Melih Cılga

Current

Freelance Consultant on Advertising Strategies, Marketing Engagement and Consumer Insights at Self Employed (Self-employed)

Past

Business Planning Consultant, (Brand and Media Strategies) at Millward Brown Turkey
Strategic Planner at Wunderman (Young & Rubicam)
Project Manager at 2999 Digital, Web Design Agency

Senior Copywriter, Assistant to Creative Director at Publicis Yorum
Copywriter at Art Grup

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2 more...

Education

Istanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi
Istanbul Teknik Üniversitesi

Connections

52 connections

Industry

Marketing and Advertising

Websites

Melih Cılga’s Summary

For over two years, I worked in Millward Brown Istanbul office, as a Business Planning Consultant for Brand and Media Strategies.
As a member of our Client Services team, I am responsible for providing two kinds of consultancy:

1) Recommendations on how to improve advertisements' creative strategies and their actionable creative ideas.

2) Competition analysis reports for several brand categories, consumer insights and helpful knowledge integration solutions for "senior level" marketing executives.

In terms of formal education, I am a computer engineer graduated from I.T.U. in 1989, however, I positioned my career route in advertising, brand strategy and then business planning consultancy.

A market research based consultancy firm, a digital / web design company and three advertising agencies were the venues of my career history.

Melih Cılga’s Specialties:

For over 10 years, I worked at brand development, strategic planning and project management positions in the marketing communications industry, providing service to several categories such as FMCG, telecommunications / online media, renewable energy, consumer loans and payment systems in retail banking...

Melih Cılga’s Experience

Freelance Consultant on Advertising Strategies, Marketing Engagement and Consumer Insights
Self Employed (Self-employed)

(Self-Employed; Writing and Editing industry)

October 2008 — Present (1 year 2 months)

Research-based advisor providing critical insights to marketers.
Business Planning Consultant, (Brand and Media Strategies)

Millward Brown Turkey

(Public Company; WPP; Market Research industry)

July 2006 — October 2008 (2 years 4 months)

As Business Planning Consultant (for Brand and Media Strategies), my responsibilities included brand development and consumer insight strategies by providing validated recommendations on how to improve advertisements' actionable creative ideas and also competition analysis reports of several brand categories addressed to "senior level" marketing communications executives.

Accomplished Consultancy Projects:
• Unilever hair care, skin care and oral care categories. Alternative distribution channels, cross-media usage and advertising "tone of voice" recommendations.
• Vodafone brand migration process from Telsim, and creative brand positioning / storytelling strategies for several niche target audiences.
• Yapi Kredi retail banking products and payment systems in general, comparative competition analysis reports.
• HSBC consumer loans and credit cards, creative advertising strategies.
• Vestel Electronics home appliances, multiple-brands merchandising in new concept stores.
• Reckitt Benckiser Calgonit, creative advertising strategies.
• Danone Hayat spring water consumer insights on daily consumption trends and lifestyles.
• Microsoft MSN Turkish online advertising market's dynamics.
• Schüco International KG, Solar Energy Market in Turkey: Thermal and Photovoltaic usage, major players, trends and industry analysis.
• De Agostini Publishing House's preliminary research before entering into Turkish market, detailed business planning consultancy on Turkish newspaper and magazine publishers, distribution networks, wholesale and retail channels, promotion campaigns etc.
Strategic Planner

Wunderman (Young & Rubicam)

(Public Company; WPP; Marketing and Advertising industry)

January 2003 — April 2006 (3 years 4 months)

Wunderman, a subsidiary of Young & Rubicam within WPP Group, is a middle-sized creative agency working for both "below- and above the line" campaigns of international and local advertisers.

As a senior member of creative team, my responsibilities included the full life cycle of campaigns (from strategy and idea creation to production and post-evaluation).

Accomplished Campaigns:
• Altinyildız Textile: Design and production of printed materials, newspaper adverts and corporate web site.
• Tekfen Group's Tekfen Tower and Taksim Residences: Design and production of all printed and online executions, adverts, promotional sales materials etc.
• Phillip Morris: Brand positioning for a new cigarette to rival Tekel 2000.
• Metro Group Markets: TV, print and outdoor advertising materials for Metro Cash & Carry, Praktiker and Real.
Project Manager

2999 Digital, Web Design Agency

(Information Technology and Services industry)

August 2000 — January 2003 (2 years 6 months)

2999 Digital was a creative agency specialized on web (internet / intranet) design, content management, usability and information architecture consultancy.

Since it was a subsidiary of Yorum Publicis ad agency, several micro-site projects were developed for major clients such as Turkcell, Sony, Aygaz, HP etc…

As a project manager, my main duty was organizing the team to keep up with strict deadlines, including reporting back on competition analysis, contributing to develop media plans and optimization of every campaign’s creatives.
Senior Copywriter, Assistant to Creative Director

Publicis Yorum

(Marketing and Advertising industry)

June 1997 — July 2000 (3 years 2 months)

Yorum Publicis Europe Affiliate is both a significant local advertising agency and also a part of international Publicis Group.

As a senior copywriter, my responsibilities included certain major advertising campaigns of following advertisers and brands: Eczacibasi Schwarzkopf, British Airways, United International Pictures, Red Bull, Koleksiyon Furniture, Balküpü Tea.

We were also specialized in providing services to financial institutions and shopping malls. As a copywriter and "emerging" strategic planner, I was responsible for full marketing communications activities of Koçbank, Koç Lease, Koç Allianz Insurance, Metrocity and Olivium.

From editing to Koçbank's annual reports to the launch campaign of Turkey's first individual pension fund, my experiences helped me understand basic dynamics of retail and corporate banking services.
Copywriter

Art Grup

(Privately Held; Marketing and Advertising industry)

May 1994 — February 1997 (2 years 10 months)

Major projects: Below-the-line advertising and promotional campaigns, creative merchandising solutions for Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble and Marsa KJS.

Melih Cılga’s Education

Istanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi

dropped out , MA, Film and Television , 1998 — 1999

During my MA in Bilgi University's Film and Television department, I also worked as a part-time teaching assistant at the same faculty: I designed and lectured a course called “Trends and Lifestyles in Contemporary Society” from October 1998 to June 1999. (By the way, at the end of my teaching job, I have decided not to finish my MA and dropped out.)
Istanbul Teknik Üniversitesi

1983 — 1989

Additional Information

Melih Cılga’s Websites:

Melih Cılga’s Interests:

Freelance Jobs / Part-time (Hobby) Projects: 1. Siemens Simko Microelectronics Lab, March 1991 – April 1994 Freelance programming / coding assistant to system engineer. 2. Marketing Türkiye Magazine, Editorial Team, January 1992 – December 1993 I contributed to the magazine as a freelance translator / editor, responsible for worldwide advertising industry news. 3. As one of my hobbies, I contributed to several fine arts and culture magazines as a voluntary columnist / writer: http://melihcilga.blogspot.com/2009/03/bir-zamanlar-calstgm-guzel-dergiler.html 4. I produced and hosted a radio program on rock-jazz music at Açık Radyo in 1996-98. 5. Istanbul Bilgi University, Faculty of Media and Communication Systems, October 1998 – June 1999 Part-time Teaching Assistant, Lecturer of “Trends and Lifestyles in Contemporary Society”