Jennifer Cifuentes

Current

• Owner at Cifuentes Marketing

Past

• Creative Lead - Graphic Designer at Talaris - Formerly De La Rue Cash Systems
• Creative Director at Restaurant.com
• CEO/Marketing Director/Editor-in-chief at Logic & Magic Inc.

• Graphic Designer at TuckerKnapp Integrated Marketing
• Production Manager at Holloman Sunburst, Military Publications
• Production Designer at Alamogordo Want Ads

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Education

• Roosevelt University
• Illinois Institute of Art

Recommended

17 people have recommended Jennifer

Connections

136 connections

Industry

Marketing and Advertising

Websites

• My Portfolio
• My Company

Jennifer Cifuentes’s Summary

For most of my life I have been fascinated with what makes people tick and how things work. In my professional career, I’ve used this natural curiosity to help me uncover hidden insights that can be used to create marketing that is effective in meeting the client’s goals and objectives. In addition, I am constantly challenging myself and others to put themselves in the place of the target audience – to always keep in mind the needs and desires of those who are the end user.

I’ve spent most of my career on the creative side, but I’ve always felt that something was missing from my experience as a creative. As a result, I decided to pursue an advanced degree on the strategic side in Integrated Marketing Communications.

My graduate-level educational experience at Roosevelt University has helped place me firmly between strategic and creative thinking and has helped solidify my personal philosophy: “Marketing must go beyond looking great. It has to meet or exceed the client’s expectations, while also respecting the target audience.”

Also, I’m well organized, have great communication skills and a passion for my work.

Jennifer Cifuentes’s Specialties:

• Management: Project Management, Team Leader, Employee Development

• Creative: Creative Direction, Graphic Design, Photography, Copy Writing, Creative Message Development/Strategy

• Marketing: Integrated Marketing Communications, Branding/Brand Management, Public Relations, Direct Marketing, Multicultural Marketing, Account Planning

• Internet/Email Marketing: Web Analytics, Information Architecture, SEO, SEM, Permission-based eMarketing

Jennifer Cifuentes’s Experience

• Owner

  Cifuentes Marketing

  (Privately Held; Marketing and Advertising industry)

  June 2009 — Present (6 months)

  • Created a marketing communications company focused on assisting in-house marketing departments with
  their creative & strategic marketing needs
  
  • Areas of expertise offered to clients include:
  - Integrated Marketing Communications Plans & Campaigns
  - Print Collateral Design & Development - Brochures, Sellsheets, White Papers, Case Studies, etc.
  - Web Design & Strategy
  - eMarketing - SEO, SEM, Permission-based Email, Information Architecture, Website Analytics
  - Podcasting, Blogging
  - Copywriting/Content Development
  - Direct Marketing
  - Advertising Design & Media Strategy
  - Sales Promotion Campaigns
  - Public Relations
  - Trade Show Booths & Graphics
  - Branding & Brand Management (including graphic standards manuals)
  - Positioning & Creative Message Strategy
  - Photography

• Creative Lead - Graphic Designer

  Talaris - Formerly De La Rue Cash Systems

  (Public Company; Information Technology and Services industry)

  April 2007 — June 2009 (2 years 3 months)

  April 2007 to June 2009 | Talaris (Formerly De La Rue Cash Systems) | Lisle, IL | Creative Lead – Graphic Designer
  • Marketing Communications Manager — Managed marketing communications projects from concept to completion for an average of 60-70 ongoing projects
  • Project Manager — Completed over 280 projects in just over two years of service
  • Digital Assets Manager — Developed the strategy for the company’s global web presence & permission-based email marketing program
  • Creative Direction & Graphic Design — Provided creative direction to third party vendors & staff & provided graphic design production, when needed
  • Brand Management — Maintained consistent graphic standards to build brand equity for the main brand and all product line brands
  • Web Analytics — Implemented & maintained a comprehensive web tracking program using Google
  Analytics & other tools
  • Copy Writing — Provided creative/technical copy writing for most marketing projects
  • Strategic Marketing Development – Assisted with the development of an integrated marketing communications plan & budget
  • Direct Marketing — Developed & managed a complete direct marketing campaign program

• Creative Director

  Restaurant.com

  (Online Media industry)

  March 2006 — March 2007 (1 year 1 month)

  • Creative Team Leader — Provided employee development, management & training
  
  • Creative Direction & Project Management — Managed an average of 75 ongoing projects
  
  • Brand Management — Maintained an developed corporate brand standards manual for 3 separate brands
  
  • Integrated Marketing Communications — Developed integrated campaigns, creative briefs & communications plans
  
  • Front-end Web Design — Interfaced with technology department to create dynamic, database-driven active server web pages (Web 2.0/eCommerce)
  
  • Print Design — Managed print projects from concept to completion, including printer communications
  
  • Promotional Email Campaigns — Created weekly html email theme lines, graphics, promotion codes and content for a list of over 430,000 consumers
  
  • Information Architecture — Developed structures for user-centric websites, organized website content and reviewed website user experience processes
  
  • Copy Writing — Provided creative/technical copy writing

• CEO/Marketing Director/Editor-in-chief

  Logic & Magic Inc.

  (Marketing and Advertising industry)

  June 2004 — February 2006 (1 year 9 months)

  • Managed all points of business, including staff
  
  • Developed a bilingual (English & Spanish) weekly newspaper, El Periódico Lo Nuestro Bilingual News, to fill the Hispanic market niche of DeKalb County, which later sold to a larger publishing group
  
  • News Writing/Editing/Photography — Conducted interviews, wrote articles, shot photography
  
  • Serviced ten separate clients, including Just Make It Happen Productions, Johnson Photography, Conexión Comunidad and others
  
  • Marketing Client Work — Developed, managed and implemented integrated marketing communications plans
  
  • Provided graphic design and copy writing for print, web & multimedia client projects
  
  • Public Relations — Wrote & distributed client press releases

• Graphic Designer

  TuckerKnapp Integrated Marketing

  (Marketing and Advertising industry)

  April 2002 — May 2004 (2 years 2 months)

  • Conceptual Development — Brainstorming, Creative Strategy, Positioning
  
  • Graphic Design — Print, web, multimedia
  
  • Graphic Intern Supervision
  
  • Project Management — Worked in a fast-paced, deadline driven agency environment with multiple clients in technology, food and other industries (B2B and B2C)
  
  • New Business Development — Helped acquire several accounts, including Wellmark International ($3 million/year account)
  
  • Clients Included: Motorola, Panasonic, Sara Lee, Wellmark International, ISBA Mutual, Spraying Systems, Dairy Management Incorporated, Zurich Life, WILD Flavors & many others

• Production Manager

  Holloman Sunburst, Military Publications

  (Publishing industry)

  January 2000 — May 2000 (5 months)

  • Oversaw all points of production
  
  • Graphic Design — Advertising design & publication layout
  
  • Graphic Intern Supervision

• Production Designer

  Alamogordo Want Ads

  (Publishing industry)

  April 1999 — November 1999 (8 months)

  • Graphic Design — Advertising design & publication layout

Jennifer Cifuentes’s Education

• Roosevelt University

  MS-IMC , Integrated Marketing Communications , 2004 — 2008

  Graduated with honors. GPA - 4.0

• Illinois Institute of Art

  BFA , Visual Communication , 2000 — 2002

  Started my undergraduate degree at University of Tennessee-Knoxville and finished at The Illinois Institute of Art-Schaumburg. Graduated with honors.

Additional Information

Jennifer Cifuentes’s Websites:

• My Portfolio
• My Company

Jennifer Cifuentes’s Interests:

Art history, design, emerging technology, new media, music, movies, computers, travel

Jennifer Cifuentes’s Groups:

•    Obama for America
•    Inbound Marketers - For Marketing Professionals
•    Next Gen Market Research (NGMR) The fastest growing Consumer Insights group
•    Facebook.com
•    Online Business Owners
•    Web 2.0
•    Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization
•    eMarketing Association Network
•    Online Advertising Professionals
•    Digg
•    StumbleUpon
•    Mac User group
•    InDesign Users Group
•    Goodreads
•    Search Marketing Salon
•    Search Engine Land
•    Innovative Marketing, PR, Sales, Word-of-Mouth & Buzz Innovators
•    Decision Stats
•    CHICAGO 2016 Olympic Games Supporters
•    Chicago White Sox MLB Group
•    Art Director's Kingdom
•    Social Media Today
•    Roosevelt University Alumni Association
•    Internet 3.0 - (Web 1.0+ Web 2.0)
•    User Experience Group
•    Connected Marketing Networking Group
•    Ad Makers
•    United States Olympic Team Supporters
•    Think Green
•    AIGA | the professional association for design
•    MarketingProfs
•    Marketing & Communication Network
•    Roosevelt University IMC
•    Creative Intensive Network - For All Advertising Creatives
•    twitter innovators Innovation & Creativity Network of Tweeters
•    Planning for Good
•    Women in Photography
•    SmartData Collective
•    Social Media School
•    B2B Lead Generation Roundtable

Jennifer Cifuentes’s Honors:

• BMA Tower Award (Gold) — Wellmark (PreStrike/Mosquitoes) — Print Ad

• BMA Tower Award (Bronze) — Wellmark (Gentrol/Bedbugs) — Print Ad

• BMA Tower Award (Bronze) — Ruprecht Meats (Simply Natural) — Logo

• “Mosquito Love Shack” ad recognized by AdWeek magazine as “great creative” in April of 2004 (online article)

• Professional Advisory Committee Member for Advertising Program — The Illinois Institute of Art-Schaumburg, 2006

• Published in the 2008 Roosevelt University IMC Review — The Frito-Lay Natural Line Case Study

Jennifer Cifuentes’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• career opportunities
• expertise requests
• reference requests
• getting back in touch