The Unusual Company Ltd.
Co-Founder
Feb 2004 – March 2018
Experiential guide of Unique and Unusual places to eat, sleep, drink and go viewed by 1 million users annually.
INRIX
Marketing & PR EMEA, Business Development UK
March 2018 – April 2019
SaaS provider of real-time travel information and analysis of road usage worldwide.
Gartner
European Marketing Director
June’97 – May‘01
Gartner is a $1Bn+ provider of IT Advisory services. During my 4 years employment, revenue from European operations increased 255% to $250M in 2001.
The Marketing Medic Ltd
Consulting Director
Sept 2003 – March 2018
Supported a network of experts offering Online and Direct Marketing, PR, web and Strategic Marketing to grow clients’ sales. Recent focus on Transportation, Hospitality, Charity and Professional Services
Giga Information Group Ltd.
Head of Marketing - Europe
May’01 – Aug’03
Acquired by Forrester Research in 2003, Giga was a $67M, USA headquartered, provider of Information Technology advice and consulting services. As a member of the European Board I recommended a series of restructuring steps, achieving profitability in late 2001.
INMOS
US Business Manager
Aug’90 – Oct’95
Based in Bristol, UK and Boston, USA.
Developed segment marketing, promotion and advertising for microprocessor products across North America. Sales increased 178%, reversing a declining business trend. In Bristol I managed sales promotion and distributor training for parallel processing microchips, software and tools.
STMicroelectronics
Product Marketing Manager
Nov’95 – May’97
Based in Grenoble, France. STMicroelectronics is the largest semiconductor manufacturer in Europe and acquired Inmos in 1990.
I managed the transition of 32 bit microprocessor product revenues to reusable micro-core business including 3rd party agreements, profit analysis and volume pricing agreements.
Activities and Results
GoUnusual.com – (Hospitality & Publishing)
- Start-up business, recruiting team of global ambassadors to identify properties, write articles and share proposition, driving PR activities WW.
- SEO and Social media marketing generating 9 million online visits, 115,000 references online.
- Created April Fools Campaign and viral media strategy generating 15,000 inquiries.
- Writer of 4 books to support brand growth, selling 40,000 copies in 4 languages, winning Food & Travel Book of the Year Award.
- Database creation, optimisation to 600,000 newsletter audience annually.
The Clubhouse Project – (Charity)
- Content and Messaging strategy.
- Creation and management of Website, printed Brochure, Newsletter and Blog.
HiveMind Network – (Expert Network Start-Up)
- Recruited a team of 134 Management and Technology experts in the USA and Europe managing a series of Drop-In calls and arrangement of face-2-face meetings.
- Business Development / Client retention strategy creating Executive Events including a London event in St Pancras clock tower to build sales pipeline and extend network reach.
Giga Information Group / Forrester Research – (IT Research, Events and Consultancy)
- Identified and implemented changes to generate profit through emphasis on high margin services, retaining top client accounts while making necessary cost savings.
- Managed agency for European PR and media relations. Collaborative and creative approach generated front page coverage in The Financial Times and trade titles.
- Led Marketing team of 8 to deliver conferences and new networking forum service for senior executives, providing additional $2M annual revenue stream.
- Organised sales training, company kick-off and corporate incentives across Europe.
Gartner – (IT Research, Events and Consultancy)
- Managed input to corporate brand and market positioning proposal, working as the sole European member of the WW Marketing Executive.
- Led team to develop campaign strategy, lead generation and go-to-market plans for the European Marketing team. This was Gartner’s first integrated marketing, sales and research activity, generating $15M in revenue growth.
- Specified and directed innovative viral marketing activities to over 100,000 individuals to jointly support data protection and lead generation objectives.
South Korean Tourism Organisation – (Tourism)
- Developed online digital campaign connecting to over 100,000 individuals.
- Articles and promotion of hotels and destinations.
South Belgium Tourism Board – (Tourism)
- Created Direct Mail campaign and online article series. Integration with digital promotional activities over a 2 year rolling schedule. Generation of €220,000 of business and 10x ROI.
Dow Jones/Reuters – Factiva – (Publishing)
- Innovative Online Sales and Marketing lead generation system, generating over 100,000 leads, used additionally to identify and manage key sales resource issues.
- Sales and Marketing strategy, with delivery of sales messaging.
Buying Team – (B2B Advisory)
- Corporate Rebrand, Messaging and Communications activity.
Expensive Taste – (Online Retail)
- B2C retail website for online shopping brand.
Royal College of Art – (Education Sector)
- Partnership with Innovation Lab for student business plans and promotional strategies.
Seabourne Express – (Courier firm)
- Rebranding, Brochures, Advertising and Interactive Sales tools.
Street Level Network – (Social Network Start-Up)
- Creation of Marketing Communications strategy for Start Up business.
Leading Edge Forum / CSC – (IT Research, Events and Consultancy)
- Sales presentation, Digital and Direct marketing campaign.
- Online promotions, Newsletters and Digital activity.
Maison de Languedoc Roussillon – (Tourism)
- Promotion and advertising online
Also Business Development, Marketing and Sales campaigns for Professional Services Consulting companies including: Zeraxis Ltd, MetaGroup Ltd, Forrester Research, Datamonitor / Informa Group.
SteveDobsonLife Less Ordinary
