Scott Ellis

About Scott Ellis

When studying Industrial Design at Auburn University the most important thing that I learned was that design is not creating visually attractive things. it\'s problem-solving. The compositions that come from the creative staff are just tools for achieving a solution. My whole philosophy as a creative leader is based on that foundation. That allows me to not only help my team create award-winning content but also make that content more effective in driving engagement. I do that while also improving processes, increasing the performance of the martech stack, and being the guy everyone calls when they need to figure out how to make something work. More than 25 years of my life have been spent in senior creative leadership roles at several large and small companies spanning multiple industries and supporting offerings ranging from SaaS to Professional Services. Through that time, I\'ve done a little bit of everything: graphic design, digital marketing, print marketing, web design/front-end development, copywriting, SEO, video editing, animation, project management, and so on. That experience has made me a better leader because I know what it takes to do everything I ask my teams to do. In short, I don\'t ask for the impossible and I know when more can be achieved. I can also jump in and help, whether that means rolling up my sleeves and digging in or serving as a mentor/coach to help them figure it out for themselves.From a personality standpoint, I\'m a team player who doesn\'t hesitate to speak up if I think we can do something better, especially when it comes to taking care of my team. I love process and am always looking for ways to do more with less. Integrity is paramount to me, so I\'m very big on owning my mistakes and giving credit where it is due. The two phrases I focus on when leading a creative/marketing team are \"I\'m not always right,\" and \"It doesn\'t matter what you, I, or anyone else likes. What matters is what is going to resonate with the audience.\"

Experience

1. Director of Brand & Creative

   Daon

   Aug 2022 — Present

   Reporting directly to the presidents of AMER, EMEA, and APAC, I lead the international Daon brand, including design, copy, and brand strategy, while also managing the corporate website and SEO strategy. I directly manage in-house and external creative resources for copy development, graphic design, video production, translation, and website development and support each of those efforts in a hands-on capacity, as needed. I am also frequently called upon to be a key contributor for marketing strategy and marketing department operations. Since joining Daon, I have solidified the brand story and established brand guidelines, developed a solid library of supporting collateral, and increased thought leadership production by over 100%. On the SEO side, my efforts have moved the company from middling to #1 for top 10 and top 3 keywords against primary competitors, increased SEO-generated website sessions by 63% and views by 138%, and increased non-branded search impressions by 204% and clicks by 560%. Through a complete overhaul of the website\'s product content, I quadrupled views-per-session, which has been sustained ever since.Most recently, my focus has been on leading the integration of AI tools into the marketing workflow to improve productivity and enhance the brand. I developed comprehensive materials to train LLMs as well as several productivity focused GPTs.

Education

• Auburn University

  minor, Business

  1991 — 1997

• Auburn University

  BIND, Industrial Design - Specialized in Multimedia

  1991 — 1997

Skills

• Adobe Creative Suite
• Online Advertising
• Digital Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Html
• Adobe Illustrator
• Css
• Photoshop
• Art Direction
• Marketing
• Brand Management
• Creative Strategy
• Design Education
• Advertising
• Online Marketing
• Creative Direction
• Team Mentoring
• Indesign
• Marketing Communications
• Illustrator
• Team Management
• Team Leadership
• Flash
• Adobe Photoshop
• Direct Marketing
• Design Management
• Video Editing
• Processes Development
• Graphic Design
• Photography
• Process Management