Vice president of consumer marketing

GateHouse Media is seeking a vice president of consumer marketing to drive consumer growth for the printed newspapers (traditionally viewed as “circulation”), websites and mobile, digital consumer products and new ventures.  It is a corporate role, and the vice president will have an opportunity to build out his or her staff. This role will report to the company president/chief operating officer.

The vice president of consumer marketing will lead the company’s efforts to gain deeper consumer market penetration, interacting directly with field managers and to ultimately implement all the programs through field-based efforts.

Primary Responsibilities:

·      Build the processes and systems to gain deep insights into our existing and potential consumer audience.  Introduce an effective database-marketing plan and infrastructure to GateHouse and materially increase the revenue streams derived from consumer-based programs.

·      Work with business development and news to form the consumer-driven dimensions of GateHouse’s digital growth efforts, including the rollout and development of new apps, mobile strategy, and other digital consumer products.  Activities would include adding deep insights into consumer needs and the best ways to position and market the products to the current audience while building new audience.

·      Introduce a sustainable method of gaining primary market research insights in GateHouse’s local markets and through third party sources.  Bring these insights into the decision-making processes of the local GateHouse properties and corporate-lead initiatives.

·      Develop a sophisticated pricing strategy and marketing approach for our online news access, subscription programs, app pricing, mobile pricing, and other new services.

·      Grow circulation revenue by introducing best practice pricing, consumer acquisition, and retention policies.

·      Build test-labs of new consumer-based revenue ideas in local GateHouse markets that can be scaled across the company (e.g., weight loss clubs that the newspaper sponsors).

·      Assemble consumer marketing best practices from across several industries and build the internal training mechanisms to develop these skills at the field level throughout GateHouse.

Requirements:

·      15+ years of marketing and product development, including pricing strategies, consumer database development, and new product roll out.

·      Demonstrated ability to influence others in a matrixed corporate / field organization.

·      Demonstrated ability to build a strong team of marketers.

Skills/Abilities:

·      Ability to work constructively with management, peers, and subordinates to develop cutting edge consumer marketing approaches.

·      Tenacity and an unrelenting push to get results.

·      Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal, and organizational skills.

·      Ability to direct multiple projects simultaneously.

·      Flexibility to travel up to three days per week, twice per month, to other GateHouse offices.

The vice president of consumer marketing will be based in either Boston, Mass., or Fairport, N.Y.

Those wishing to apply should send their resumes to: gsheehan@gatehousemedia.com