Marketing Leadership

Situation: The digital marketing function was under-resourced and over-reliant on high-cost, underperforming vendors for a 53-dealership portfolio. With a team of only 3 and marketing department retention rates in other areas falling below 50%, the organization lacked the internal expertise to manage a $20M+ P&L effectively or hold external partners accountable.

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Initiative: Architected a high-performance in-house marketing organization and implemented a rigorous vendor governance framework.

• Talent Development: Scaled the internal team from 3 to 12 specialists across paid search, social, programmatic, and SEO, implementing professional development tracks that resulted in a 90%+ retention rate.

• Operational Discipline: Established a "Vendor Scorecard" system to evaluate performance data, identifying inefficiencies that allowed for strategic vendor consolidation.

• Efficiency via AI: Integrated LLM workflows and AI tools like Suno to automate SEO process creation and creative production, reducing manual overhead.

• Strategic Partnerships: Leveraged the team’s increased scale to secure priority partner status with Google and Meta, gaining access to beta products and expedited technical support.

 

Result: Transformed the marketing department into a profit center characterized by operational excellence and high employee engagement.

• Financial Impact: Delivered $200k in annual cost savings through vendor consolidation and process automation.

• Operational Speed: Reduced the creative feedback cycle by 80% through the implementation of centralized review workflows.

• Talent Stability: Maintained a 90%+ retention rate, significantly outperforming the broader organizational average.