CHRIS OURAND

Baltimore, MD 443-481-8866 (mobile) chris.ourand@gmail.com

EXPERIENCED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSIONAL

Strategy | Visibility | Brand Development | Lead Generation
! Market Strategist. Assess market needs, client capabilities, and the points where they can intersect ! Brand Builder. Leverage corporate reputation with visibility programs so that audiences hold positive perceptions and want more ! Intentional Communicator. Ensure stakeholder buy-in and engagement through integrity, authenticity and thought leadership ! Collaborator. Engender success through listening, forging consensus, inspiring and channeling group energy into sound decisions
Brand Awareness | Go-to-Market Strategies | New Market Penetration | Brand Realignment Direct Mail Campaigns | Social Media / SEO | Public Relations | Advertising | Market Research

PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
HINGE MARKETING 2013 - present Account Director Lead business development, account management and client service initiatives. Secure new revenue, optimize staffing mix, and oversee brand awareness and lead-generation programs for professional services clients. " Brand Awareness. Increased brand visibility for big data technology firm through implementation of robust content and distribution strategy. Garnered several brand advocates championing firms value proposition through website development, social media, blogging, email distribution and SEO. " Marketing Strategy. Provided game-changing marketing strategy to grow national brand for regional engineering firm. Through market research, SWOT analysis and sales differentiators, rolled out fullscale marketing plan for online and offline marketing initiatives. " Online Expertise. Achieved numerous downloads of recently published marketing book through story placements, social mentions and pay-per-click campaign. CHRIS O. COMMUNICATIONS 2003 - 2012 Owner Developed and met objectives for companies seeking new markets, launching products / services or otherwise capitalizing on competitive advantages. Deployed integrated marketing, content, PR, and social media programs that emphasized positioning, strategy, key messages and tactics. Represented companies in B2B, B2C, B2G and non-profit industries needing successful interaction with end user, channel and influencer audiences.

" New Market Penetration. Increased brand recognition of secondary product and service lines for established civil engineering company using multi-pronged online marketing, advertising and PR strategies. Resulting revenue growth led to corporate acquisition and doubling of revenues. " Public Relations. Spearheaded two-phased PR strategy to influence federal government procurement of $2 billion border security contract for Boeing subcontractor. Engaged SMEs, trade publications and alliance partners in effort that ultimately secured contract. " Go-to-Market Campaign. Rolled out go-to-market campaign for online job interviewing technology. Compelling marketing, brand building and video promotions led to 3,000 applicant signups right away; high-impact value proposition secured venture capital funding and acquisition. METASTORM 2001- 2003 Corporate Communications Manager Built this process management software firm in an emerging market. Positioned company for growth, established brand leadership, drastically increased product demand and educated audiences of customers, prospects, partners, investors, media and analysts. " Brand Realignment. Repositioned US and European brand identity of specialty e-forms product firm as an enterprise software company. Created customer feedback loops to tailor product to new markets, and implemented outreach campaigns for industry analysts, channel partners and end-users. Higher profile helped firm win successive rounds of venture capital and propelled it into the leadership section of the market-ranking Magic Quadrant Report of Gartner Group. STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS GROUP 1998 - 2001 Senior Account Manager Increased market share for clients in technology, commercial real estate and management consulting. Developed, implemented comprehensive strategies for public relations, advertising, and sales promotions to end users and resellers. Oversaw three teams that successfully enhanced third-party credibility through media coverage, industry award opportunities and speaking engagements. Held full P&L responsibility. " Public Relations. Launched three-pronged PR, advertising and direct mail strategy showcasing commercial real estate tenant representation for fast growing high-tech companies. Garnered numerous press clips, delivers high-profile testimonial ad campaign, and generated 20% direct response open rate for unique direct mailer.

EDUCATION
Master of International Business Management University of Maryland, College Park, MD Bachelor of Science, Journalism University of Maryland, College Park, MD Coursework completed toward the Project Management Professional (PMP) designation

TECHNICAL SKILLS
Microsoft Office, Google Analytics, SEO, various CRM and CMS software applications