VERONICA BUXTON
619 West California Way • Woodside, CA 94062
CONTACT: 1.650.863.0433 ...... Click to email
Skype: vmbuxton
" Veronica has an amazing ability to solve complex branding problems ... to get to the root of the issue and keep this in the context of what a brand/client thinks they need vs. what they actually need. She is also a master at developing the thinking and communication to get the point across to senior management and make something happen. She has been a great thought partner for me."
Jack Calhoun, President, Banana Republic
Summary
I am a seasoned marketing and advertising professional experienced in strategic planning, account planning and brand development and in categories such as:
financial services food enterprise software telecommunications
consumer electronics packaged goods spirits energy
apparel personal care end of life services retail
products
Things I’ve Done
• Contributed to the growth and success of the West Coast office of major communications company Foote Cone & Belding as a member of the senior management team and head of new business development.
• Established and ran an independent consulting firm on the strength of my reputation in the advertising community, serving blue chip clients and small boutique agencies, providing brand development and strategic planning services.
• Excelled at troubleshooting brand growth issues, launches and restages.
• Trained and coached junior managers with great success.
• Demonstrated exceptionally strong communications, presentation and sales skills.
Places I’ve Worked
1995-present Buxton Consulting (Woodside, CA)
An independent consulting firm, providing strategic brand planning and development for a wide range of clients.
1982-1995 Foote Cone & Belding (San Francisco)
Senior Vice President, Group Management Supervisor (working at various management levels) on a wide range of accounts.
S.C. Johnson personal care products
California Raisin Advisory Board (Dancing Raisins)
Pacific Bell (corporate, business, residence; AT&T divestiture)
Ballantine's Scotch (Clio-winner)
Janus Mutual Funds (product launch)
Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream
Mervyn's (re-stage)
Levi Strauss & Co. (branding projects)
Clorox (marketing process initiatives)
1979-1982 Foote Cone & Belding (New York)
Junior level account management positions on Western Electric consumer telephone products, Frito Lay Grandma's Cookies and Single Serve Snacks, and Arnold/Oroweat brands
1977-1979 Wilton, Coombs & Colnett Advertising (San Francisco)
Copywriter, Account Executive on Hewlett-Packard international, American Microsystems (memory chips) and various retail accounts.
Consultancy Clients (Sample)
Transamerica
Developed brand strategy for launch of new mutual fund family
Intuit
Strategic planning for the initial marketing of new Quicken product (financial services) targeted to small businesses
Trinet
Developed brand strategy direction, positioning and led creative development for marcom for this leader in professional employment organizations (PEO) targeting the small business market. Subsequently crafted messaging matrix to manage communications to all constituents in preparation for major acquisition which catapulted Trinet to the #2 largest player in this industry
Wells Fargo
Developed internal presentations making the case for reorganization and reallocation of marketing funds along more centralized business model
Visa
Developed partner program presentations for Visa’s internal consulting group which were presented to top tier member banks. These presentations aligned the member bank brands with the Visa brand in terms of strategy and look and feel. The presentations leveraged Visa’s impressive bank of sponsorship assets and make them available to member banks for promotional programs.
Dreyfus
Supervised development of mutual fund family brand strategy and provided ongoing strategic planning services for Dreyfus during a period of high-growth and intense competition for equity fund investment dollars.
Key Asset Managment
Developed comprehensive strategic recommendations for operational streamlining of this Ohio-based institutional investment group.
Viansa Winery
Provided overview of direct marketing opportunities for Viansa’s wine club program which became a leader in the growing category of membership marketing of consumer goods. Viansa is owned by the Sebastiani’s of Sebastiani Vineyards in Sonoma, CA
Santana Row
Developed brand positioning for new model of high-end retail/residential development aesthetically based on a European village. Santana Row is one of the most successful developments of its kind, located in San Jose, CA
Proctor & Gamble
Wrote marketing/advertising “best practices” content for Emmperative, a software “knowledge resource center” which marketed Proctor & Gamble intellectual properties (marketing processes) to major consumer goods companies. This content was marketed on a subscription basis to consumer packaged goods companies who needed to provide on-demand, marketing training of consistent high quality to new marketing employees.
Charles Schwab
Served as brand counsel to Executive VP Advertising, developing master brand manifesto and consulting on collateral during time of intense competition for discount brokerage services. Schwab was the first discount brokerage service widely marketed to a mass consumer audience and prides itself on opening up the investment world to the average consumer with its tools, advice and technology.
Lifemark Group
Developed brand positioning, brand voice and supervised the launch of a new holding company providing end-of-life services through facilities in the Bay Area. I developed the parent company brand name, and sub-brand names and architecture, in an industry characterized by local, independent funeral homes and cemeteries. I also participated in the development of ancillary lines of revenue (memory merchandise) all marketing materials, including advertising and collateral, PR and web design and regional promotional programs.
MiFund.com
Developed brand positioning for web-based mutual fund B2B trading platform for the European market which, at the time, trailed the US in the booming on-line mutual fund market for the general consumer.
MSNTV (Microsoft)
Created strategy and brand development for launch of new service in category of enhanced TV services: Web TV, a digital video recording device. Developed subsequent recommendations for repositioning the product/service as a single point device for sharing all manner of digital media for the family – video, photos, websites and other web materials, etc.
.
NetObjects
Provided brand positioning, strategy development and advertising creative direction for new B2B web services targeting small businesses. This on-line service provided an easy-to-use interface for small businesses to develop their own website using a selection of templates, and also provided access to small business consulting services from experts in the industry, from a variety of disciplines (accounting, marketing, procurement, etc.)
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Directed strategic brand audit as well as new business development identifying opportunities for expansion and refinement of services.
EnergyConnect
Developed brand strategy, positioning and marketing planning for leader in the energy demand-response environment. Provided on-going strategic direction for implementation across web/sales collateral and support and other marketing efforts.
Shaklee
Developed recommendations for new products in the personal care category
StorageTek
Conducted agency search
Agency Consulting (Sample)
JBrown San Francisco(Grey Advertising)
JWalter Thompson San Francisco
Red Advertising
Wayfinder Response Marketing
Education
Masters Business Administration - Global Marketing, American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird).
Bachelor of Arts, California State University, Fresno + University of Redlands + University of Poitiers. Majors in French and Journalism.
Professional Associations
Serve on Advisory Board for SF direct marketing agency, Wayfinder Respnse Marketing
Live Wire Summit Group - a boomer marketing forum held annually by JWT/Specialized
Ethical Marketing Services
Things I Like to Do
I have a passion for drawing and oil painting.
I am fluent in French and converse in Italian
I enjoy sailing and traveling in and around Italy and watching TED.com lectures
