Melinda Sigal

Current

• Strategic Marketing, Promotion, PR, Event Management & Business Development Consultant at The Sales & Marketing Connection

Past

• Vice President Business Development - Midwest Region at Wishoo
• Account Director - Agency Sales at News America Marketing
• Director Business Development/Managing Director - Non Traditional Revenue (NTR) and Client Services at Chancellor Marketing Group

• Managing Director Field Marketing/Los Angeles at Ryan Partnership
• VP New Business Development and Consultant at Mars Advertising
• Director of Marketing at International Beauty Design
• Director of Marketing at Xytronyx
• Director Sales Promotion, Planning and Information at Neutrogena
• Marketing Manager, Chain Salon Business and Director of Sales Promotion at Redken
• Director - Promotion Development at Vidal Sassoon, Division of Richardson-Vicks, Subsidiary of Procter & Gamble
• Brand Promotion Planning Manager at Bestfoods
• Assistant Manager Promotion Services at Warner-Lambert, Adams Group
• Sales Promotion Coordinator at Timex

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Education

• American Business Women's Association
• American Marketing Association
• New York University, School of Business Management

• Florida Southern College

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1 more...

Recommended

18 people have recommended Melinda

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

Marketing and Advertising

Melinda Sigal’s Summary

I am a dynamic strategic integrated marketing/promotion executive with demonstrated leadership & business building skills. I develop, manage, & implement very original thinking that produces measurable results. My inventive marketing strategies & tactics keep companies & agencies at the forefront of competition. My niche is strategic marketing, branding, promotions, advertising, events, PR and business development. I help companies and agencies with new ways to grow/sell their products or services. I have worked on CPG brands such as Dannon, Heinz, Nestle, Bestfoods, Kraft, Hormel, Dentyne, Trident, Halls, Rolaids, Neutrogena, Dial, Vidal Sassoon, Timex, and more ...
Additionally I have over 8 years of management level business and not-for-profit foundation experience with a variety of organizations such as American Business Women’s Association (ABWA), National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Professional Women’s Club of Chicago, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Genesis House and more ... Most recently I started the downtown ABWA Chicagoland Express Network and built the organization to over 100 active members in less than 2 years.

Melinda Sigal’s Specialties:

Business Development,
Strategic Planning,
Strategic Marketing,
Brand Building,
Market Analysis,
Product Positioning,
New Product Development,
Brand Management w/P&L Responsibility,
Event Marketing
Category Management,
Sales Management,
Advertising, Promotion, PR,
ASM/Co-Marketing,
Displays/Merchandising,
Media Planning/Buying,
Tradeshows,
Licensing,
Marketing Research,
Internet/e-Marketing,
Sales Collateral,
Packaging,
New Channel Distribution

Melinda Sigal’s Experience

• Strategic Marketing, Promotion, PR, Event Management & Business Development Consultant

  The Sales & Marketing Connection

  (Privately Held; Myself Only; Marketing and Advertising industry)

  January 2005 — Present (3 years 10 months)

  (Also 3/01 - 3/0411/93 - 9/94, 10/90 - 8/91)
  · Pioneered & sold interactive, 1:1 direct marketing CD Rom program to Campbell-Ewald-Detroit/Chevrolet for NY-based promotion agency that resulted in a 42% favorable recall & extremely improved opinion of Chevrolet brands plus $2 ½ million national program for Corvette
  · Strategically helped develop/launch new sales network & partnership between multiple retailers & dairies with coverage in key markets on gallon milk containers for promotion agency client, as alternative promotion vehicle to deliver coupon volumes comparable to FSI’s & other in-store ad/promo programs
  · Established new premium-incentive/advertising-specialty sales distribution channel for The Spice Hunter, including all sales & marketing ... targeted niche analysis, sales forecast, national marketing strategy, branding, promotion programs, selling materials, & hiring national sales force. Achieved sales volume from $0 - $300,000 in first year at 35% GP

• Vice President Business Development - Midwest Region

  Wishoo

  (Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Marketing and Advertising industry)

  March 2004 — December 2004 (10 months)

  - Built Midwest Region (Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa), sold and implemented latest interactive technology to help agencies and brands build onsite-to-online customer interaction via sponsorship activation of Wishoo’s photo, video, and customized promotions, while increasing brand awareness, lead generation and measurable sales.
  - Initiated numerous strategic partnerships and product enhancements to strengthen company’s leadership position within the event/mobile marketing industry (event marketing, promotion, advertising and PR agencies and Fortune 500 brands), and to capitalize on market opportunities. Clients included Polaris, Cadillac, Samsung, Monatego, Mariner, Saab, Milk Mustache, and others.

• Account Director - Agency Sales

  News America Marketing

  (Public Company; 501-1000 employees; Marketing and Advertising industry)

  January 2000 — April 2001 (1 year 4 months)

  Part of management team for a new-dedicated non-traditional revenue (NTR) marketing & sales initiative focused on "agencies". Responsibilities included business development, client management, customer relationship management, product management, & staff development. Counseled/sold clients via innovative out-of-home tactics to reach their marketing objectives by quickly integrating customer/business strategies utilizing NAM’s ad/promo in-store options
  · Developed and sold over $4.2 million in in-store advertising programs in first seven months to major advertising and promotion agencies [this included Starcom (Procter & Gamble, Kraft), Foote Cone Belding (Kraft), Mars Advertising (Nestle), Outdoor Services (SCJohnson, PureLip), Gardner Geary Coll (Diamond Walnuts), Grey Advertising (KalKan), Fox (Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit), and more]

• Director Business Development/Managing Director - Non Traditional Revenue (NTR) and Client Services

  Chancellor Marketing Group

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

  October 1998 — December 1999 (1 year 3 months)

  Founding staff, recruited to train/manage cross-functional teams for in-house radio conglomerate/media owned sales promotion agency. Directed over 50 ad sales reps from 4 Orlando stations to concept & pitch national/regional “non-spot” promotions to brand managers & promotion managers. Oversaw flawless executive with internal media/creative services departments (from concept to in-store execution). Resulted in over $1 million in non-traditional revenue income in first year
  · Conceived, sold and executed co-marketing program for Hormel and Winn-Dixie, with Orlando Science Center tie-in partner BOGO promotional ticket offer including local radio advertising, on-air giveaways, remotes, in-store POS & trade events at Science Center. Sell-in resulted in January monthly-long end-aisle display, price-feature, & retailer’s in-ad support. Client doubled SKU’s with retailer during this time period versus previous year & exceeded regional brand shares for participating brands by 20%.

• Managing Director Field Marketing/Los Angeles

  Ryan Partnership

  (Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Marketing and Advertising industry)

  1997 — 1998 (1 year)

  Developed, managed, and executed regional and account-specific promotional marketing programs for The Dannon Company and KalKan. Primary responsibilities included strategic planning, concept development, program tactics, executional planning and follow-through, production/artwork development, written and oral client presentation, financial tracking and reporting, and post-program evaluation.
  · Managed and executed grassroots, account-specific, and market-wide promotion event for Dannon in eight western region markets. Promotion included BOGO for ski lift tickets and market-wide ski resort sweepstakes overlay. 12 major retailers participated. Negotiated and developed retailer-specific radio merchandising programs with 22 stations that supported in-store POS and accounts’ circulars. Sales increased 30% over previous year during same promotion cycle.

• VP New Business Development and Consultant

  Mars Advertising

  (Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Marketing and Advertising industry)

  October 1990 — November 1997 (7 years 2 months)

  (FULL-TIME: 5/96-11/97; PART-TIME: 11/93-9/94 and 10/90-8/91)
  Directed new business growth for Nestle, Dial, Advanced Research Laboratories, Oral B, Heinz, Keebler, & Hasbro. Designed/executed innovative cost-effective ASM programs
  · Sold, developed & implemented local market promotions for Nestlé's Friskies PetCare Division (establishing MARS as national ASM Agency of Record for all divisions of Nestlé USA)
  · Produced/supervised Stouffer’s Red Box direct marketing program for Top 30+ accounts to generate distribution & trial of 25 new SKUs; exceeded distribution goals & trial levels, & reached 83-95% coverage nationally
  · Designed co-marketing program for General Mills Wheaties to leverage exclusive NFL association; attained more than 120 accounts representing 78% of shipped volume in market, & exceeded brand shares more than 2½ points

• Director of Marketing

  International Beauty Design

  (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Cosmetics industry)

  August 1994 — June 1996 (1 year 11 months)

  Directed $30 million retail/salon nail care business including marketing plans, new products, budgets/P&L for professional, consumer/mass-market, & international divisions
  · Restaged national consumer product line to mass/drug/food accounts. Researched marketplace to determine retailer & consumer needs, collaborated with R&D & manufacturing, established pricing, margins, ROI, & timeline. Developed packaging & intro sales programs with POP/displays & ad support. Presented to retailers & assisted in implementation/coordination of in-store plan-o-grams. Initial sell-in increased number of SKU’s by 4-6 items, improved sell-through by over 35%, & stimulated a 12% increase in market share
  · Orchestrated consumer & trade market research to validate new salon product concepts & identify market opportunities, trends, & competition. Findings directly influenced decision to develop new product line with “natural” positioning, resulting in over $2 million in revenue during introductory year

• Director of Marketing

  Xytronyx

  (Public Company; 11-50 employees; Biotechnology industry)

  August 1991 — October 1993 (2 years 3 months)

  Overall marketing responsibility internationally, for company's first consumer product, with total product planning and business development accountability, both strategic & tactical
  · Launched unique seasonal product into international marketplace in seven months. Responsible for concept development, strategic planning, production/manufacturing, testing of all marketing elements including design, positioning, packaging, displays, name, pricing, PR campaign, and hiring national sales network of Independent Manufacturer Representatives. Achieved 60% ACV distribution in drug and mass retail market and $2 MM in sales
  · Secured distribution agreements & tie-in programs with major support partners, including the United Nations Earth Summit, Procter & Gamble, Unocal, HealthNet, Becton Dickinson, Champion International, Motorola Semiconductor Products and Texas Instruments

• Director Sales Promotion, Planning and Information

  Neutrogena

  (Public Company; 501-1000 employees; Cosmetics industry)

  April 1987 — September 1990 (3 years 6 months)

  Built/managed entire promotion and merchandising department and multi-million dollar budget. Supervised support staff of 9. Developed/implemented Shelf Management Merchandising program substantially increasing retail shelf space in both skincare and haircare sections. Organized, sourced, and managed outside merchandising force to implement plan-o-grams at retail. Pioneered innovative trade allowance program, overhauling co-op and display allowances, PM's and special bonus moneys. Tied in acceptance with revised contracts, new selling materials, larger displays and permanent fixtures.

• Marketing Manager, Chain Salon Business and Director of Sales Promotion

  Redken

  (Privately Held; 501-1000 employees; Cosmetics industry)

  March 1986 — March 1987 (1 year 1 month)

  Full brand/P&L responsibility for the Chain salon business. Additionally managed all company promotion and merchandising activities. Personally responsible for the outstanding, recognized success of the company's first international permanent display/merchandising program. Created and implemented new pricing strategy, utilizing an array of innovative communication elements. Negotiated major tie-in promotions with non-competitive corporate partners such as No-Nonsense Panty Hose, to enhance appeal of shampoo and conditioner brands.

• Director - Promotion Development

  Vidal Sassoon, Division of Richardson-Vicks, Subsidiary of Procter & Gamble

  (Public Company; 201-500 employees; Cosmetics industry)

  April 1984 — March 1986 (2 years)

  Managed promotion and display/merchandising department with a staff of 14. Planned, developed and executed multi-million dollar promotional introductory plan for Colorific color styling gels and mousses, exceeding sell-in goals by 15%. Created and executed ongoing special events' promotions in 26 major markets for Vidal Sassoon U.S. Gymnastics Team 'Perfect 10' Tour starring Marylou Retton to maximize impact of media advertising, provide extra retail exposure and increase local promotional opportunities. Following year Torval & Dean in over 40 markets.

• Brand Promotion Planning Manager

  Bestfoods

  (Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; Food & Beverages industry)

  July 1981 — March 1984 (2 years 9 months)

  Responsible for promotion planning and development. Co-created, targeted, and executed a defensive strategy/promotion plan for Mazola Oil, blocking competitive brands and achieving a 60% sales increase. Initiated and created successful tie-in promotion for Skippy Peanut Butter, Mayonnaise brands and Smuckers Jams and Jellies for in-store merchandising, utilizing self-liquidator for dealer loader/consumer offers, such as Haley's Comet and the Sandwich Stars. Developed year-round cycle of retail events to give sales force better tools to achieve combined product exposure and increase consumer takeaway.

• Assistant Manager Promotion Services

  Warner-Lambert, Adams Group

  (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; Consumer Goods industry)

  January 1978 — June 1981 (3 years 6 months)

  Responsible for promotion development and execution, with a staff of 2. Helped develop promotional strategies and support for launch of new Ultamints, resulting in $17MM in year two national sales. Initiated $150,000 annual savings by consolidating shipments of selling and point-of-sale materials, and more than $110,000 by producing an innovative video product introduction for Trident Soft Bubble Gum.

• Sales Promotion Coordinator

  Timex

  (Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Marketing and Advertising industry)

  June 1975 — January 1978 (2 years 8 months)

  Coordinated all promotion and merchandising projects for department. Created and executed copy for brochures, stuffers, trade and consumer pieces. Co-developed and produced various fixtures and display units (pre-packs, semi-permanent, permanent, and in-line units).

Melinda Sigal’s Education

• American Business Women's Association

  ABWA Kansas Univ. MBA & over 100 On-goi1ng Continuing Education Unit Credits, Leadership & Business Skills Training, 1995 — 2004

• American Marketing Association

  Workshops/seminars on consumer/trade marketing, promotion, category management, media 1985 — 1998

• New York University, School of Business Management

  Certificate of Proficiency in Sales Promotion and Public Relations, Promotion and Public Relations, September 1975 — December 1977

• Florida Southern College

  BA, Major: Journalism; Minor: Music, August 1971 — May 1975

Additional Information

Melinda Sigal’s Interests:

Sailing, Photography, Growing Orchids, Wine, Gourmet Cooking, Art, Music, Shopping for bargains, NY Mets, NY Giants, Networking, Travel

Melinda Sigal’s Groups:

LinkedInnovator CityHost
DC
·MENG-Mktg.Exec. Networking Group
·AMA-American Mktg.Assoc.
·IABC-Int'l Assoc.of Bus. Communicators-Co-VP Washington Silver Inkwell Awards
·WWPR-Washington Women in PR-Membership Director
·PMA-Promotion Marketing Association-Chief Marketing Consultant
·Arlington Chamber
·BNI
·YES!Circle
·Ryze
·Company of Friends
·ChicWIT/CapitolWIT
·ABWA Capitol Express Network-Advisor
·Tri Sigma N.VA Alumnae Chapter-Founders Day Chair, Historian, Triangle
Chicago
·ABWA Chicago Express Network-FormationChair 2000-2001, Pres. 2000-2003,VP Programs 2000-2004,VP PR 2000-2004,VP Marketing 2004-2005
·Columbia Yacht Club 2000-2006-Committees: Associates, Wine, Beer Can Race
·Tri Sigma North Shores Alumni Chapter-VP 2000-2002, President 2003
·Member Chicagoland Chamber 2001-2004, Jewish Exec. Network (JEN), Professional Women's Club of Chicago-2002-2004; Nat'l Assoc.of Women Bus.Owners(NAWBO) 2002-2004; Chicago Alumnae Panhellenic 2002-2004

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