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Greg
McLain

BRAND SUPERVISOR

-

PROGRAM MANAGER

  • LinkedIn

Hello!

As a professional, I'm a seasoned brand and program management expert, driving impactful results across diverse industries. My expertise lies in crafting winning strategies, managing complex accounts and projects, fostering strong relationships, and driving results, in B2C and B2B, both domestically and internationally.

As a person, I'm a runner (marathon), photographer, automotive enthusiast, dog lover, techie, and culture exploring world traveler.

Resume

Experience

Dec 2021 - Feb 2023

BRAND SUPERVISOR / PROGRAM MANAGER

McCann Worldgroup

San Francisco, CA

  • Managing a team of 10 people, led a new client through their inaugural brand campaign, including captivating TV spots and campaign extensions, gaining full support and excitement from their C-Suite and internal teams across the company and leading to a successful launch and increased engagement of at least 10%.

  • Led seamless launches of multi-million dollar, multi-faceted marketing campaigns across TV, digital, OOH, social, website, email, and influencer partnerships, juggling various work streams with internal and external stakeholders.

  • Developed and implemented standardized project management systems, streamlining campaign processes and improving agency efficiency by 15%, both internally and externally with clients.

  • Contributed to domestic and international projects, conducting in-depth competitive analyses and crafting brand strategies for the U.S. and global markets.

  • Leveraged automotive industry expertise and cross-cultural fluency to provide unique insights and enhance strategic planning for various models and business goals.

Sep 2017 - Dec 2021

SR. BRAND MANAGER / 

PROGRAM MANAGER

Stellar Elements

San Francisco, CA

  • Managing a team of 5-10+ people, navigated fierce competition to establish Subaru in nine Southeast Asian markets and China, managing multi-channel ad content creation.

  • Led and managed all ad content (32 TV spots, print, digital, social, dealerships, shows, website, out-of-home) for Subaru Asia, the agency's largest client, ensuring consistent brand messaging and adherence to project timelines and budget.

  • Researched and analyzed market landscapes to formulate winning brand and model campaign strategies, informing the client with fact-based and cultural recommendations.

  • Spearheaded the development and launch of Subaru Asia's new website across multiple markets and languages. Implemented SEO/SEM best practices and provided ongoing optimization to improve brand visibility and drive traffic by 15%.

  • Managed international pre- and post-production for TV commercials, collaborating with clients across countries and time zones to ensure accuracy and brand alignment.

  • Served as a critical liaison between Subaru Asia and production teams, ensuring seamless communication and accurate portrayal of the brand & technology throughout TV commercials and ad materials.

  • Managed day-to-day client communication, project budgets, and agency resources. Maintained and handled project & production finances, demonstrating adaptability and resourcefulness to keep them on time and on budget, especially with a challenging time difference.

  • Managed various additional projects across the agency, in addition to Subaru, with combined yearly multi-million dollar account budgets across B2C and B2B, across all channels of marketing both internally and externally.

  • Developed agency wide standards and systems that were implemented across all clients to track creative resources, project assets, and client finances – leading to improved efficiencies in client, project, and finance management by more than 25%.

Jan 2017 - Sep 2017

ASST. BRAND MANAGER /

PROGRAM MANAGER

swirl | mcgarrybowen

San Francisco, CA

  • Navigated diverse work streams, ensuring on-time, on-budget project completion aligned with strategic goals.

  • Assisted in the development of project briefs, conducted market research, and facilitated communication between clients and creative/production teams. Translating feedback and concerns into actionable insights, ensuring exceptional outcomes.

  • Conducted in-depth market research, providing weekly competitive analysis reports that illuminated client landscapes and informed pre-campaign strategies.

  • Assisted account teams in maintaining accurate and timely billing, including invoicing, budget tracking, and completion percentages.

  • Built trust and strong relationships with both internal teams and clients, fostering open communication and collaboration.

  • Ensured transparency and accountability across all project phases.

  • Seamlessly managed internal and client meetings, coordinating schedules, securing rooms, and crafting comprehensive notes, ensuring key stakeholders were engaged and informed, demonstrating strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

  • Maintained up-to-date, insightful weekly status reports, keeping all project components on track and on budget.

Education

Apr 2014 - Mar 2016

RITSUMEIKAN ASIA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY

M.B.A. in Marketing & Management

Beppu, Japan

With the very international nature of the university, there was a large focus on international business and marketing, where I used my background as a Cultural Anthropologist to work on bringing in structures and frameworks from my field into marketing. My master's thesis was on the cultural comparison (Japan and U.S.) of the interaction effect between eco-friendliness, performance, and connectedness in the automotive industry using a theoretical framework of egoism and altruism.

Apr 2011 - Mar 2013

WASEDA UNIVERSITY

M.A. in International Relations

Tokyo, Japan

My specific area of study was cultural anthropology, studying Japanese society while also cross-culturally analyzing the development of culture in Japan with its many influences from other countries. My master's thesis was on the future of green automotive technology in Japan, which at the time was the home to companies like Toyota that had invested heavily in green hybrid technology, thought of as the future of green automotive technology.

Sep 2006 - Dec 2010

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA - TWIN CITIES

B.A. in Cultural Anthropology

Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.

Used my time building a wide base of experience relating to culture, society, and my love for cars by focusing on my major in Cultural Anthropology, while also minoring in East Asian Studies, Mechanical Engineering, and Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature.

Let's talk

Thanks for reaching out!

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