Heather Rast

Current

• VP, Brand Strategy and Marketing Communications at Ovation Interactive

Past

• Director of Strategic Services at Geonetric
• Interactive Experience Manager at Geonetric
• Marketing Manager at APAC Customer Services

• Consultant at Market Reach
• Account Planner at Noble & Associates
• Account Supervisor at CMF&Z
• Account Supervisor at Paradigm Communications
• Account Coordinator at The Buntin Group

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Education

• Florida State University
• Middle Tennessee State University

Recommended

13 people have recommended Heather

Connections

247 connections

Industry

Marketing and Advertising

Heather Rast’s Summary

Possess 17 years marketing communications experience earned while serving AAAA-agencies across the midwest and south. Have developed strategies and planned execution involving traditional and digital tactics to help build national and consumer brands in technology, healthcare, foodservice, and consumer packaged goods sectors.

Client work includes: IBM, Sony Ericsson, GTE Wireless; Columbia/HCA, Blue Cross/Blue Sheild of Tennessee, United HealthCare Plans of Florida, BroMenn Health System, Mercy Medical Center, Planned Parenthood; The Iams Company, Schwan's, PepsiCo, Tyson, The Campbell's Company, Cracker Barrell Old Country Stores, Pioneer and White Lilly; Tractor Supply Company, National Auto/Truck Stops, Universal Tire Co.; Alliant Energy.

I'm passionate about building brands by focusing on creating meaningful connections with consumers. I believe its imperative to find out what your audiences need, and then build your product to solve their problems. It's only by delivering real value that customers become truly engaged with your brand. Engaged customers tell others.The key is to find the intersection of relevance, differentiation, and needs fulfillment to build plans which deliver organizational value and nurture consumer affinity.

Career scope includes all aspects of brand management and marketing communications planning. Adept at leading discovery and secondary research synthesis, analyzing data to find opportunity pockets, directing visual design, search marketing and optimization, content and social media strategy.

Heather Rast’s Specialties:

Building and managing cross-functional teams. Resourceful analytical problem-solver and insightful, intuitive thinker. Highly motivated self-starter. Constantly seeking and researching new opportunities to bring fresh angles to core business offerings.

Strengths Finder 2.0 test reveals these traits: Focus, Strategic, Futuristic, Activator, Ideation.

Heather Rast’s Experience

• VP, Brand Strategy and Marketing Communications

  Ovation Interactive

  (Marketing and Advertising industry)

  February 2009 — Present (10 months)

  Lead, develop, and manage three focal areas: Corporate Marketing Communications, Business Strategy, and Professional Services. Responsible for defining and stewarding brand identity, effectively positioning the company's offering to primary target audiences. Construct roadmaps to continually evolve the product suite and service offerings to anticipate market opportunities. Build talented teams to compliment core product with synnergistic professional services.

• Director of Strategic Services

  Geonetric

  (Privately Held; Computer Software industry)

  July 2008 — February 2009 (8 months)

  Identify, craft, and run the strategic initiatives that drive online interactions between our healthcare clients and their consumer audiences. Work scope covers content strategy, search optimization/marketing, front-end design. Requires knowledge of information architecture and usability best practices to support meaningful, memorable experiences delivering strong value to the healthcare consumer.

• Interactive Experience Manager

  Geonetric

  (Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Computer Software industry)

  September 2007 — June 2008 (10 months)

  Lead the creative strategy, development, and general direction of Geonetric’s interactive work. Ensure aesthetic, effective, and efficient interfaces, graphics, and user-centric systems for the purpose of achieving an optimal Web communications channel that extends brand reach and user experience. Expert ability to draw upon consumer insights and usability validation to effectively communicate organization of content, images and other visual collateral into a user-focused experience across all media. Strategically lead clients with demonstrable success evidenced through improved site analytics, achievement of campaign metrics, timely completion of launches, and post-launch augmentation. Manage group of 10 interface designers, content strategists, and content administrators; develop and codify team process and tools.

• Marketing Manager

  APAC Customer Services

  (Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; Outsourcing/Offshoring industry)

  2007 — 2007 (less than a year)

  Supported business development intiatives by leading several proposal projects. Contributed to the development of a key corporate Quality initiative with executive leadership.

• Consultant

  Market Reach

  (Marketing and Advertising industry)

  2006 — 2007 (1 year )

  Independent marketing consultant - freelance professional. Clients included Frontier Natural Cooperative products and Alpha Marketing. Performed competitive research and defined product line opportunity areas.

• Account Planner

  Noble & Associates

  (Marketing and Advertising industry)

  2002 — 2005 (3 years )

  Led internal cross-functional team and served as account lead for P&G's Iams brand below-the-line marketing, including several new product introductions, product repositionings, consumer trial promotions, and channel programs. Oversaw development of photography scenarios, production shoots, selection of hero imagery for national campaigns. Subsequently served as lead developer of consumer insights for use in market and opportunity analysis; crafted ensuing recommendations for clients Campbells, Tyson, PepsiCo.

• Account Supervisor

  CMF&Z

  (Privately Held; Marketing and Advertising industry)

  1998 — 2002 (4 years )

  Held progressivly responsible positions culminating with serving as account lead for Sony Ericsson consumer brand (mobile phones) and home networking (cable modem, Bluetooth) channel marketing. Also managed Alliant Energy non-regulated (Second Nature renewable energy, surge protection products, etc.) new product introductions.

• Account Supervisor

  Paradigm Communications

  (Public Company; 51-200 employees; Marketing and Advertising industry)

  June 1996 — March 1999 (2 years 10 months)

  Served as client lead on accounts IBM Business Solutions, GTE Wireless, United HealthPlans of Florida. Developed training and performance evaluation materials for use with staff of 30+ customer care representatives in a blended inbound/outbound (customer acquisition) call center environment. Wrote conversation scripts and branching models for use with call programs; performed analysis and wrote recommendations.

• Account Coordinator

  The Buntin Group

  (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Marketing and Advertising industry)

  March 1994 — May 1996 (2 years 3 months)

  Supported three account executives on Cracker Barrel, Tractor Supply Company, Columbia/HCA, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of TN accounts. Conducted research and crafted position papers; maintained broadcast production schedules; coordinated development and production of print work including newspaper, direct mail, POP, collateral; developed competitive reports.

Heather Rast’s Education

• Florida State University

  BA , English and Journalism , 1990 — 1993

  Graduated in 3 years; English emphasis in Creative Writing and Journalism

  Activities and Societies:

  Worked to at The Florida Bar Association to help offset school expenses.

• Middle Tennessee State University

  MA , Mass Communication

  Worked full-time while earning degree.

  Activities and Societies:

  None.

Additional Information

Heather Rast’s Interests:

Gale Mote Associates for leadership training. Joy Outdoor Education Center for team building experienced-based learning workshops. Taekwon Do student, high purple belt rank.

Heather Rast’s Groups:

Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, Information Architecture Institute, Usability Professionals Association, American Marketing Association, Direct Marketing Association, Project Management Institute.

•    Usability Professionals' Association International (UPA-I)
•    Inbound Marketers - For Marketing Professionals
•    Advertising Professional
•    Marketing Executives Group
•    Web 2.0
•    Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization
•    eMarketing Association Network
•    Digital Signage Link
•    SocialMediaForum
•    Brand & Communications Management
•    Social Media Today
•    Social Media Marketing
•    Tweeple
•    Digital Signage Association
•    Proud to Be CMF&Z
•    Social Pros
•    Geonetric
•    Digital Signage Universe
•    Content Marketing
•    Vyllij Customer Relationship Management
•    Social Media Success Summit
•    Solo PR Pros
•    Women of Web 3.0

Heather Rast’s Honors:

Lean Six Sigma black belt from Harrington Institute, Scrum Agile Development from Trail Ridge Consulting, Total Quality Management and Quality and Modeling from University of Northern Iowa, Strategic Planning for Project Management Professionals from PMI.

Heather Rast’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• career opportunities
• consulting offers
• job inquiries
• expertise requests
• reference requests
• getting back in touch