Darren Milton Email & Phone Number

Brighton, England, United Kingdom

Overall Group responsibility for Marketing and Brand. Defined and delivered the marketing and brand strategy and subsequently delivered the largest growth in new subscribers in over 20 years. • Executive Director of an FCA regulated business• Strategic leadership on all areas of the Association’s brand and marketing function and spokesperson for TV and media interviews• Proposition overhaul and continuous development• Budget and P&L responsibility - forecasting, phasing and budget planning• Develop and evolve a distinctive, differentiated and relevant brand positioning strategy • Brand health tracking and objective setting• Ensure adherence to FCA, ASA, GDPR and E-privacy regulation• Identifying target segments based on research and insight• Income generation through strategic partnerships• Digital strategy and user experience • Establish efficient processes and controls for compliance and risk management• Deliver PR strategy, plan and execution• Oversee planning, execution and evaluation of sales activation and brand building campaigns (long and short)• Business owner of primary strategic partnerships including LV= (Allianz), Kew Gardens and Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust• Competitor research and positioning• Oversee agency relationships including brand, advertising, PR, content, SEO and insight• Resource planning and development• Stakeholder management at board level

Brighton, England, United Kingdom

Head of Brand and Marketing Boundless (2019 - July 2020) Responsible for all elements of the marketing strategy and delivery. The most senior person in the marketing dept and reporting directly to the CEO. • Marketing and brand strategy• Utilising insight, data and research to define the target audience and customer need• Developing brand guidelines• Introduced NPS and continuous improvement methodology to live up to our ‘Member First’ value• Implementing proposition development strategy to make the offering more appealing• Delivered a competitor research project to define points-of-difference and competitive advantage• Set the direction for the sales strategy• Brand architecture and positioning

Brighton, England, United Kingdom

Overall responsibility for brand and content strategy and implementation, utilising content across multiple channels to deliver audience acquisition and income generation. Combining data, story telling through content and PR to deliver brand reach and engagement.• Brand strategy and architecture of all sub-brands across B2C and B2B• Brand and content campaigning to drive brand awareness and web traffic• Responsible for the outsourcing of our Bi-monthly membership magazine• Increasing magazine advertising income in a declining market• Lead the design strategy and provide creative direction for the customer magazine• Create brand messaging framework• Report and produce analytics on effectiveness of brand response campaigns• Monetising digital real estate to generate new income streams by introducing native and sponsored advertising• Audience building and driving new users to site• Using insight, SEO and data to drive own-able content themes to attract new audiences• Using content to drive product transactions and improve user intent• Develop omni-channel content campaigns based on surveys to generate high profile PR exposure

Brighton, United Kingdom

Recently led a complete brand overhaul and repositioning programme of a 94 year old business. Responsible for defining the new brand strategy, brand repositioning, key messaging, visual identity the delivery of the new website and launch campaign.• Project lead on the entire rebrand business change programme and strategy• Delivery of new website and CMS• Develop, implement and champion the Boundless brand strategy for members, employees and business partners• Create, lead and govern the brand identity. Develop brand guidelines including a visual toolkit, tone of voice, language, strapline, sign off, CTA etc.• Develop the brand framework - our promise, behaviour, values, differentiator, reasons to believe etc.• Oversee the digital team – ensuring user journey, UX, bounce rates, dwell times, conversion, display advertising, PPC etc. are optimised• Develop and manage all brand campaigns• Lead the design strategy and provide creative direction for the customer magazine• Create brand messaging framework• Report and produce analytics on effectiveness of brand response campaigns• Oversee the branding of all communications including design, advertising, direct mail, social media, interactive and digital marketing, video/motion graphics, etc. across all digital and print channels• Lead and inspire the creative and digital teams through project planning and staffing estimation, performance evaluations and coaching• Oversee creative agency relationships• Sourcing, commissioning and art directing appropriate illustrators, designers, animators, copywriters, videographers and photographers;• Align brand and culture and provide guidelines that enable our people to ‘live the brand’• Responsible for trademarks• Overseeing the management of print and mailing;Also a judge at the 2017 UK Business Awards

Group Creative Director at CSMA Club, a membership organisation with 280,000 members. I proposed and implemented the creation of a new inhouse design team, improving efficiencies and reducing costs. I led a team of 9 staff and am responsible for delivery and guardianship of the CSMA Club brand identity across all marketing and publishing channels. Responsibilities include:• Overseeing the design of all communications including branding, design, advertising, direct mail, social media, interactive and digital marketing;• Leading the design of a regular customer magazine with a circulation of 280,000 (the UK's largest motoring magazine);• Managing the creative design team through project planning and staffing estimation, creative staff performance evaluations and coaching;• Making design recommendations on the development of the brand to improve membership acquisition, retention and revenue;• Sourcing, commissioning and art directing appropriate illustrators, designers, animators, videographers and photographers;• Directing films for editorial and promotional purposes;• Creating engaging interactive brand experiences through all digital channels;

Creative Director of the UK's largest motoring magazine and one of the top 30 largest magazines in the country (ABC audited). A 132 page travel, motoring and lifestyle customer magazine distributed to the organisation's 280,000 members 10 times per year. The relaunch of this customer magazine saw advertising revenues increase to their highest ever amount.Responsibilities included:• A complete design overhaul including new grids, type styles, photographers, illustrators, format;• Art directing regular photoshoots and commissioning illustrators;• Maintaining exceptionally high design and production standards;• Encouraging cross-platform engagement with the use of pod-casts, videos, social media;• Liaising at board level to present and rationalise design choices.

Hove, East Sussex

Creative Director of an award winning studio of designers, writers and web developers, responsible for the creative output of one of the south’s leading and longest established design, advertising and digital agencies. Overseeing integrated marketing campaigns for clients such as Kuoni, Lloyds TSB, Unilever, One & Only Resorts, British Airways, Telehouse Europe, NHS and Fujitsu.Achievements:• The brand creation, positioning, launch and activation of Froosh which resulted in being Scandinavia’s biggest selling fruit smoothie and acquired by Unilever;• Brand development of Froosh under the ownership of Unilever;• UK rebrand activation for Kuoni Travel;• Rebranding Hampshire County Council and the creation of brand guidelines; • Brand and campaign development for the Lloyds TSB ISA product• Brand and development for Telehouse Europe, an industry-leading data centre colocation providerResponsibilities:• Leading a studio of 7 designers, writers, animators and developers;• Creative direction of across advertising, direct mail, brand identity, retail, exhibition;• Art direction and design of all digital site builds and campaigns;• Pitching and winning new business tenders;• Hiring and inspiring a team of designers;• Commissioning high quality photography and illustration;• Delivering brand and advertising projects to an award winning standardAwards• Gold award for Best Corporate Brochure at the Fresh Design Awards;• Gold award for Best Annual Review at the Fresh Design Awards;• Gold award winner for Best Travel Trade Advertising Campaign at the Chartered Institute of Marketing Awards.Shortlisted • Best consumer promotion at the Chartered Institute of Marketing Awards;• Best Advertising Campaign at the M&M Awards;• Best Corporate Brochure at the Marketing Design Awards;• Most Innovative Marketing at the Creative Head Hairdressing Awards.

Brighton And Hove

I was the creative lead at the agency, responsible for all print and digital creative work. Managing a team of 7 designers and web developers, art directing numerous photoshoots for brand and advertising projects and ensuring all work is consistent with each client's brand guidelines. Involved in regular new business tender presentations - pulling together the creative work and presenting to potential clients.Clients included:KuoniTelehouse EuropeOne and Only ResortsLloyds TSBIngeusHampshire County CouncilElite HotelsFrooshAirmiles

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