Ed Donovan's Portfolio
A senior marketing communications professional with leadership experience in corporations, non-profits and marketing agencies leading corporate communication, media and community relations, brand strategy, content marketing, sponsorship marketing and activation.
You can check out my LinkedIn profile for more detail.
Here is a snapshot of my experience.
-Ed
Communications Strategy
I began my career as a PR guy so strategic communication tactics such as message development, media relations, crisis planning, and pitching stories is always a part of my marketing strategy.
Sports Public Relations
From PR/media planning, pitching stories and even crisis situations, I handled all communications for some of the top endurance events in the world such as:
o Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic
o Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon
o SheROX Triathlon Series
o Wachovia Cycling Series/USPRO Championships
o Ironman 70.3 Pocono Mountains
Sample Media Placements:
Sample Press Releases:
Brand Marketing
For nine years, I ate, slept, and breathed donuts and coffee. (Not literally. I'm not sure how one would actually breathe a donut.)
I did, however, lead marketing communication strategy for Dunkin’ Donuts in the Greater Philadelphia region, the brand's fourth largest market. From media relations, to sponsorship activations with pro sports teams and partnership marketing, my experience with the brand is as diverse as a box of Munchkins.
Integrated Marketing Communications
An example of an integrated marketing communication program using several tactics is the Dunkin’ Donuts “Philly’s Coolest Sports Fan” program.
This multi-faceted integrated marketing communication campaign used partnerships, social media, grassroots marketing, media relations to increase customers, brand awareness and sales. Comprised of a series of engaging events and content programs under one umbrella, this program built a localized and vertically integrated promotion to meet a sales goal while connecting fans with the brand client in a meaningful and authentic way.
The results? The project resulted in increasing sales by 36%, 25 grassroots marketing events, eight broadcast media stories, 24 radio hits, four print media stories, 30,000 video views, and over three million social impressions.
Workforce Development and Media Relations
In 2020, I led the launch of a national workforce development campaign for a national trade association including a website, social and digital campaigns, media relations, video, SEO/SEM campaigns and creative direction. Initiative led to a 200% increase in qualified job applicant leads in six months.
Led the promotion of the Ignite Your Career initiative via proactive media relations such as this Wall Street Journal profile highlighting sheet metal workers as essential workers during the COVID crisis in 2020.
PR and Content Marketing
SilverLine Athletics is a B2B technology startup connecting endurance events and brands. Through a series of blog posts, LinkedIn articles and a lead generating whitepaper download, my content marketing strategy delivered both thought leadership positioning for company founders and a funnel for qualified customer leads. I handled all public relations for the company writing press releases on company news and partnerships with industry leaders such as Strava and Brooks Running. While I was at it, I also pitched and landed them a front page Sunday business story in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Lead Generating Case Study eBook
SilverLine Thought Leadership - Blog Posts and LinkedIn Articles
Anheuser-Bush Looking for More from Sports Activations
SilverLine Press Releases
SilverLine Partners with Strava to Create Event Challenges Platform
Brooks Running Company to Sponsor SilverLine Event Challenges
Rodale and Silverline Athletics Announce a Strategic Content Partnership
Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Business Article -
Introducing Endurance Sports to Digital Advertising
Sports Sponsorship and Cause Marketing
One of the best ways to activate a sports sponsorship is through cause marketing. Over the years, I established impactful community partnerships with non-profit partners such as Good Sports, Inc. through the Dunkin’ Donuts/Eagles “TouchDDowns for Kids” and Philadelphia Union “Saves for Kids” Programs resulting in over $100,000 in donations impacting more than 5,000 young athletes.
Dunkin’ partnered with Zach Ertz to promote the program and I developed, wrote and directed a PSA starting the Eagles’ tight end.
I was also able to write about this program for Dunkin' Donuts' corporate blog:
Greater Philadelphia Franchisees Score with the “TouchDDowns for Kids” Program
Proactive Media Relations
Maintaining a positive relationship with the reporters and editors covering your industry is a surefire way to garner positive press for your brand. During the course of my time with Dunkin' Donuts, I was able to proactively pitch stories around new products, industry leadership, and community relations programs delivering an average of $350,000 in media coverage annually.
