Taylor Toms: Director of Product Ideation + Brand Management in Golden, CO

ImageSeller is a creative merchandising agency specializing in strategic global sourcing, promotional merchandise, and custom design. Over a 10-year period, advanced to a director within the agency, driving creative growth and fueling lasting client and vendor relationships. An industry leader with an eye for design and in-depth knowledge of merchandising and brand management, leading product ideation and owning the design process from concept to completion for Brown-Forman: a renowned spirits and wine distributor with more than 25 brands in its brand portfolio, including Jack Daniel’s, Korbel California Champagne, and Herradura Tequila. Promoted from Account Director position for outstanding leadership, merchandising and brand management skills. • Leads the product ideation, strategic planning, and creative development of branded merchandise for the Brown-Forman brand portfolio. Oversees the development and execution of 2,500 unique SKUs on an annual basis, resulting in the production of $25MM at factory cost, in annual merchandise. • Manages the Sourcing Department, leading the team with inspired and elevated design direction on customized product assortments, brand innovation and development. Provides oversight and fosters team collaboration as the liaison between internal teams and external clients, producing a 99% on-time product development execution. • Defines and expresses the essence of each brand by monitoring trends, forecasting demand and analyzing competitive positioning of rival brand products and offerings in the marketplace. Owns the creation and development of proactive planning and branding execution to enrich brand identity, pushing design boundaries to further enhance client partnerships and creative opportunities. • Effectively leads strategic product opportunities by proactively pursuing and executing innovative and fresh programing ideas while maintaining brand equity and integrity. Drives product sales and conversions by offering competitive products tailored toward each brand's aesthetic, current promotions, and target markets. • Lead support in strategic programing and the ideation of unique products for Brown-Forman's National Promotion program and annual Convention across the full Brown-Forman brand portfolio. Creates and monitors annual calendars and workback schedules to ensure deliverables are met. Developed a visual and directive guide utilizing merchandise trend data and sales analytics to curate focused and purposeful products and promotions, ensuring each brand remains authentic, refreshed and on-trend while improving category growth. • Owns the build-out of new category product lines, offering a subset of mindful and sought-after items, presenting efficiencies in product selection, and contributing to the revenue growth for our Business Development Group. Collaborates with the Creative Director on styling for product photo shoots as well as assists with the copy editing and writing for products and e-commerce websites. • Maintains positive and profitable external partner relations, retaining supplier connections of over 1,000 domestic and international suppliers and manufacturers. Provides oversight in the onboarding of new vendors and retailers to continuously enhance product offerings and creative opportunities. Manages supplier spend, project workload, price negotiations and contract pricing, driving deliverables in cost savings as well as the Brown-Forman rebate program, bringing in over $100,000 annually in client revenue return.

Promoted from Account Manager position for exceptional client relations and leadership skills. • Leader of promotional marketing solutions and strategies as the direct client contact to Brown-Forman. Directed the brand and project management for 15 accounts including Jack Daniel’s Family of Brands, Korbel California Champagne and Herradura Tequila. • Strategic account partner and client advocate: provided vital project leadership of over 150 projects at a time, across multiple brands. Managed the execution of each project from concept to completion. Developed expertise in anticipating, managing and solving conflicts. • Executed all client estimates, providing strategic direction and actionable recommendations, articulating project details and timelines resulting in each project delivering on time, on budget, and on strategy. • Directly handled the inventory management of roughly 1,000 product SKU numbers, managing product inventory of $2.5 million dollars annually through utilizing system analytics to interpret product sales data to gauge inventory projections, forecast sales of merchandise and offer recommendations on product life cycles. • Analyzed market research on upcoming trends and competing brands to present proactive ideas on competitive, unique products, catering toward each brand’s target market.

Promoted from Sourcing & Product Development Associate for exceptional attention to detail, organization, and time management. As the direct support to the Account Director, handled daily project management through outlining project scope, generating creative product briefs, and managing product statuses and timetables, ensuring success in the timeliness of project deliverables. Created and maintained SKU Data Sheets for each product, resulting in a comprehensive guide outlining specifications, including design details and graphic layouts, to be utilized by the manufacturers and warehouses. Accountable for item pricing and SKU set-up in Microsoft Dynamics GP; placed and monitored sample and production orders, guaranteeing orders were placed appropriately, design specifications were accurate and exacting deadlines were met with successful deliveries. Managed the content of Brown-Forman’s internal online e-commerce web store through the addition of new product SKUs, product photos and writing product descriptions.

Enriched the client’s corporate and brand identity by defining product vision through researching, identifying, and developing tailored product innovations. Managed the branded product development throughout the full product lifecycle from concept to completion including trend analysis, materials sourcing, pricing estimates, prototyping, and production timetables. Established and maintained lasting relationships with leading manufacturers, working directly with them to develop creative brand-specific products, as well as innovative and customized solutions for clients. Managed price negotiations and facilitated item-specific compliance and regulatory reporting and testing, ensuring every product put into market was safe for consumer use. Developed a keen interest for analysis of competition and trends in retail and consumer markets through market research and attending industry-specific tradeshows: MAGIC, Outdoor Retailer, ISS Imprinted Sportswear Show and PPAI Expo.

Playtime is the leading global provider of unique, interactive healthy play areas and playground equipment. Collaborated with the company’s marketing and media services, contributed to online and affiliate marketing by creating promotional email and direct mail campaigns. Edited copy for all company newsletters, press releases and event announcements. Managed direct marketing database integrations, gathering analytical and SEO data and generating click through reports for eBlast campaigns. Created new web pages for incoming product lines and markets. Monitored and maintained the current website by updating content as necessary to ensure site accuracy.

Eco Ellie’s is an e-commerce website specializing in the environmental industry. Assisted in launching company website, resulting in overall revenue increase of 300% in a one-month period. Maintained social media networks, wrote all articles for the company blog, email blasts, promotions and press releases. Implemented multi-channel marketing and integration programs including SEO, e-mail campaigns, social media and launching store bases out of Amazon, eBay and Shopzilla. Promoted to eCommerce Merchandising Manager where I guided the web team, product launches, design and brand implementation, order fulfillment, inventory control, customer service processes and website integration. Developed pricing strategies to maximize profits while ensuring customer satisfaction. Analyzed product assortment through category analytics and SKU optimization. Supervised product development, determined demand and monitored trends that indicated the need for new products and services.