

Experienced Financial Leadership Program, General Electric

AFFILIATIONS

Redaptive: Customer Advisory Council Member, Partner Advisory Council, and Employee Culture Committee

Current Lighting: Executive Leadership Team, Agent Advisory Council, and Agent Marketing Advisory Council

General Electric: Ecomagination Business Leader, ECLP Program Director & Instructor

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