Ari Garay

Ari Garay

The Drum Future 50 | Cultural Strategy Manager at Taco Bell

Los Angeles, California, United States
1K followers 500+ connections

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About

This is the part where I have an opportunity to paint a picture of what it’s like working with me. You can expect an analytical thinker who is going to carefully consider all data points and ask questions. You can expect a passionate high-achiever who isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo and will always ask, what is the best way to do this? You can expect someone who takes the time to coach & foster growth; someone who loves client presentations and quiet working time, someone who is engaged with the work, team, & culture.

Activity

Experience

  • Taco Bell Graphic

    Cultural Strategy Manager

    Taco Bell

    - Present 2 years 6 months

    Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

    As the Brand Culture Manager, I was responsible for guiding Taco Bell’s cultural strategy and delivering meaningful progress in driving the brand’s relevance and authentic relationship within more diverse and multiethnic audiences and communities. In addition to executing a culture-centric activation roadmap, this role will also assist in integrating Taco Bell’s cultural framework cross-functionally.

    I was expected to have a finger on the pulse of culture across music, fashion…

    As the Brand Culture Manager, I was responsible for guiding Taco Bell’s cultural strategy and delivering meaningful progress in driving the brand’s relevance and authentic relationship within more diverse and multiethnic audiences and communities. In addition to executing a culture-centric activation roadmap, this role will also assist in integrating Taco Bell’s cultural framework cross-functionally.

    I was expected to have a finger on the pulse of culture across music, fashion, sports, and gaming.

    My daily roles and responsibilities were:

    • Oversee day to day management and execution of cultural calendar activations, primarily within social and earned.

    • Collaborate on the development of culture leading idea generation to ensure a steady pipeline of meaningful and authentic activations.

    • Provide strategic and creative council/thought partnership to internal partners and stakeholders including but not limited to Media, PR, Brand Marketing, Social, Advertising and ERGs.

    • Maintain expertise and fluency in an evolving and nuanced cultural landscape.

    • Distill cultural trends and insights into actionable plans and tangible idea spaces.

    • Champion the broader social and brand strategy and ensure all culture communication efforts ladder up.

    • Lead culture-centric assignment briefings to agency partners

    • Serve as main point of contact to culture agency and ensure cross agency integration when necessary

    • Partner with cross functional teams to ensure holistic integration where necessary.

    • Integrate data strategies and KPIs into process and work

    This role demanded fluency in the cultural and social landscape to effectively influence, manage and inspire both the internal team as well as external award-winning agency partners. With an unparalleled pace and volume of creative development, this role required great mental flexibility, ability to juggle under intense deadlines and a capacity to lead teams under pressure.

  • Media.Monks

    Media.Monks

    1 year 4 months

    • Media.Monks Graphic

      Senior Strategist

      Media.Monks

      - 2 months

      Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

    • Media.Monks Graphic

      Strategist

      Media.Monks

      - 1 year 3 months

      Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

      As a strategist, I worked under a Strategy Lead to help provide the strategic direction and creative strategy. I've worked with clients such as Google (Global), TikTok (Global), Under Armour (EMEA), Omron (APAC), and Unicef (Global).

      In my role, I:

      Commissioned and analyzed consumer behaviour and insights, category and brand research/understanding to spot gaps and opportunities

      Guided creative and direction of the brand’s communications as the brand’s guardian and the…

      As a strategist, I worked under a Strategy Lead to help provide the strategic direction and creative strategy. I've worked with clients such as Google (Global), TikTok (Global), Under Armour (EMEA), Omron (APAC), and Unicef (Global).

      In my role, I:

      Commissioned and analyzed consumer behaviour and insights, category and brand research/understanding to spot gaps and opportunities

      Guided creative and direction of the brand’s communications as the brand’s guardian and the consumer champion

      Developed client relationships so that strategy becomes an expected and desired partner in the creative process

      Worked with creative directors to nurse and execute big ideas that are channel-agnostic but digital-first, award-winning work

      Developed messaging frameworks, consumer journeys, testing frameworks, creative briefs, and digital roadmaps

      Understood and analyzed brand ecosystems with a critical eye towards UX, understanding what it takes to make an optimum experience and user journey from a user's perspective

      Challenged everyone to create work that sits behind the comfortable edge of the brand’s expectations

      Dug into data, using it as an indicator for strategic direction, a lever for optimization, and a critical value for performance

      Shared and raised the thinking and learning of the team by hosting strategy surgery sessions and sharing specialist knowledge

  • Blue Hour Studios Graphic

    Supervisor, Content Marketing

    Blue Hour Studios

    - 1 year

    New York City Metropolitan Area

  • Horizon Media

    Horizon Media

    4 years 8 months

    • Horizon Media Graphic

      Supervisor, Content Marketing

      Horizon Media

      - 8 months

      Greater New York City Area

    • Horizon Media Graphic

      Senior Strategist, Mobile + UNCVR

      Horizon Media

      - 2 years 7 months

      Greater New York City Area

      As a senior strategist in mobile focusing on entertainment clients and within UNCVR, my responsibilities included:

      Assist with the growth of Horizon Media’s new full service VR, 360 Video, AR and MR offering. Developing marketing strategies, overseeing creative ideation and production, as well as designing and activating distribution and measurement plans on behalf of our clients.

      Grasp of mobile activity and performance across the agency to implement best practices

      Serve…

      As a senior strategist in mobile focusing on entertainment clients and within UNCVR, my responsibilities included:

      Assist with the growth of Horizon Media’s new full service VR, 360 Video, AR and MR offering. Developing marketing strategies, overseeing creative ideation and production, as well as designing and activating distribution and measurement plans on behalf of our clients.

      Grasp of mobile activity and performance across the agency to implement best practices

      Serve as day-to-day consultant for the digital teams on mobile plan development, execution, optimization and performance for team support and best-in-class work

      Resource for digital team to trouble shoot publisher relationships, activation and measurement

      Active role in developing annual strategy for planning teams alongside Associate Director, developing and presenting mobile recommendations

      Create mobile processes for the digital team to allow for innovation to enter into planning seamlessly

      Responsible for client POV and position papers on latest publisher innovations, trends and implications

      Coordinate development of project-based and maintain organization and accuracy for specific project-based work with Associate Director

      Partake in group brainstorming sessions with the intention of bringing great ideas to life

      Represent agency at industry conferences and events and share learnings across teams

      Maintain a good understanding of the continuously evolving mobile landscape and share updates accordingly

    • Horizon Media Graphic

      Mobile Strategist

      Horizon Media

      - 11 months

      Greater New York City Area

      As a strategist in mobile, with a focus on QSR and entertainment clients, my responsibilities included:

      • Serve as day-to-day consultant for the digital teams on mobile plan development, execution,
      optimization and performance
      • Grasp of mobile activity and performance across the agency
      • Develop best practices alongside Associate Director to circulate with team
      • Monitor latest trends and explore creative marketing implications
      • Responsible for client POV…

      As a strategist in mobile, with a focus on QSR and entertainment clients, my responsibilities included:

      • Serve as day-to-day consultant for the digital teams on mobile plan development, execution,
      optimization and performance
      • Grasp of mobile activity and performance across the agency
      • Develop best practices alongside Associate Director to circulate with team
      • Monitor latest trends and explore creative marketing implications
      • Responsible for client POV and position papers
      • Coordinate development of project-based work with Associate Director
      • Maintain strong level of organization and accuracy for specific project-based work
      • Developing and presenting mobile recommendations

    • Horizon Media Graphic

      Mobile Strategist Assistant

      Horizon Media

      - 1 year 4 months

      Greater New York City Area

      Working as a member of the Horizon mobile team, I act as a mobile consultant for 20+ brands in the entertainment and CPG/QSR verticals.

      I also work in the mobile creative landscape to provide creative solutions to all of Horizon's clients, and optimizing creative work.

  • Strategist

    Upstream Advertising (UO NSAC Team)

    - 10 months

    I worked with 25 other students to create a campaign for Pizza Hut to increase digital ordering among generation X & Y. We won our regional and semi final competitions and proceeded to the final competition in Las Vegas where we competed against 7 other teams and won first place.

  • Emerald Media Group Graphic

    Account Executive

    Emerald Media Group

    - 3 years 2 months

    Worked with businesses in Lane County to create advertising campaigns across digital and traditional platforms.

  • PoachedJobs: Jobs for the food and drink industry Graphic

    Social Media Intern

    PoachedJobs: Jobs for the food and drink industry

    - 4 months

    Worked on social media for Poached, created blog posts, and managed cities where Poached had a presence.

  • Strategist

    Allen Hall Advertising

    - 10 months

    I worked with a small team to create a new image for MEC Addheat, a Taiwan-based heated clothing company, that focused on business to business messaging.

Education

  • University of Oregon Graphic

    University of Oregon

    Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Advertising

    -

    Activities and Societies: UO National Student Advertising Competition

Licenses & Certifications

Volunteer Experience

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC Graphic

    Mentor

    Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC

    - 1 year 8 months

    Children

    Mentoring children and teens participating in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program and participating in BBBS's affinity group, Big Pride, which seeks to encourage LGBTQ individuals to apply as Bigs in the program.

  • OHSU | Oregon Health & Science University Graphic

    Guest Services

    OHSU | Oregon Health & Science University

    - 5 months

    Health

    Took patients to appointments around the OHSU campus, walked visitors to patients' rooms, and delivered flowers.

Honors & Awards

  • The Drum Future 50

    The Drum

    The Future 50 is The Drum's annual list of the best emerging marketers in the world. Our readers nominated outstanding client-side marketers and agency talents aged under 30, or older but in the first 18 months of their marketing career, before our editors selected the final 50. Published in partnership with the World Federation of Advertisers and the Black Marketers Association of America, we're proud to introduce the marketing leaders of tomorrow.

  • Experience For Good

    Campaign Experience Awards

    Awarded to a campaign for social good

  • Best Use of Marketing Research - National Student Advertising Competition

    American Advertising Federation (Experian Marketing Services)

    Won best use of marketing research in a national campaign for Pizza Hut in the 2015 National Student Advertising Competition.

  • First Place - National Student Advertising Competition

    American Advertising Federation

    Won the national title for the 2015 National Student Advertising Competition.

  • First Place - District XI

    AAF National Student Advertising Competition

    One of 16 teams in the nation to proceed to semi finals for a campaign for Pizza Hut.

  • Dean's Scholarship

    University of Oregon

    Awarded to academically successful prospective in-state freshmen upon admission to the school.

Languages

  • English

    -

  • Spanish

    -

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