Jeff Willard

Peachtree City, Georgia, United States Contact Info
3K followers 500+ connections

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About

An Award-Winning Executive Leader with exceptional operational experience in Consumer /…

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Experience & Education

  • Casper

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Projects

  • BRAND TRANSFORMATION / TURNAROUND MANAGEMENT / PRODUCT LAUNCH

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    Faced with the loss of consumer interest in more affordable store brands and undermined by an 'up the mountain' premium strategy failing to connect with consumers, Coleman was in a cycle of decline. I was charged by the CEO with reconnecting family campers and shifting strategy within 45 days. I then launched products connecting people outside and building stories that last a lifetime," leading to the "The Coleman Campsite is The Original Social Networking Site" campaign. The campaign won the…

    Faced with the loss of consumer interest in more affordable store brands and undermined by an 'up the mountain' premium strategy failing to connect with consumers, Coleman was in a cycle of decline. I was charged by the CEO with reconnecting family campers and shifting strategy within 45 days. I then launched products connecting people outside and building stories that last a lifetime," leading to the "The Coleman Campsite is The Original Social Networking Site" campaign. The campaign won the '09 Effie top prize, boosting revenue and revitalizing culture for growth during a recession.

  • BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION / EBITDA GROWTH / BRAND INNOVATION

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    Transformation was deemed necessary post-acquisition by Advent. I was charged by the CEO to rejuvenate the Beautyrest Black brand and propel revenue growth. I then reinvented Beautyrest Black into a "Techno-Luxe" brand, integrating modern technology with luxury, supported by a marketing campaign with celebrities such as Tom Brady and Patrick Dempsey. Revenue soared from $80M to $200M+ in four years, lifting Simmons' market share from 15% to 18% and EBITDA from $121M to $180M+, increasing…

    Transformation was deemed necessary post-acquisition by Advent. I was charged by the CEO to rejuvenate the Beautyrest Black brand and propel revenue growth. I then reinvented Beautyrest Black into a "Techno-Luxe" brand, integrating modern technology with luxury, supported by a marketing campaign with celebrities such as Tom Brady and Patrick Dempsey. Revenue soared from $80M to $200M+ in four years, lifting Simmons' market share from 15% to 18% and EBITDA from $121M to $180M+, increasing company value to $1.5B.

  • CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS / STRATEGIC PLANNING / EXPENSE REDUCTION

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    Managed contract negotiations between leading agencies WME and CAA and directly negotiated with industry titan Scooter Braun. As a result, commission rates were lowered without any change in service.

  • COST SAVINGS

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    With direction from the CEO to find inefficiencies in marketing spending, within 90 days, I identified $10M in annual marketing savings, with $5M in savings realized in the 2nd half of 2023. This was accomplished without any loss in the quality of marketing output.

  • MARKETING & COMMUNICATION STRATEGY / BRAND DEVELOPMENT / STRATEGIC ALLIANCES

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    Confronted with market threats from Bose and Beats, Harman needed to better leverage their 15-brand portfolio to regain growth. I was directed by the CEO to implement a focused brand strategy to address this problem. In just a few months, I created a brand strategy focused on 2 brands vs. 15: JBL and Harman Kardon. I repositioned the entire $25M global ad budget against these two brands and leveraged celebrity endorsements (Paul McCartney, Jennifer Lopez, Maroon 5, Tim McGraw) to stand out…

    Confronted with market threats from Bose and Beats, Harman needed to better leverage their 15-brand portfolio to regain growth. I was directed by the CEO to implement a focused brand strategy to address this problem. In just a few months, I created a brand strategy focused on 2 brands vs. 15: JBL and Harman Kardon. I repositioned the entire $25M global ad budget against these two brands and leveraged celebrity endorsements (Paul McCartney, Jennifer Lopez, Maroon 5, Tim McGraw) to stand out in the market. This strategy propelled JBL and Harman Kardon into $1B+ brands and increased Harman's business to $4.4B.

  • PRODUCT INNOVATION / BUSINESS RESTORATION / DIGITAL MARKETING OPTIMIZATION

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    Facing the economic challenges of COVID, I led the charge for boosting earnings, revitalizing growth, and ensuring higher ROI for shareholders. I implemented full restructuring within 60 days of tenure, reducing the workforce by 50%, adopting an outsourced model, and adding new licensed brands, like The Smurfs. This strategy doubled EBITDA during the first year of COVID, setting the foundation for the company to survive a difficult economic time.

  • PRODUCT INNOVATION / REVENUE GROWTH / PROJECT MANAGEMENT

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    Coleman's 'up the mountain' premium strategy failed, alienating core consumers and losing market share to affordable brands at large retailers. I was guided by the CEO to introduce at least 5 breakthrough products that realigned with the foundational consumer demographic. I then initiated "Project Breakthrough," a new product development project driven by insights of 38K+ consumers, bringing to market 40+ innovative products within nine months. This led to the creation of Coleman Instant Tent…

    Coleman's 'up the mountain' premium strategy failed, alienating core consumers and losing market share to affordable brands at large retailers. I was guided by the CEO to introduce at least 5 breakthrough products that realigned with the foundational consumer demographic. I then initiated "Project Breakthrough," a new product development project driven by insights of 38K+ consumers, bringing to market 40+ innovative products within nine months. This led to the creation of Coleman Instant Tent, a 30% SKU reduction, growth from $900M to $1.1B.

  • STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS / FUND RAISING / DEAL NEGOTIATION & STRUCTURE

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    Directed by Durational Capital and the CEO to secure two separate partnerships to build the foundation for profitable growth: a manufacturing partnership, and a separate financing partnership. Working with the Casper and Durational teams, I brokered two landmark deals within four months that injected new life into Casper and set the foundation for future growth.

  • TEAM MANAGEMENT / MARKETING OPTIMIZATION / BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION

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    Grappling with annual losses of $23M in the US business and a less than 5% market share, I led the charge to reverse the division's financial losses to profitability with a strategy approved by the VP of Sales/Marketing. Personally, steered turnaround with a 520-strong team, launched the first all-in-one consumer inkjet printer ~$200, deployed a massive field sales force, and rebranded around value without any significant marketing budget. This increased revenue to $1B, converted a $23M loss…

    Grappling with annual losses of $23M in the US business and a less than 5% market share, I led the charge to reverse the division's financial losses to profitability with a strategy approved by the VP of Sales/Marketing. Personally, steered turnaround with a 520-strong team, launched the first all-in-one consumer inkjet printer ~$200, deployed a massive field sales force, and rebranded around value without any significant marketing budget. This increased revenue to $1B, converted a $23M loss into a $205M profit, and elevated market share to 24%, which led to the promotion of VP of Global Marketing.

Honors & Awards

  • Forbes Recognition

    Simmons Bedding

  • New York Times

    Simmons Bedding

  • Forbes Recognition

    Harman

  • Wall Street Journal Recognition

    Coleman

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