Sam Absher | Analyst

Hi there, I’m Sam

I am a marketer and strategist with a passion for optimizing marketing plans using analytics. I give you actionable insights that work to create meaningful relationships with your audience.

 
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As a first-generation college student, my journey has taken me from homelessness to working with ambitious and success-driven executives, building their brand and getting results. This path has made me tenacious and resourceful, determined to find solutions and figure things out as I go. It has also made me passionate about lifting others and serving my team in ways that help them grow and achieve their professional goals.

My finance and analytics background has given me a unique perspective on creating omni-channel data-driven campaigns that put the audience first, developing emotional connections that drive revenue.

 

General Experience

  • Double major in Finance & Banking and Risk Management & Insurance helped me develop analytic skills that look at multiple variables and ask the right questions

  • 11 years experience in developing, managing, and optimizing marketing and awareness efforts for B2B & B2C brands

  • 5 years experience in managing marketing analytics & reporting at various levels of complexity

  • 5 years experience in account & client relationship management

  • 5 years spent in agencies and client side as an analyst, researcher and marketing manager developed my skills around omni-channel marketing analytics, finding the story in the data and coaching junior team members

  • 4 years experience with syndicated research platforms (Ipsos, GfK-MRI, Simmons)

 

Interests

Making arts more accessible through community theatre, being outdoors and hiking in the NC mountains, traveling to learn about other cultures. Documenting life through photography.

Resume


 
 

Experience

Associate Director, Marketing Science
OMD - An Omnicomm Media Group Agency
March 2022 to Present

  • Lead and oversee cross-channel bi-weekly reporting to clients regarding campaign performance and effectiveness with actionable takeaways that ensure budgets are efficiently and effectively used.

  • Oversee and QA the development of reports and directing optimization initiatives, directly leading to more accurate and informative reporting.

  • Responsible for development and presentation of complex post-campaign reporting to clients, working across multiple internal teams to ensure the  data presented tells a story that allows clients to make strategic decisions for future campaigns. 

  • Developed actionable insights through quantitative analysis, innovative thinking, and industry knowledge  to contribute to tactical and strategic efforts.

Marketing Operations Manager
The Brooks Group - A Sales Training Organization
June 2021 to March 2022

  • Coordinate the marketing, creative, product and sales teams to ensure all messaging is on brand and that all marketing and sales efforts are working together effectively, eliminating duplicative efforts and errors in messaging.

  • Oversee all email marketing & social media to ensure accurate messaging and manage reporting.

  • Oversee brand website including daily analytics reports so quick adjustments can be made.

  • Work with vendors to implement and monitor SEO, PPC and Display activity.

  • Oversee and give strategic and creative direction for all marketing efforts including: display ads, videos, landing pages, social media images and general campaign messaging.

  • Analysis and reporting has resulted in: 3x improvement in display CTR, 2x improvement across email performance metrics, and 4 year record high lead generation.


Research Analyst & Marketing Manager
Pace Communications - Independent Agency
February 2018 to June 2021

  • Managed communication across account, creative, strategy, analytics and executive management to ensure marketing efforts were effective and analytics insights were accurate.

  • Developed & implemented the annual agency marketing strategy to drive awareness and demand among the target audiences.

  • Oversaw and managed agency marketing programs, including email marketing, social media management, SEO, outreach strategies, content creation and distribution.

  • Performed in-depth quantitative and qualitative research using national surveys (Ipsos, GfK/MRI-Simmons) to gain insights around target audiences and develop unique POVs.

  • Researched and authored white papers and blog posts to position agency as a thought leader with unique point-of-view.

  • Reported on industry trends to keep tactics and best practices up-to-date.

  • Developed research-backed consumer profiles for multi-national brands using Ipsos and GfK/MRI-Simmons data.

  • Managed and coordinated all budgets, assets, speakers, guest lists and schedules for annual thought leadership conference, Content Plus.


Strategic Analyst
MullenLowe US - An IPG Agency
October 2016 to March 2017, returned as contractor September 2017 to February 2018

  • Collected, cleaned and analyzed data from multi-million-dollar omni-channel digital marketing campaigns.

  • Managed timelines for multiple Fortune 50 brands with monthly cross-channel marketing and reporting needs.

  • Delivered data-informed recommendations that resulted in consistently exceeding digital marketing benchmarks.

  • Worked with and presented to executive-level decision-makers and internal account teams.


Sales & Marketing Territory Manager
Chicago Title NC - A Real Estate Title Insurance Company
June 2013 to March 2016

  • Worked with multiple cross-functional teams to build targeted marketing strategies and analyze their effectiveness.

  • Advised on the rebuilding of the corporate website to improve user experience and ensure adequate data collection and reporting.

  • Managed multiple overlapping timelines for marketing initiatives and customer events.

  • Developed production analysis reports that became a state-wide standard for finding issues and opportunities.

  • Responsible for relationship development with clients across three states

  • Helped clients prepare for regulatory changes.


Sales & Marketing Territory Manager
The Colonial Group - A Managing General Agency
June 2009 to June 2013

  • Acted as a first contact consultant and representative to B2B clients across three states, developing relationships and educating clients on products and services.

  • Acted as liaison between departments and managed communication for on-going internal and client projects.

  • Served as a representative of the company at industry events and as a consultant to clients in assigned territories.

  • Coached customer service team members on engaging with clients in a way that allowed the discovery of new opportunities and enhanced relationships with client base.

  • Worked with company founder and executive team on an overhaul of the brand and established a brand story. Collaborated on website redesign and a complete shift in the way clients interacted with the brand.

  • Designed and launched a program of ongoing email campaigns that exceeded industry benchmarks for open and click-through rates.

  • Worked with executive leadership and marketing team on annual marketing campaigns, managing projects from concept to launch and then post-campaign analysis.

  • Performed quarterly analysis of production numbers and loss ratios; resulted in significant reduction in losses and an increase in loss-contingent commissions which were passed on to employees.

  • Consistently met or exceeded sales goal in three-state territory.


Education

BSBA - Finance & Banking
Appalachian State University

BSBA - Risk Management & Insurance
Appalachian State University


Volunteer Experience

Actor/Singer/General Performer
Various Community Theatre Companies
September 2013 to Present

Board Member - Marketing
Triad Pride Performing Arts
October 2019 to Present

Board Member & Marketing Chair
Open Space Community Theatre      
September 2018 to October 2019

Marketing Commitee
Winston Salem Theatre Alliance
February 2015 to September 2017

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Published White Papers

 
 

Data is more accessible than ever. But with data often being spread out, overlapping and complicated, it’s common for brands to feel overwhelmed and lose sight of the questions they originally intended for their data to answer. For this paper, I worked with the analytics team to create a concise, easy to understand resource for clients and prospects to learn about how the agency measures omnichannel campaigns

 

Consumers will encounter thousands of brands in a lifetime but will develop meaningful attachments to only a few of them, and there is a proven science to it. It starts with understanding the difference between transactional brand loyalty and emotional brand attachment. For this paper I conducted research and worked with the strategy team to develop the outline and conclusions.

 

The pressure is on to create winning content that propels brand stories into the market and resonates with consumers. The agile content marketing model allows brands to organize people, processes, platforms and performance into an efficient multi-channel content ecosystem that delivers results. For this paper, I worked with both strategy and account teams to conduct research, develop the outline and conclusions as well as editing the final version in a way that made it more succinct.

 

Economic shifts, changing community values, and the ever-present pressure of social media have caused Millennials and Generation Z to make drastically different brand attachments than their predecessors. This emerging affluent generation is changing the definition of luxury. For this paper, I conducted all research, writing and recommendations around the cause behind this shift and how brands can adapt to remain successful within this new space.

Contact

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