Thanks for Stopping By!

Below are case studies from a few of the campaigns I've had the good fortune to work on over the years. My resume and a few recommendations are also posted below. Please feel free to email me at paul.r.sears@gmail.com if there's an opportunity for us to work together.

I'm originally from Iowa, and went to school in Boulder, Colorado - majoring in Advertising. I started my career in Media Planning, first in Denver, CO and later in Los Angeles. My favorite part of working in media was having the opportunity to present and sell-in the campaigns the team had worked to develop. I took that enjoyment of working with the client, and 4 years ago switched over to Account Management. It was the right move, and I've been extremely happy in the Client Service role ever since.

Currently I am the Senior Client Services Manager for Rocket XL, a full-service Social Marketing agency owned by Cossette Communications. We touch all facets of digital strategy and execution, and Social is at the heart of everything we do. My team services a wide variety of Clients from Gaming to Packaged Goods to Entertainment, Retail, Fashion and Sports. I oversee a team of 8 Social Marketing specialists, and work closely with our in-house creative/teach team. We pride ourselves on producing award winning work, delivering results and ROI for our Clients, and having a great time while we're at it.

Thanks again for visiting, and please don't hesitate to drop me a line if you have any questions.

Best regards,
Paul

Case Study - Guitar Hero III (DDB)

Activision's Guitar Hero franchise was poised for explosive growth, but needed to be elevated from "toy" status to pop culture icon. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was the first multi-platform Guitar Hero game (X360, PS3, Wii), and ultimately became the first-ever video game to reach $1 Billion in sales, selling more than 15 million units worldwide.


How did we get there? Our team looked to capture the emotional essence of unleashing your inner rock star; the indescribable feeling of transforming into a real rocker. We created the “Slash” campaign, including TV, Interactive and Print. The campaign accomplished exactly what the franchise needed - taking Guitar Hero to a whole new level.

Case Study - Call of Duty 4 (DDB)

Advertising Brief:
Raise awareness of the game and give gamers a reason to believe that Call of Duty's move from a WWII game to the arena of Modern Warfare was going to make the game even better. Research shows that gamers always consult a trusted source before buying a game.

Solution:
Who better to endorse Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare than the experts - war hungry world leaders? Viral video reviews of the game were created featuring Kim Jong-Il, Putin, Qadaffi, Castro and Ahmadinejad. The viral videos were supported with a fully integrated campaign including TV, Print, Online Banners, and a microsite.

Results:
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was the #1 selling game of 2007 with more than 10 million units sold worldwide. More than 2 million consumers viewed the 5 viral videos on the microsite, YouTube, and gaming sites. The viral campaign won the coveted Sweepstakes Bowl at the 2008 Belding Awards and was recently featured in Communication Arts. The campaign also recently won a Gold Effie award in the Influencers Category.

Case Study - Call of Duty WAW (DDB)

After Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’s phenomenal success, Activision’s next title in the series, Call of Duty: World at War, went back to World War II. Our challenge was to prove the skeptics wrong, and show that WAW was a step in the right direction; delivering WWII like you’ve never felt before.

To do this, we created an integrated global campaign including TV, Print, and Digital. We “showed gamers the money” through high quality game-play video in Rich Media and on TV. In fact, we were the first advertiser to run Full-Screen HD Video in a MySpace Homepage Takeover. We also created a custom Rich Media execution on IGN.com where the consumer was invited to pick up a Flamethrower from a Roadblock banner and virtually burn through the page.

The result? World at War’s day-one sales beat Call of Duty 4 by more than 50%, ultimately leading to more than 13 million units being sold worldwide.

Case Study - Singularity (DDB)

Activision's Singularity was the first new IP from the publisher in more than 5 years. And in an economy this tough, the stakes were extremely high. How do you generate awareness and immerse gamers in a previously unknown storyline - with no paid media? Send gamers down the rabbit-hole with an Alternate Reality Game (ARG) involving murder, conspiracy, and classified weapons research on a remote Soviet island.

We created a detailed storyline involving a beautiful assassin, an evil Russian scientist, and a rich cast of supporting characters introduced over the ARG's 2-month life span. We started by seeding a viral video, which pointed gamers to clues all over the web: a conspiracy blog, a news station website, a Russian government website, 2 Facebook profiles, 2 Flickr pages, Google Maps, multiple Twitter accounts, 4 webisodes, and a 1-800 number.

Gamers helped shape the narrative by translating and interpreting classified "Russian" documents. We monitored blogs and forums, tweaking ARG elements as consumers unraveled the mystery.

The viral video received more than 1MM views on a variety of blogs and YouTube, and 200k+ gamers visited the conspiracy blog. The ARG was featured in The New York Times and dozens of blogs.

When it came time to fully reveal the game, the anticipation we generated delivered digital banner CTR's which were 7x above industry average. Proof positive that even with tight budgets and challenging market conditions, great ideas and hard work can still produce amazing results.

Resume

Rocket XL, Los Angeles
- Sr. Client Services Manager (2009-Present)

Sr. Client Services Manager, leading the Client Services group for Rocket XL's Los Angeles office. Manage all facets of current Client business, and play a key role in new business. Oversee a team of 8 social marketing specialists, and collaborate closely with an in-house creative/tech team.

Lead the strategic development and execution of Integrated Social Marketing campaigns, including Digital PR, Community Management, Social Networking Applications, Promotions, SEO, and Advertising. Rocket XL is a full-service Social Marketing agency, with offices in LA, NY and Toronto. Clients include Unilever, Focus Features, Electronic Arts, Harley Davidson, TJX Companies, Nike Golf, Novamex, and US Auto Parts.


DDB, Los Angeles
- Account Supervisor (2008-2009)
- Sr. Account Executive (2007-2008)
- Account Executive (2006-2007)

Account Supervisor on the Activision Publishing account. Managed strategy, development and execution of integrated advertising campaigns including TV, Digital, Print and OOH. Played a leadership role on an award-winning team, successfully launching 7 marquee Activision titles including Guitar Hero III, Call of Duty 4 and Call of Duty World at War. Supervised Sr. AE, AE, AAE and AC.

Sr. Account Executive on Clearwire High Speed Internet & Activision Publishing accounts, managing development and execution of campaigns including TV, Radio, Digital, Print, POP, OOH and Direct Mail.

Account Executive on Ameriquest Mortgage Company and Clearwire High Speed Internet accounts, leading execution of POP and Direct Mail campaigns.



Saatchi & Saatchi, Los Angeles
- Media Planner (2005-2006)

Primary National Cable TV planner on Toyota Motor Sales account. Planned/maintained Cable TV schedules in excess of $150MM for 10 Toyota brands on 33 networks. Led creation of a custom User-Generated Content program with Current TV for Yaris launch; the first of its kind in the Auto category. Supervised and mentored 2 Assistant Media Planners and a Budget Analyst.


McClain Finlon Advertising, Denver, CO
- Media Planner (2004-2005)
- Media Coordinator (2003-2004)

Lead planner on Xcel Energy, Denver Zoo, and Budget Truck Rental Accounts. Planned, executed and maintained 12 campaigns of more than $7MM annually, including Spot TV and Radio, Newspaper, B2B Print, Online, and Out of Home. Supervised 3 Assistant Media Planners, and managed the agency’s Media Internship program.

Recommendations

Here are some thoughts from colleagues over the years:

Marcus Wesson: "From the creative perspective, Paul's dedication to the brand and ability to handle several spinning plates at once made it easier for us to create great work. His thoroughness is exceptional and often times he offered up ideas that even made the work better. Paul is truly a valuable member to the team."


Don Lupo: "Paul's greatest ability is making important work happen amidst the constant barrage of fire drills and client demands. He is able to keep a level head while ensuring the success of each and every project he touches. From clearly managing client expectations and account staff to keeping creative executions on strategy, Paul handles it all with humor and aplomb. He is a master at adroitly juggling chainsaws and herding cats with a smile on his face; it's a pleasure to work with him.”


Tariq Ali: “Paul is extremely dedicated and hard working individual who brings a lot to the table. I worked closely with Paul on both the Ameriquest and Clearwire business at DDB, where he worked diligently with multiple teams and partners to develop and execute strategies and tactics that drove bottom-line results. Paul is solid team players with a strong can-do attitude and is admired by many here at DDB.”


Janet Ferguson Keeley: "Paul is incredible to work with in that he takes his work -- but not himself -- seriously. He beautifully bridges the gap between creatives and clients with his superb communication skills and ability to listen and understand, then deliver what is expected... and more. It helps that he seems to be both left- and right-brained with business and strategic skills, as well as visual arts and language talents. Clients are always complimenting his work ethic, and creatives want to be on his team. You will enjoy working with Paul -- as a client, colleague, or manager."


Virginia Pooler: "I had the pleasure of working with Paul on a tough, fast moving project that he handled with ease of someone who knows his business. He has the arduous task of juggling multiple projects, clients, creatives and difficult deadlines, yet he effectively bridges the gaps, managing to give each the attention it deserves. He is always calm with a great sense of humor and his knowledge of the "gamer" world is set to expert."


Chris Ruszkowski: "Maturity. Dedication. Hard Working and all around Fun Guy. These words describe Paul Sears. We worked together in Denver and I hope to work with him again in the future."


Rick Bursky: "Paul is smart, determined and works hard. He has a deep appreciation for the creative product and brings sharp strategic thinking to the party. Even in the - at times - stressful advertising world Paul manages to keep projects running smoothly."


Lauren Dunn: "Being experienced in both Account Management and Media makes Paul an asset who will prove invaluable time and time again. His communication is timely and thorough, his personality genuine and he over-delivers consistently. Paul is not afraid of a challenge, has a natural curiosity to figure something out if he isn't in the know and has his team's back. Top-notch only begins to describe him."