Katherine Glasson
Global Creative Director / Brand Strategy Leader
www.globalcreativedirector.com
2020 - 2018 GlobalCreativeDirector.com
FMCG creative development & advertising. And increasingly in the last few
years, strategy for sustainability and infrastructure projects. In 2019 this
included writing 3 short films about how global warming is increasing our risk of
parasites and disease -- done for a prestigious groups of PhDs, researchers and
doctors at Columbia University and Mt. Sinai in New York, and viewable at their
website ParasitesWithoutBorders.org. Another big project in late 2019 was
writing a 60-page strategy for Heathrow Airport London outlining its zero-net
carbon policies and environmental & sustainability goals for the next ten years.
2017-2016 GlobalCreativeDirector.com
A freelance consultancy working for former clients, including Procter & Gamble,
Unilever, Dolce & Gabbana skincare and makeup, and doing projects for an
innovation agency in Stamford, CT that works with Unilever.
2015 – 2014 DOLCE & GABBANA
Executive Creative Director
Skincare / Makeup / Fragrance
Working directly for Procter & Gamble Beauty in Geneva, Switzerland.
Developing all creative: advertising/ digital / technological / new products.
2014 – 2013 LOWE LONDON, Executive Creative Director for Tresemme
Shampoos. conditioners & hair styling products marketed by Unilever.
Working for the global agency – Lowe – out of Lowe London & New York offices
and spending ten days a month in London to work closely with with Unilever.
Supervising New York, London, Sao Paolo & Asian creative teams in developing
all creative for the Tresemme brand: digital / NY Fashion Week events / TV.
2008 – 2013 LEO BURNETT WORLDWIDE
Global Creative Director for SK-II (Luxury Skincare Brand, Procter & Gamble)
-In three years from 2008 to 2011 we took SK-II from being the #8 brand to being the #1 prestige skincare brand in the world.
-We grew SK-II annual sales from 600 million dollars (in 2008) to more than a billion dollars (in 2012).
-SK-II became P&G's first billion-dollar prestige brand.
-Achieved the highest TV scores ever for the SK-II brand, across the board in every country.
-Achieved sales growth of 140 to 150% annually in China and other high-growth countries.
-Reversed a worrying 5-years sales decline in Japan (SK-II's founding market and most mature market) and got Japan sales growing again at 14% a year.
-Catapulted SK-II for the first time into the top 3 brands globally, so now each year Estee Lauder, Lancome, and SK-II compete to be the #1 prestige skincare brand.
-After one year of spectacular success and consistency on the SK-II brand, Procter & Gamble increased the scope of my responsibilities beyond traditional advertising (TV, Magazine, Train, Billboards) to being the Creative Leader for everything: PR, Digital, Design, and In-Store.
Based out of Beacon (Leo Burnett Tokyo) and Leo Burnett Hong Kong.
Supervised Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Singaporean, and London creative teams.
My direct reports in each country were 6 to 9 creatives and production staff: art directors/copywriters/ creative directors/ digital & TV producers, plus translators and assistants.
2006 – 2008 OWNER/SOLE PROPRIETOR OF GLOBAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR.COM
a New York City-based consulting business.
-Did concept development and naming for new products and line extensions.
-Created ongoing advertising TV and print for international companies including Leo Burnett Worldwide, Procter and Gamble, and L'Oreal.
Most of these projects were extremely confidential, but two that I can talk about involved a re-positioning of Secret antiperspirant, and a similar strategic re-evaluation and repositioning of L'Oreal haircare. This Secret work for Leo Burnett and P&G led to their asking me to lead the SK-II brand globally.
2004 - 2006 ESTEE LAUDER WORLDWIDE
Head of Conceptual Positioning for New Brands
At BeautyBank, the “think tank” division of the Estee Lauder Companies -
we invented new beauty brands.
Estee Lauder International had a grand old tradition of inventing its own brands
(including Estee Lauder, Clinique, Aramis, Origins, and Prescriptives) but the
company had not invented any new brands for more than twenty years.
The week after Estee Lauder died in 2004, Leonard Lauder called me and
asked me to come back to the company, and take this position,
to help them invent new brands again.
-Created & launched Lauder's first "mass brands" -- the first year, nationwide in
the U.S., and after that, globally. These included: AMERICAN BEAUTY, FLIRT,
GRASSROOTS, GOOD SKIN LABS.
-Invented these brands from scratch, including all these aspects: writing the
conceptual profiles, developing the packaging & in-store look, writing all the
package copy, choosing & contracting with celebrities for the launch campaigns
(Ashley Judd for AMERICAN BEAUTY and Serena WIlliams for FLIRT) and
developing & shooting the TV advertising.
1997 – 2004 MCCANN-ERICKSON WORLDWIDE
Senior Vice-President, Senior Creative Director in New York City.
-Promoted 4 times for consistent success in building brands and increasing sales and market share. (On various kinds of brands: Dow Chemical, MasterCard, Lycra, etc.)
-Awarded 3 Effies for L’Oreal TV Advertising. (Colour Endure makeup; Feria new product haircolor launch; Preference haircolor re-positioning)
-Responsible for L’Oreal worldwide creative development, positioning, new launches, ongoing businesses.
-Managed art director / writer teams on TV and print projects.
-Wrote/creative directed global TV campaigns in English and Spanish.
-Grew sales of L'Oreal Preference haircolor from 300 million to 400 million annually.
-Launched L-Oreal Visible Lift - the first mass anti-aging foundation to take market share from prestige brands.
-Launched the "Pretty Provocative" TV advertising campaign for L'Oreal color cosmetics to defend successfully against the launch of OLAY color cosmetics. P&G spent more than 120 million in media to launch OLAY COLOR in North America, but were unsuccessful and ended up withdrawing OLAY COLOR from the shelves six months later.
Not only did we defend against them successfully, we grew L'Oreal share in the process, against Revlon and Cover Girl.
1992 – 1997 ESTEE LAUDER WORLDWIDE
Director of Copy, Estee Lauder Skincare, Makeup & Fragrance
-Promoted 4 times. I grew up in the in-house Creative Department and
had many assignments in different divisions of EL Companies.
-Named and developed PLEASURES fragrance for Estee Lauder;
named LUCIDITY makeup, PERFECTIONIST skincare, etc.
-1994 -- went to the Aramis division to work on Aramis, Tommy
Hilfiger fragrance & makeup, Tuscany Per Donna. Lab Series for Men.
-1995 to 1997-- worked on new acquisitions: Crème de la Mer skincare,
Bobbie Brown makeup and skincare, MAC color cosmetics.
-Worked on top-secret fragrance development with Leonard Lauder.
1991 – 1992 CONDE NAST MAGAZINES
Copywriter at Vanity Fair Magazine; Beauty freelance writer for VOGUE Magazine.
EDUCATION
BACHELOR OF ARTS English/Philosophy/Art - Illinois Wesleyan University
MASTER OF ARTS Poetics/ Drama / Shakespeare - University of Illinois.
AWARDS/ SPECIAL TALENTS
2011-"Best at Growing the Business" Award by Leo Burnett Worldwide
(for my leadership in SK-II prestige skincare advertising) Came with a $5,000
award for my Tokyo team.
2009 & 2010 Twice Named "Most Outstanding Contributor to our
Business" by Procter and Gamble. (2 years in a row)
In 2003 -- Chosen to be a Judge for the Kinsale “Shark” Awards for
Most Creative TV & Radio Advertising, Worldwide. (Kinsale & Cannes
are the advertising awards with the most creative credibility, worldwide.)
Various creative/marketing awards through the years.
- EFFIES for L'Oreal and SK-II, etc.
- Known as a creative leader/ teacher /developer of creative staff.
- Taught Advertising Copywriting at NYU and University of Illinois.
- Fluent in Spanish; wrote TV campaigns in Spanish and
coached celebrity talent in Spanish. Able to read/translate French.
Speak some Japanese.
- Rare expertise in achieving creative excellence globally.
- Proven consistent success at global brand management,
increasing brand equity and leadership while increasing sales.
-Known as a namer/creator of new brands and new products.
(Estee Lauder's Pleasures (fragrance), Coca Cola's Dasani (water), Coty's Ultraviolet (European fragrance), etc.
-Also known for editorial writing on the arts.
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