Michael Baskin Email and Phone Number

At Stone Mantel, our goal is to help brands create the meaningful experiences that their customers want and deserve. Founded in 2005, Stone Mantel is a brand and customer experience strategy consulting firm. We offer brand strategy, customer experience design, product/service innovation and research. Through Stone Mantel’s strategic insights and customer experience program tools, thousands of consumers nationwide have enjoyed greater satisfaction and increased loyalty to industry leaders and prime destinations, including: Anchorage, Alaska; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Deluxe Corporation; Novo Nordisk; Royal Caribbean International; SunTrust Bank; The Smithsonian Institute; and Wachovia/Wells Fargo.

ONESPARK Experience Design is a marketing consultancy that specializes in brand strategy, brand architecture design, marketing strategy and integrated communications planning.

PNC Financial Services Group•Repositioned the PNC Financial Services Brand as the category innovator, which increased brand preference 31%.•Reorganized a staff of 12 direct and 45 indirect reports to improve oversight of an $85 million advertising budget and improve delivery of all media, creative, strategic planning and digital resources.•Developed relationships across a decentralized, matrix organization (fourteen lines of business) to create the alliances needed to unify the marketing strategy and increase ROI by 10%. •Developed the integrated marketing communications strategy that allowed the PNC TARP acquisition of National City to exceed customer attrition and acquisition targets by 4%. •Developed the multi-platform launch strategy for “Virtual Wallet,” an online banking tool that attracted 85,000 new Gen Y customers to PNC in year one. •Architect of enterprise-wide digital marketing strategy that increased completed applications from online advertising by 285%. Scripps Networks (HGTV, DIY Network, Fine Living Network)•Developed and launched the campaign that repositioned HGTV Brand to Gen X women and increased total ratings by 50%. •Developed a multi-platform viewer engagement strategy for the launch of Design Star, HGTV’s first reality show that allowed it to steal viewers from larger broadcast networks and increase prime time ratings by 125%. •Substantially increased media efficiency and effectiveness of HGTV’s multimillion-dollar digital budget by consolidating multiple providers. Owens Corning•Repositioned the brand around end-user benefits which unified the marketing strategy and drove a $1.5 billion increase in sales.•Restructured a staff of 20 direct reports to improve management accountability and effectiveness of an $80 million budget.•Established the Owens Corning Brand in China by conducting a brand assessment and creating an integrated launch plan that increased sales 25%.

•Created the local Brand Strategy Group practice including roles and responsibilities, practice integration protocol, and hiring and training of staff that enabled the office to attract more complex, profitable engagements. •Authored the brand strategy practice methodology that created a unified process and differentiated selling proposition for the sales team. •Pioneered the use of ethnographic research (the first and only office to employ on-staff anthropologists) to uncover deep customer insights that attracted three new clients in the first nine months. Credit Acceptance Corporation - June 2000 – May 2001•Led evaluation of Credit Acceptance Corporation’s business/marketing strategy by conducting market and competitive assessment. •Developed new strategic brand identity and brand architecture for the company. •Successfully repositioned company resulting in increased profits from ability to identify new/leverage existing dealer relationships and increase employee loyalty.Michigan Virtual University - December 2000– May 2001•Recommended, developed and conducted research utilizing cultural anthropology to discover target audience insights.•Developed brand strategy for Middle/High School Career Guidance Website. •Led interdisciplinary team in development of Web site functional requirements.

Delta Faucet Company•Repositioned the brand upstream, which protected its profit margin from low cost, offshore “knock-offs.” •Developed the “big-box” merchandising strategy that leveraged Delta’s Brand equity advantage to steal shelf space and increase sales in both Home Depot and Lowe’s at the expense of weaker brands. •Developed the first Delta Faucet website to reinforce its heritage and superior style versatility versus the competitive set which helped reestablish Delta as the leading brand in the category. •Awarded first agency performance bonus in seven years in 1998.•Increased account profitability by 26% in 1997; 24% in 1998 and 17% in 1999.

Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse•Repositioned Lowe’s from a local hardware store to the first (and only) “big-box” retailer to compete with Home Depot driving a 100% increase in sales from $4.5 billion in 1993 to $8.6 billion in 1996.•Developed cost effective grand opening (70 new stores a year from 1993 – 1996) and competitive response marketing communications strategies that helped Lowe’s steal share from its better-capitalized competitor. •Consolidated the entire media planning/buying assignment from internal and external sources by demonstrating an ability to increase planning and buying efficiency by over 20%. •Pitched and won media planning/buying assignment that increased Agency revenue threefold. The Iams Company (Eukanuba Dog Food, Iams Dog and Cat Food)•Responsible for leading strategy and managing the business-reported directly to CEO.•Led development of award winning internationally produced television campaign that increased market share for Eukanuba and Iams Dog Food.•Agency awarded six-figure bonus for exceeding advertising communications objectives. Campbell Soup Company (Open Pit Barbeque Sauce, Franco-American Gravy, Vlasic Pickles, Casera Mexican Foods)