Key Highlights
• Established a 25-year career as a marketing-communications subject matter expert.
• Innovated and delivered measurable impact in digital marketing, branding, and content strategy.
• Shaped by David Ogilvy’s “360-Degree Branding” to lead strategic, integrated communications for client and educational projects.
Strategic Integrated Communications
I am a strategist, creator, publisher, media buyer, manager, and educator with over 25 years as a marketing-communications (marcom) subject matter expert (SME). My approach is defined by ‘Strategic Integrated Communications,’ a philosophy that reflects my generalist-specialist skill set, shaped by David Ogilvy’s “360-Degree Branding.” He demonstrated long before the digital age that multichannel and mixed strategies produce optimal results — an influence that has prepared me well for modern, cross-channel integration in digital marketing.
In my journey through both traditional and digital realms of marketing, I’ve developed expertise in every marcom area:
• Media relations, public relations, and community relations
• Brand development and management for graphic and verbal identity
• Content creation and strategy, influencer marketing, affiliate marketing
• Advertising, sales promotion, product or service marketing
• Digital marketing, including channel strategy (social, email, SEO/SEM, video/audio streaming, and more)
• Traditional/offline marketing, including direct marketing, sponsorships, and event, field, and guerrilla marketing
In all of these areas I’ve employed the full spectrum of marketing phases:
• Brand development and management for graphic and verbal identity
• Content creation and strategy, influencer marketing, affiliate marketing
• Advertising, sales promotion, product or service marketing
• Digital marketing, including channel strategy (social, email, SEO/SEM, video/audio streaming, and more)
• Traditional/offline marketing, including direct marketing, sponsorships, and event, field, and guerrilla marketing
In all of these areas I’ve employed the full spectrum of marketing phases:
• Primary and secondary research
• Campaign and always-on planning and executing, and
• Analytics measuring and analyzing
• Campaign and always-on planning and executing, and
• Analytics measuring and analyzing
Given I have this exhaustive experience of the marcom field, I have well-earned confidence working as the SME consultant on any project. I have particular comfort writing and designing for it. I am also strong at planning and delivering campaigns. As a SME, I’ve developed programs and teach marcom at world-class universities and speak to theory and practice for article contributions.
Innovations and real-world impact: Case studies
Digital marketing strategy
Client: Emory Law School
Client: Emory Law School
Project: Emory Law Viewbook
Challenge: Emory Law needed a budget-friendly yet impressive marketing tool to drive recruitment. Traditional methods were not feasible due to budget constraints.
Approach:
• Developed a 60-page interactive PDF viewbook with dramatic images and an application form.
• Recommended a virtual campus visit experience, including live advisor meetings via GoToMeeting.
• Developed a 60-page interactive PDF viewbook with dramatic images and an application form.
• Recommended a virtual campus visit experience, including live advisor meetings via GoToMeeting.
Outcomes:
• Achieved record downloads and application submissions.
• Successfully met and exceeded enrollment goals.
• Inspired the decision to print the viewbook for direct mail marketing.
• Achieved record downloads and application submissions.
• Successfully met and exceeded enrollment goals.
• Inspired the decision to print the viewbook for direct mail marketing.
These strategies not only brought direct results for my client but also informed my ability to scale solutions that meet user needs through engaging, accessible design.
Client Testimonial: “Mary is great to work with on projects. She is inventive and great with developing creative concepts that ring true and stand out. She is organized and takes the time to understand your project's scope so she can present you with ideas that exceed your objectives.” — Wendy Cromwell, (then) associate director of publications and editor of Emory Lawyer
Brand voice development
I was on the core team in the Office of Communications tasked with managing the rebranding of a 135-year old women’s college, Agnes Scott College. As manager of creative services, I worked under my department director and alongside my two colleagues in publications. We knew there had to be 100% buy-in for this modern rebrand to reflect a brand story that honored tradition yet embraced the 21st century: “The World for Women.”
For such an historic institution with many legacy alumnae and emeritus faculty, there had to be a coalition between the administration, board of trustees, alumnae, faculty, and present students. The graphic and verbal rebrand project took a year to gain complete approval. But implementing it across departments, the community, and greater Atlanta took years.
The outcome was very successful. Student recruitment and retention and faculty and donor development pushed well beyond strategic objectives. The college, its first alumna president, and community of academic experts garnered international attention with our strong media relations plan. Once the rebrand was established, the college was well positioned to move into its next major objective — an ambitious campus building development. The Communications Office was a pivotal player for the project to modernize the campus while protecting its historic heritage.
With the end period of the rebrand, I left to start my own agency, Studio-MZ. ASC became my first client throughout the building campaign for an additional 16 years.
This experience at ASC has had a powerful impact on how I became a learning architect. Building a coalition of voices and achieving buy-in is an essential set of skills. Stakeholder engagement and buy-in is critical in learning architecture, where alignment and resonance are essential.
Collaborator Testimonial: “Mary is highly attentive to detail and client-oriented. She is the consummate professional who strives for excellence in all her dealings. And she is a pleasure to work with!” — Maria Bevacqua, Professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato, who worked in the ASC publications office
Content creation and management
Client: Cheltenham Mall in Philadelphia
Challenge: Post-renovation, Cheltenham Mall needed to boost traffic and attract diverse customer segments.
Approach: Developed over 100 projects to support the rebrand, combining digital and traditional outreach, seasonal campaigns, and a VIP event.
Outcomes: Significant increases in mall traffic, customer diversity, and successful seasonal campaigns. The striking 'Red Woman' environmental design was particularly impactful.
Natural storyteller
I was drawn to the realm of marcom very early in my life because I am a natural storyteller, whether that is through the written word, visual communications, or overarching planning. I’ve never thought of this or operated as if it were pushing ideas on people. To me, this is as natural as all human interaction. Our brain evolved to ensure our survival. It became a social brain that became the foundational process to provide our need to bond to others. We are social creatures. The patterns used most effectively in marcom recognize and honor that. We are born wired to connect through language and stories. As a natural storyteller that understands all the areas of marcom are best delivered this way, it has given me decades of experience with successful connections for all my professional work. Understanding and applying these patterns has empowered me as I craft messages and design experiences that foster connection and retention — valuable in both marketing and learning design.
