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We are working with Moosejaw Mountaineering in their search for a Director of Marketing based in scenic Madison Heights, Michigan. Here’s one of their ads …
Moosejaw is the most fun outdoor retailer ever. They sell the finest gear and outerwear through their nine retail shops in Michigan, Illinois, Massachusetts and (soon-to-be) Colorado, their mail order catalog and Moosejaw.com. At Moosejaw, their goal is to make shopping as much fun as climbing in the Himalayas.
Not that climbing in freezing weather is fun, but you know what I mean.
Moosejaw seeks a Director of Marketing to lead the marketing direction of the company based in Madison Heights, Michigan, with the overarching goal of maximizing sales and profit to Moosejaw shareholders. This includes strengthening Moosejaw as a brand and as a shopping experience by directly managing all marketing programs to increase web and store traffic, overall close rates, average order value, repeat buying rates and new customer acquisition.
HARRY’S COMMENTS: Boy, I love this client. I have yet to close a search for them, but it’s not because they haven’t been generous with insights about their business and carefully considered all of my candidates. Truly, nice folks.
And it’s a great industry, too.
Moosejaw is a leading multi-channel retailer in the $5 billion Outdoor Industry. Online, Moosejaw has been recognized as a “Hot 100 Site” by Internet Retailer in 2008 and 2011 and is #276 on their “Top 500 List.” Moosejaw has leveraged leading-edge technology and its quirky brand to consistently outperform the 15% online growth rate of the Outdoor Industry over the past 3 years. Moosejaw is a top retailer for leading outdoor brands including The North Face, Patagonia, Arcteryx and Marmot, combined with its own thriving private label business.
This search is open for all the right reasons: Moosejaw’s former VP of Marketing, Eoin Comerford, vacated this chair when he was promoted to CEO. What does that tell you about how seriously Moosejaw takes marketing? The new Director will pick up where Eoin (pronounced “Owen”) left off and will lead a team of 11.
In fact, you’ll report directly to Eoin.
Given that ecommerce accounts for 80% of Moosejaw’s business, it’s understood that you will be an online marketing expert; someone who understands not only how to drive traffic and conversions, but also brick and mortar store sales.
That’s right. The company has 7 stores in Michigan and Illinois, and they are opening 3 more this year in Boston, Boulder, and Kansas City. Going forward, the company plans to open 4 to 5 new stores per year. The name of the game is taking single channel buyers and turning them into multichannel buyers.
Although you must “get” the Moosejaw brand, the branding piece will be less critical given Eoin’s understanding of it. Rather, you’ll need to concentrate on driving Moosejaw’s ecommerce and direct marketing initiatives. You will need to have an agility with numbers and a desire to get into the data and analytics very quickly.
The analytics piece will also help you understand the company’s organic and paid search initiatives, along with its ancillary channels like display advertising and retargeting. We need you to take the lead on revenue attribution and help the company improve its return on ad spend.
Beyond that, the company could use more leadership in the areas of CRM, e-mail marketing, loyalty and promotion management. Traditionally, Moosejaw has been more focused on customer acquisition. But now the company needs a professional to mine the data, read the tea leaves, and improve loyalty and retention in the name of turning one-time buyers into multi-buyers who come back again and again.
Responsibilities Include:
- Assessing the market and the business, and developing and communicating a clear shared vision and strategic plan to execute and achieve both revenue and profit goals, including a clearly defined marketing strategy and potential new initiatives to grow the Moosejaw business
- Overseeing Moosejaw’s cutting-edge marketing and brand messaging to connect with customers in a holistic way, foster loyalty and attract a broad customer base
- Further developing the brand image and expanding the current customer base by leveraging customer experience initiatives
- Driving innovation and strategic thinking while maintaining strong day-to-day operations. Delivering a vision that can be operationalized, measured, and scaled.
- Creating and bringing exciting ideas to Moosejaw, speculating about alternative futures without all of the data, strategizing ideas and possibilities, and managing innovation
- Managing the marketing team to get the most and best, setting and communicating guiding goals, measuring accomplishments, holding associates accountable, diagnosing strengths, weaknesses and potential, giving useful feedback, delegating and developing, and coaching for today and for the future
- Directing the marketing budget across all channels including online, retail store, direct mail and catalog
- Leading the development of innovative direct-to-consumer customer acquisition plans that are relevant for the Moosejaw brand positioning
- Coordinating activities across all channels of internet traffic including affiliate programs, organic search, paid search, remarketing, comparison shopping engines and direct-from-supplier revenue channels
- Overseeing store marketing programs, including grand opening campaigns
- Developing and overseeing catalog and direct mail plans to maximize incremental revenue and customer retention
- Managing organization-wide implementation and interpretation of web analytics
- Leading internet email planning, analytics, and delivery
- Overseeing the use of social media to drive brand engagement, traffic, and loyalty
- Leading the development of program enhancements to drive customer loyalty and positively impact repeat factors
- Overseeing the ongoing implementation and integration of the company’s CRM system
- Leading aspects of the website including online marketing, site usability, and on-line merchandising
- Maximizing learning by continuously testing new opportunities and improving on business results
Things Moosejaw wants you to bring to the table:
- Bachelor’s degree, preferably in marketing or a related field. An MBA or other relevant graduate degree is a plus
- A minimum of 8 years of progressive work experience in marketing roles is required, preferably within a multi-channel retail environment
- Experience in an environment where digital media and ecommerce are an important part of the marketing mix is required
- Demonstrated ability to think creatively, provide innovative solutions and develop business opportunities within the boundaries of prudent risk
- Demonstrated ability to lead people, inspire others and understand what motivates different people
- Must possess strong analytical, problem solving, strategic thinking and project management skills
- Super strong communication and interpersonal skills. The client wants you to communicate in a friendly and effective manner. So it helps to have some friendliness, a decent sense of humor, and a pocket full of rainbows.
- Must be extremely self-motivated, entrepreneurial, and innovative. Must be hands-on and results-oriented, as well as be able to multi-task and work in a fast-paced, multiple-priority environment.
- Must Love the Madness and embrace the Moosejaw culture.
Things we’ll bring to the table:
- Great 401 (k) plan and benefits package. Sorry I had to write that even though it’s boring.
- Casual dress code. Very casual. Like jeans, t-shirts and sneakers. I used the word sneakers instead of gym shoes because I like it better. Just in case you were wondering.
- Coworkers who will laugh at your jokes. Even if they’re just being polite.
- Cubicle-free work environment. However, you are encouraged to build a fort around you using couch cushions, pillows and blankets from your mom’s house.
- Rock-paper-scissors contests, dart tournaments, field days and good music. Oh and a karaoke initiation. No joke.
- Amazing discounts on outdoor apparel, gear and Moosejaw products
UPDATE: This search is closed.
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