Jennifer Blankenship Email and Phone Number

Oversee innovation strategy and pipeline development for $850MM brand, including current product categories and new breakthrough innovation categories and channels; lead Consumer Insights function, including Guest Experience team, manage all proprietary research projects and all secondary research resources and partners.Formalized and introduced “voice of the consumer” and “voice of the guest” feedback to the product testing process, including: consumer research, analytic discipline, scorecard reporting, inclusion of guest feedback into the innovation testing process.Developed and introduced new LTO calendar recommendations that drove stronger ROI and more agility for incremental product categories; launched new LTO guardrails that minimized time-to-market to better capitalize on consumer trends and flavor news.Developed and executed 3-year innovation pipeline that included consumer validation (idea screens, concept screens, IHUT’s), in-market testing (supported through in-store, digital and social marketing), program analysis and final go/no-go recommendations; established multi-year testing and product launch calendar.Established AOS (add-on sales) strategy validated through consumer insights to introduce new garlic bread; streamlined operations to improve the dessert category with adjacent cinnamon bread; led the development, market testing and recommendation to nationally launch new Garlic and Cinnamon Monkey Breads.

Responsible for leading all marketing strategy development and execution for $200MM Dallas-based luxury furniture manufacturer; lead Marketing Department responsible for planning and implementing all traditional and digital marketing programs.Constructed and established a new brand identity for American Leather including the implementation of a focused messaging strategy and content calendar based on refined story-telling that reversed decline for key Comfort Sleeper and grew sales by 3% vs. YAGProgressively evolved and launched a new branded website for the American Leather which has led to 3% growth vs. YAG in new visitors over the first six monthsAssertively introduced category-wide Motion sale which led to 104% growth in key product categories vs. the same time period the previous year; led to 48% growth among the participating retailers vs 11% in non-participating retailersLaunched Social Media Influencer program, partnering with interior designers and fashion influencers, leading to Instagram follower increase of +42% in 2019; current engagement rate 1.06% (33% increase)Created and launched a new DAM platform for partners and customers that increased engagement rate by over 30%Optimized dollars spent in SEM, beating industry average by 17% ($2.70 vs. $3.24)

Responsible for developing and driving key brand-building strategies for Zales and Peoples business units, $1.4B of the overall $6.2B Signet portfolio; led cross-functional efforts required for successful implementation of customer segmentation-based brand programs and managed team in the execution of story-telling to deliver brand messaging.Drove development of and executed new product launch (Interwoven) across all Signet North American brands (Zales, Kay, Jared, and Peoples), a consumer insight-led concept that scored at parity with Signet’s most successful product launch; executed $11MM omnichannel marketing campaign with a focus on reaching target consumers through expanded and integrated social influencer campaign, digital and in-store campaignIdentified and implemented attribute strategy for Signet’s bridal portfolio to maximize reach among key segments, determine optimal number of collections and identify white space opportunities. Identified key areas for new product development (Disney) and opportunities to refine brand positioning for Vera Wang LOVE and Endless BrillianceDeveloped and launched new product development process to the organization which included testing over 300 new product concepts over three and a half years, with 75 exceeding the benchmark; over 50 concepts identified for further development, including product development and in-market tests First in organization to introduce online customer community consumer insights solution to deliver more timely, effective and cost-efficient voice-of-the-customer feedback. Qualitative consumer feedback collected in first 12 months with a 200% ROI. Initiative was expanded to other brands in 2017 based on value added to organization Stabilized the decline (3-year negative sales trend, down double-digits in early 2016 to single digits in early 2017) of colored diamond and gemstone collection by developing, and implementing repositioning strategy resulting in improving sales from -20% to -10%

Responsible for managing and implementing the strategic direction for the Consumer Banking segment within the Top 25 financial institution. Partner with Product Management, Retail Operations, Banking Center Sales, Advertising Agencies and other vendors to develop and bring consumer banking solutions to market. Lead a team of four in managing annual marketing calendar and all projects relating to consumer banking.Spearheaded the development of new brand positioning and creation of new brand promise, “Raise Your Expectations” based on core insight around customer satisfaction and industry ability to deliver upon it. Since implementation of new positioning, total deposits have grown by over 20%Delivered customer segmentation strategy that drove strategic shift from acquiring personal deposit accounts to growing small business and wealth management by implementing targeted strategies resulting in total deposit growth of 7%Managed $2MM (25% of total marketing plan) for the Retail bank containing all consumer touch points (traditional media, online media and SEM, CRM program, banking center collateral and merchandising and website presence)Stabilized declining customer satisfaction (-20 point decline to -5 point decline) by instituting partnership with JD Power focused on a branch tracking study that delivered branch-level satisfaction metrics, as well as a recommended improvement plan to address identified issues for each branch (i.e. retention, customer complaints)

Responsible for all aspects of brand marketing for this 600 unit casual dining chain, including strategic growth initiatives, marketing calendar planning, menu strategy, new concept and product innovation, pricing and consumer validation. Lead all cross functional interaction for executing marketing strategies and tacticsDeveloped and tested new Endless Lunch platform to appeal to value-seeking consumers and drive traffic at Lunch. Concept scores for platform were in the 90th decile; in-market testing resulted in traffic growth of +8.6% and sales growth of +4%. Platform launched nationally in April 2009 achieving a +3% sales growth during the lunch daypartDeveloped and launched strategy to drive additional sales and profitability during Late Night daypart and the Bar. Partnered with three markets to develop Late Night test, resulting in increased sales of +4.8%. Program launched nationally in August 2009 with increased sales of +9% in the Bar in the first two monthsLed new product beverage innovation by partnering with R&D, Consumer Insights, Beverage Suppliers and outside consultants resulting in launch of four new on-trend beverages that delivered +3% growth Led cross-functional innovation process focused on developing and validating new menu and promotional ideas for 5-6 nationally televised marketing events and 5-6 menu updates annually; each event and menu update included at least 3 new menu items, as well multiple item improvements or updates

Responsible for several aspects of brand marketing for the 7UP brand including strategic brand development, leadership of the cross-functional team, development and execution of product line extensions as well as the marketing, field communications and budget management.Developed and implemented fully integrated national marketing plan for the launch of 7UP Natural, which resulted in sales growth of 10 pts and a market share increase of 2 pts Responsible for the leadership of several projects for the Hawaiian Punch and Country Time brands including brand planning, budget management, leading the new product development process, performing monthly performance analysis and field communications. Managed strategic development and sell-in to organization of four new flavors, which delivered volume increases of +10% for total portfolioIntegrated two distinct distribution systems to manage the Hawaiian Punch brand as one trademark; managed introduction of new Light product across two routes-to-market, resulting in marketing efficiencies of $1.2MM

Responsible for evaluating new product opportunities and projected volume, developing concepts, generating line extensions and food news on current brands and launching new products in the market.