With more than a decade of marketing and media experience, Kim Downey brings a unique blend of experience to the table – from hands-on technical ability to broad strategic planning.

Kim Downey’s strength lies in the variety of skill sets she’s developed over the years – from her tenure as a newspaper reporter to her work as a web developer.

Her combination of technical skills, web development, writing and editing experience, graphic design, media relations, marketing strategy and analysis are a rare mix. The blend of these diverse skills ensures projects meet all the elements of a successful campaign – from planning and positioning to technical implementation and ROI analysis.

Background

Upon graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, Kim began her career as a Newspaper Reporter at several daily newspapers in New England – including the Lewiston Sun Journal in Maine (one of the state’s largest publications) and the Laconia Citizen in New Hampshire (the Lakes Region’s primary source for regional and national news). Through the Associated Press, her stories have appeared in such national publications as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Manchester Union Leader and more.

Marketing

After two years working as a Journalist, Kim transitioned into the field of marketing as a Copywriter and Web Content Developer for Pegasus Satellite Television – a media firm based in Massachusetts affiliated with DirecTV. During her stint at the company’s headquarters, Kim worked on the creative team that produced marketing materials for the company’s highly-successful multi-million dollar advertising campaign, which doubled sales of DirecTV equipment and programming in three years in rural counties across the United States.

Online E-Business

On the heals of the Internet boom in the late 90’s, Kim Downey redirected her focus on the new medium of the web – accepting a position at the United Way of Massachusetts Bay in Boston as the organization’s Web Manager for E-Business. The newly created position was the first step in the organization's goal to establish a web strategy – and provided Kim Downey with an opportunity to develop an e-business plan for the organization, bringing the non-profit up to speed with the latest high-tech e-marketing strategies.

With a limited budget, she launched the organization’s first e-newsletter campaign to strengthen relationships with high-end donors and to communicate with strategic audiences – taking advantage of the low-cost medium as a marketing tool.

Analyzing Trends & Developing Strategies

Kim also set out to develop a profile of the organization's online visitors by analyzing web trend reports, tracking e-mail inquiries and creating a feedback survey to gain key demographics data. Based on the findings, Kim redesigned the organization’s web site and navigational structure to increase online donations, boost the number of returning visitors and better meet the needs of online supporters.

Web Development & Graphic Design

In 2002, Kim Downey returned to the for-profit sector, taking a position at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage at the top-selling real estate office in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Kim Downey utilized her marketing background to enhance the sales force’s presence in the Greater Boston market and generate sales for the organization. Along with designing post cards, brochures, flyers and signage to support a variety of marketing efforts, Kim also wrote, designed and produced several web sites for the company to capture the online audience for new construction properties and increase exposure for large real estate development projects.

TV Production

Today, Kim Downey works at the University of Massachusetts managing the marketing and advertising programs for the Division of Continuing Studies.

One of her first undertakings at UMass was to revamp the University's outdated television commercial in order to produce a more professional look and feel and bring it in line with the University's branding efforts.

With a limited budget, Kim directed and produced a brand new 30-second TV spot. Due to budget constraints, the project needed to be produced in house and Kim managed all aspects of the commercial – developing the theme, conceptualizing the visual elements, writing the script, casting the actors, directing the cinematography (camera angles, video movement, screen transitions, graphics), organizing the props, editing the footage and more.

Market Analysis & Media Mix

At UMass, Kim launched a market analysis program by implementing and analyzing a variety of surveys, evaluations, budget trends, web inquires, enrollments and registration data to gain a clearer picture of the organization's target market, complete with details on demographics and media habits. The results have proven critical in developing a marketing strategy and executing the right media mix - radio, television, direct mail, print and online advertising.

In addition to her position at the University of Massachusetts, Kim Downey also works as a freelance marketing consultant, web developer and graphic designer.