Kara Brooks Email & Phone Number

Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland, New Zealand

• Led and supported the marketing team, including a Function Centre Manager, Ecommerce & Communications Executive, and Marketing Executive, to execute sales and marketing strategies.• Developed and managed sales and marketing plans, identifying new sales channels and implementing acquisition, retention, and reactivation strategies.• Oversaw the Snowplanet brand, ensuring its positioning was strengthened and protected in a competitive market.• Led product development and pricing strategies, implementing a structured pricing model, reviewing ROI on products, and addressing displacement and cannibalisation issues.• Managed the digital marketing channels, growing Snowplanet's online presence through the website, social media, and business listings. Focused on cost-effective channels with high customer reach to stay ahead of the evolving digital marketing landscape.• Cultivated PR partnerships and handled media relations, managing filming opportunities and responding to media inquiries to boost brand visibility.• Managed budgeting, reporting, and forecasting, creating bottom-up budgets and providing monthly and weekly reports to track sales performance, identifying trends, and recommending action plans.• Responsible for sponsorship management to enhance brand partnerships and visibility.KEY ACHIEVEMENTS:• Increased visitation by 10% and revenue by 7% in FY10-11, despite joining one month into the financial year.• Achieved a 24% growth in visitation and 13% revenue increase in FY11-12.• Boosted online visitation by 24% in FY11-12, launched a Facebook page with over 10k fans, and shifted the business approach to more effective online marketing strategies.• Reduced marketing spend while increasing revenue and growing athlete participation in Snowplanet programs.

Auckland, New Zealand

• Developed and streamlined the marketing budgeting process, reducing resource time and improving efficiency with user-friendly tools.• Introduced an automated forecasting and reporting system, replacing manual processes to ensure accuracy in financial projections.• Created SKU forecasts aligned with financial goals to improve product and sales planning.• Led marketing research and performance analysis, providing strategic insights that guided management decisions.• Developed the first customer segmentation model using internal data, driving a 17% increase in active customers by tailoring propositions to key customer groups.• Analysed outbound sales performance, optimising staff, product, and list performance to enhance results.• Launched an acquisition program that grew Wine Plan customers by 9% through outbound sales, online marketing, and direct campaigns.• Re-branded the Wine Plan channel to establish a distinct identity and ensure consistent messaging across all communications.• Worked with external agencies to develop Wine Plan logos, strengthening brand recognition.• Introduced the Sauvignon Blanc Wine Plan in 2008, which became the fastest-growing plan.• Repositioned wine plans to offer the "best value" in the market, optimising customer engagement and profitability.• Managed the strategy for the Wine Plan Outbound Sales team, including target setting, incentives, and promotional offers to increase customer acquisition.• Led the direct mail strategy, overseeing creation, proofing, testing, and analysing ROI to maximize campaign effectiveness.

Auckland, New Zealand

• Developed advanced customer segmentation models that enhanced customer insights and increased active customer numbers. Led the transition from a campaign-based strategy to a customer-focused approach, improving contract effectiveness and long-term engagement.• Managed the catalogue budgeting process, leading a team to create comprehensive, bottom-up budgets integrating sales, margin, and advertising costs, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives and adherence to deadlines.• Directed the multi-channel communication strategy, providing leadership to ensure campaigns were customer-focused, met profitability goals, and drove customer growth.• Maintained and updated company forecasts (daily and monthly), delivering actionable insights that informed decision-making across finance, marketing, merchandising, and contact center teams.• Led customer focus groups, overseeing their organization, moderation, and analysis to refine business strategies.• Designed and executed direct mail campaigns, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and delivering measurable results.• Provided leadership and mentorship to the team, fostering collaboration, professional development, and a high-performing environment.

Manchester, United Kingdom

• Optimised profitability of customer statement mailings by reducing costs and increasing demand through strategic targeting and analysis.• Developed statistical models to support data-driven marketing decisions, including: - Propensity-to-Buy Models: Forecasted customer spend over the next six months. - Customer Conversion Models: Identified high-potential prospects likely to convert into customers.• Conducted ad-hoc analyses to address business challenges and opportunities using SAS and SQL.• Applied segmentation techniques to enhance campaign effectiveness and drive customer engagement.