i am a Marketing and communications content strategist with more than 10 years of experience activating stories across emerging and traditional platforms for hospitality and tech consumer goods and services.
BRAND MANAGEMENT:
MY ROLE: TYPOGRAPHY, COLORS, STYLE GUIDE, VENDOR MANAGEMENT, INTERNAL & EXTERNAL ROLLOUT
INHERITED BRAND GUIDELINES: When I started at Alderbrook Resort & Spa, I received these brand guidelines created by a contracted designer. For the first few years in my role, I worked to get the property back towards compliance with these guidelines; in particular with fonts and color palate.
NEW BRAND GUIDELINES: I recently launched these new brand guidelines. In order to reach this point, I collaborated with our ownership, department managers, leadership and contracted designers. Refreshed brand execution is anticipated to be completely finished in a six month period.
brand management:
MY ROLE: IDENTIFY BRAND STRENGTHS, CONSTRUCT NARRATIVE ARC OF STRENGTHS, EARN BUY-IN WITH OPERATIONAL MANAGERS TO IMPLEMENT MY THEMATIC AND PROGRAMATIC RECOMMENDATIONS, CONTRACT AND DIRECT VIDEOGRAPHERS, CREATE BRAND IDENTITY THROUGH VIDEO STORYTELLING, MULTI-PLATFORM OF EMBEDDED STORYTELLING AND CONTENT OUTREACH TO MEDIA AND TARGET AUDIENCES
RECREATION DESTINATION: Alderbrook is less than an hour from the Olympic National Park and has over 10 miles of privately created and maintained nature trails. Paddling and boating from the resort's dock individually or with guides offer an authentic PNW experience.
CORPORATE DESTINATION RETREAT: Group meetings and weddings are 60% of the resort's business. As Director of Marketing, I shaped their identity through experience creation, collateral design, activities creation, brand standards and partnerships.
WEDDING DESTINATION: While weddings are the most profitable banqueted experience, they also require the most time operationally. My work to define the resort as a high-end wedding destination allowed the property to do fewer high-dollar weddings rather than meeting business goals due to volume.
NW TRADITION: Because the property has been a destination since 1913, it has gone through a myriad of identities. Elevating the property's identity from value-based to a luxury experience-based property changed the AAA score from 3 diamonds to 4 diamonds. On social media, I created the hashtags #nwtradition and #est1913. Internally, I created the tagline, "A Northwest Tradition," used in such places as the employees email signatures and business cards that I designed. An example of how this flowed through to the culinary program is that the focus is upon offering seasonal, Northwest fare through thoughtfully-sourced partners and inspired service. My role in development of programs like this is to meet with the leadership, research the potential solutions to the challenges they raise, make recommendations and then write a story supported by creative assets to support it's vitality, while adjusting as-needed.
BRAND MANGEMENT: DIGITAL PLATFORM CONVERSION
INHERITED SITE: While converting the website CRM from Dreamweaver to WordPress was relatively simple when I started in 2013, launching a new website with current-day standards has been more challenging. Championing the need for an updated digital platform to present our property has been one of my primary focal points since I joined the team. Our new digital platform should be launching soon and will include an updated website, booking engine and guest feedback tool. My role has been to present this business case, identify and manage the vendors, create all of the content and sustain the timeline.
REFRESHED WEBSITE: A website using current-day digital standards will compound the success created by the resort's operational improvements and optimized content strategy that I have led and shared with my team.
INHERITED BOOKING ENGINE: Cumbersome and not fully functional, the website integrates with a Property Management System that integrates with the resort's booking engine.
REFRESHED BOOKING ENGINE: After extensive research, I discovered a new booking engine that will integrate with our digital platforms and present the property properly. My role was also to negotiate the initial vendor contracts and serve as the communications ambassador to operations and leadership. Currently, my role is to work with the vendor on optimizing the design and integrating the content that I create.
INHERITED TRANSACTIONAL EMAIL MARKETING: Using integrations with three separate vendors, the transactional and marketing email content is jarring. I have optimized it the best that I can within the vendor, budget and template constraints.
REFRESHED TRANSACTIONAL EMAIL MARKETING: The new platform allows for segmentation and automation; better personalizing the content to the guest. My role is creating these workflows, content and ensuring proper brand placement.
Brand MANAGEMENT:
My Role: CREATE COGNITIVE EMBODIMENT OF BRAND PROMISE through special events and products
FORAGED FOOD & DRINK DESTINATION: Leveraging research, experience and partnerships, I created a collaborative beverage program that highlighted forageable, natural resources in the area, coining it the 'edible landscape.' At it's inception, I collaborated with Cidercraft Magazine as they launched their first issue, and Finnriver Cidery, as their first private label beverage partner. Together, we created a launch event, called 'Ciderhood,' and a private label hard cider, called 'Selkie Cider.' This product launch and event creation established standard operating procedures for following collaborative beverage program launches.
MY ROLE: EVENT CREATOR, PARTNERSHIP MANAGER, GRAPHIC DESIGNER, DIGITAL AND PRINT MEDIA PROMOTION MANAGER, CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS DEVELOPMENT
I identified Finnriver as an ideal partner and proposed this private label beverage program to our leadership. Upon approval, I worked with our Executive Chef on the flavor profile, pricing and distribution plan. After writing the story on the bottle label, I contracted a local Artist to paint the artwork, which currently hangs in the Restaurant. I worked with Finnriver on TTB (Tax and Trade Bureau) label approval process and bottling timing. Leveraging my media partnerships, I approached Sip Northwest Magazine about this event idea. They let me know that they were getting ready to launch Cidercraft Magazine and that they were enthusiastic about launching at our property. Cidercraft-Sip Northwest agreed to help curate the cider dinner and tasting event, which amplified my social media, public relations, email marketing, print and digital media strategies.
Bottle Label Storytelling: "For over 100 years, guests at Alderbrook Resort & Spa have marveled at the playful seals that grace our dock and waters. Scottish folklore calls these aquatic guests, 'Selkies,' who live in the sea at night and then shed their skins to walk the shore by day. We invite you to drink in the beauty of the Hood Canal with this bottle of oak-aged sparkling cider, made with a select blend of organic Washington apples by our friends at Finnriver. Let's raise a glass to the Selkies among us!"
Following Collaborative beverage products:
Blue Ox Whiskey with OOLA Distillery
Bottle label storytelling: "During the prohibition, loggers, farmhands, gentlemen and ladies left their inhibitions at the door to drink deeply and dance the night away at the Blue ox Dance Hall, nestled on Hood Canal's highway 101. Opened by a former Seattle policeman turned bootlegger and named after paul bunyan's companion, bootleggers found respite at the blue ox before continuing their haul back to seattle."
battlebrook beer with fish Brewing company
Bottle label storytelling: "the salmon's journey up the brook has marked the summer's end since the vashon glacier carved the fjord we now call hood canal. Avoiding aerial assaults and anglers from the shore, these wearied warriors of the sea fight their way up the brook to find their home in the shade of ancient fir trees. when you visit alderbrook in autumn, you will witness this age-old battle. Battlebrook beer is a tribute to the salmon's journey, crafted by our friends at olympia's fish brewing company-battle on"
Pandion Red blend with avennia
bottle label storytelling: "swiftly plunging from heights over one hundred feet into the glacial hood canal waters, pandion fearlessly dive and rise victoriously with their feast-writhing in their talons. Named after the king of athens who learned the art of wine-making from the greek gods and found on every continent, these brave birds are also called osprey or fish hawk. an omen of good fortune, the pandion prowls the spring air of the fjord to usher in the abundant summer upon it's glacier-etched shores. drown your inhibitions in this vintage of pandion wine, created by avennia for alderbrook."
upcoming projects: honor bar takeover by sip northwest
Alderbrook Resort & Spa will showcase local food and drink in their newly refreshed honor bar program. I came up with this idea, asked our leadership for approval and contacted Sip Northwest for curation of the beverages and help with awareness. In addition to local food and drink, I am creating co-branded materials with local partners such as Hardmill, Liberty Bottles, Miir and Pendleton.
Brand management:
my role: EVENT CREATION, CONTENT STRATEGY, EXECUTION, OPERATIONS, email marketing, social media, print media, calendar listings, community partnerships, all digital media, merchandise creation, operations, event optimization, public relations, collateral design & print management
The Tree Lighting Ceremony occurs annually the day after Thanksgiving. It is complimentary and open to the community. Creation of this event took a historically slow day (Black Friday) at the property and became a NW Tradition for hundreds of visitors and community members.
St. Paddle's Day occurs annually the weekend of St. Patrick's Day in honor of the resort's Harbor Master's birthday.
Oyster Month occurs every April. It celebrates the optimal time annually to eat a Hood Canal oyster based upon the growth cycle and temperature of the water. Families particularly enjoy this month as it falls during Spring Break. Creation of this month-long event transformed one of the slowest months of the year into one of the resort's busiest and most profitable.
SUb-brand creation
For all projects at the resort connected with the brand, I am brought in to contribute creative assets, partnerships and ideation in an evolving variety of formats.
Union City Market
North Forty Lodging purchased Hood Canal Marina more than ten years ago. I was asked to do a business viability analysis and proposal. From that, my colleague and I named and branded the Union City Market as a destination for authentic, Hood Canal experiences. We created monthly events, called "Canal Cookouts," created merchandise, activities and supported local Artists and Farmers. We hit our stride with private event bookings-in particular corporate groups looking for an alternative to the banqueted, resort experience. My role has been operations, social media, public relations, graphic design, branding, ideation and more. Most recently, we launched a weekend brunch venue, called 'Hook & Fork,' as an alternative to the resort's popular brunch offering. This is a passion project for me.
public relations, Media & partnerships
Nordstrom and Seattle Met Bride & Groom along with many prominent brands have chosen to have photo shoots at Alderbrook since I started in 2013. This is a result of my partnership management, social media promotion and securing media coverages of weddings at the property and resulted in exponentially higher wedding event bookings. Lifestyle magazines such as Conde Nast Traveler, 425, South Sound and 1889 Magazines regularly feature the property both in print and digital platforms.
MEDIA COVERAGE
As public relations and partnerships manager, I have earned unpaid media trips and coverage of the property and it's features.
Western Washington Honda + Evening Magazine
guest education
I created a "Bedside Tales" program that includes an amenity and storytelling card in order to open the guests perspective to the details available to them during their stay. I proposed the idea, designed and did the print budget management of the cards, sourced the gifts and collaborated with the operational team to execute this program.
Local area information content creation
I created print monthly information brochures to encourage guests to get the most out of their visit and to educate them on the surrounding area. In order to showcase the local experiences and resources, I designed an activities program for our guests. These serve as one of many guest and employee points of engagement in our content strategy.
monthly information brochure
olympic Mountain range information
oyster information
Alderbrook cultivates, harvests and serves oysters from the beaches in front of their property. I designed this print brochure in conjunction with programming and activities celebrating the Edible Landscape campaign that I created.
social media management
I manage all social media for Alderbrook and its sub-brands.
An epic fail...
I value admitting failure and learning from it. As part of our experience program, I created a badge program. The objective was to encourage guests to recall and create nostalgia of our heritage property through activities available. In addition to digital media, I created embroidered patches, stickers, coloring/activity books and gift shop merchandise. Internal adoption of this program was very low and it was perceived as just one more thing to do. While remnants of the program are still in place, I failed to launch this program with our employees and guests.
badges
coloring/activity book
Sold for a few dollars and given away as a complimentary amenity, the activity books that I created are nominally used on property.
For the love of a good story...
Having graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a degree in European Studies-with a focus on Spain and Italy-and a Secondary Teaching Certificate in Spanish and English, I found my first teaching role in Seattle at Franklin High School as the first year and Advanced Placement teacher.
While I learned that my calling was not to be an Educator, I also leveraged my unabashed willingness to champion a cause. I thrived empathizing with students yet struggled with the buracracy of a public school setting that did not place the student's educational experience paramount.
Storytelling: The school district scheduled the Math WASL (Washington Assessment of Student Learning) on April 20th. The ASB also agreed to host a radio station photo contest on this date. Photos would be captured at the school, uploaded to the portal and the best look-alike would win a concert by performing artist, Fergie, at the school. Standardized test scores determine many amenities and services available to schools and many teachers felt that this was a poor choice on both accounts. However, we had to embrace it and set our students up to be as successful as possible. Being the only teacher in the building under 23 years old, my students begged me to participate in the contest and promised to not take the WASL under the influence if I did so. I hid in my classroom in costume, let them take my photo and surprisingly, mine was the winning image. At the performance, Seattle Times snapped this image. I am willing to put pride ego aside for the greater good and an excellent story.
my values
Everything that I do is focused around my ability to raise my two sons to be good men. This doesn't just mean that I will work myself to the bone in order to provide them with physical comforts. It also means that I strive each day to authentically model what a healthy, happy, working woman and wife looks like.
my story
A swiss army knife brand steward is the best way to describe the past 11 years of my career. Sometimes, blunt, other times precise and always changing gears, I challenged myself to meet the intersection between storytelling and business goals as artistically and resourcefully as possible. Working alongside the people, products, and services best informed my stories. I crawled under houses and through ditches to install fiber-optic cable as the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for a regional telecommunications company. I foraged mushrooms, shucked oysters, ironed bedsheets and made hard cider as the Director of Marketing for a destination resort.
Rarely satisfied with the final outcomes and frustrated by the adage that marketing is difficult to measure, I sought out the Comm Lead program at the University of Washington. After completing the online certificate in Storytelling and Content Strategy, I decided to continue my studies, asking my former professor, also a Director at REI and my colleague and Publisher of Sip Northwest Magazine, for recommendations and advice.
A member of cohort '17, I now have a more clearly defined desired outcome for the program than I did before I started. As a graduate of the Comm Lead program, I hope to have the faculties and humility to create change by activating stories across traditional and emerging platforms.
