Scott Knowles

Current

Principal Business Planning Manager, Local & Search Verticals at AOL

Past

Principal Business Planning Manager, Web Search Strategy at AOL
Sr Program Manager, Web Search Distribution & Mobile Search at AOL
Sr Program Manager, Local at AOL

Channel Manager at AOL
Regional Interactive Manager at Monster/TMP Worldwide
Account Executive at Monster Worldwide
Account Representative at Monster Worldwide

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Education

Ithaca College

Connections

286 connections

Industry

Online Media

Websites

Scott Knowles’s Summary

12 years experience leading the growth of emerging global web businesses and products. Strong organizational leadership, business management and product development experience in the Local, Verticals and Social Media space.

Scott Knowles’s Specialties:

Team and cross-team leadership, Local, Search, Business Strategy & Management, Acquisitions, Local Search, Pay Per Call, Internet Yellow Pages, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Marketing (SEM), Social Network Marketing, Blogs, Web Account Services, Social Media, M&A, web 2.0 business models, social media, distributed web services, conversational marketing.

Scott Knowles’s Experience

Principal Business Planning Manager, Local & Search Verticals

AOL

(Public Company; TWX; Internet industry)

October 2008 — Present (1 year 2 months)

Responsible new product development, business strategy and management for core Local & Search vertical initiatives.

Accomplishments:
- Oversee $15M revenue budget for portfolio of products including Local Search, AOL Yellow Pages and Advertising Feed development.
- Led the launch of ReferencCenter.com, a next generation online reference tool, and achieved 1M UV's within 3 months of launch.
- Led key parts of a major overhaul to AOL's Local strategy, presented to CEO
Principal Business Planning Manager, Web Search Strategy

AOL

(Public Company; TWX; Internet industry)

August 2007 — October 2008 (1 year 3 months)

- Oversaw business planning and partner management for the fourth largest search engine in the United States.
- Responsible for over half billion dollars in partner revenue including AOL’s strategic relationship with Google and all Search vertical advertising and content partners.
- Led strategic planning initiatives for mid and long-term development. Provided recommendations and rationale for potential acquisitions.
- Directed all aspects of the AOL Search distribution business including business planning, performance management, partner on-boarding/management, and risk mitigation.
- Directly managed team of six top contributors. Responsible for assessing required resources, recruiting and hiring, with a strong focus on professional development.
Sr Program Manager, Web Search Distribution & Mobile Search

AOL

(Public Company; TWX; Internet industry)

July 2006 — August 2007 (1 year 2 months)

- Launched the AOL Search distribution and syndication business and grew top line revenue to over $40MM in less than a year.
- Helped AOL enter over 30 new global markets through new partnerships.
- Performed lead business role in establishing deal parameters, economics, modeling, negotiation, on-boarding, and business management of key global partners.
- Led business planning and execution of AOL’s highly regarded mobile search product offering. Established mobile advertising feeds, monitored revenue performance, and helped guide product strategy, which led to a 300% growth in usage.
- Directed strategic planning for Search distribution and mobile Search including the development of growth opportunities, market research and competitive analysis.
Sr Program Manager, Local

AOL

(Public Company; TWX; Internet industry)

February 2005 — July 2006 (1 year 6 months)

- Led business planning for new local strategies including business plan presented to top AOL executives to create network wide local advertising platform.
- Oversaw AOL’s pay per call search business, the first by a major internet player, as part of AOL’s efforts to tap the 14 million small businesses who have yet to advertise online. Established program direction based on achieving key performance metrics.
- Orchestrated local marketing and product integration, including search engine optimization of dynamic content, search engine marketing for over 400,000 keywords, and distribution across the AOL network, leading to 25% growth in revenue.
- Developed business plan incorporating emerging field of social networks into new local search ad model.
Channel Manager

AOL

(Public Company; TWX; Internet industry)

March 2004 — February 2005 (1 year )

- Managed National advertising channel for AOL Local properties and achieved revenue target of $2 million. Evangelized value of AOL Yellow Pages to agencies representing major national brands.
- Collaborated in creating local search and Pay Per Call business models. Conducted intensive review of all key components in the local search marketplace including re-sellers, bid management tools and other search providers.
Regional Interactive Manager

Monster/TMP Worldwide

(Public Company; MWW; Internet industry)

December 1999 — March 2004 (4 years 4 months)

- Led clients’ conversion of print advertising spend to online media and exceeded 2000-2003 internet revenue objectives by as much as 20%. Executed Local Web Programs, SEO, and Local Search marketing for major clients. Managed site strategy and production for major national auto service corporation.
- Helped plan and implement Monster.com’s hiring program for decentralized organizations, which generated over $1 million in incremental revenue.
Account Executive

Monster Worldwide

(Public Company; MWW; Internet industry)

April 1998 — December 1999 (1 year 9 months)

Directed client relationships for over $4 million in interactive and print advertising spend. Launched one of the first major accounts on an internet yellow pages site. Managed local web page program for a leading national home decorating company.
Account Representative

Monster Worldwide

(Public Company; MWW; Internet industry)

August 1997 — April 1998 (9 months)

Assisted in managing and growing the Choice Hotels print yellow pages account.