Marketing Executive · Available Now
Marketing leadership for founder-led companies that need growth, positioning, and creative systems that actually compound.
Ten years operating in marketing. $40M+ in attributed revenue across nine companies and seven industries. Currently seeking a Director, VP, or CMO role inside a founder-led company with a real product and the ambition to lead its category.
Marketing Leadership Experience
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$40M+
Attributed revenue across companies led
9
Companies where I built or led marketing
10
Years operating in marketing
7
Industries operated across
Selected Creative & Campaign Work
A selection of creative systems, landing pages, campaign structures, reporting systems, and direct response work from brands I've led.
Operating Areas
What I actually do.
The disciplines I operate inside personally, not theoretically, across growth, creative, positioning, analytics, and leadership.
01
Brand Strategy & Positioning
Clarify the strategic truth underneath the company and align the entire marketing system around it.
02
Performance Marketing
Paid social, search, creative systems, CAC management, and direct revenue accountability.
03
Creative Direction
Campaign concepts, ad systems, landing pages, production direction, and narrative development.
04
Analytics & Reporting
Attribution modeling, KPI systems, dashboard development, and executive reporting tied to revenue.
Tools, Platforms & Core Capabilities
The platforms I operate inside daily, and the capabilities I bring across them.
Platforms & Tools
Email & Marketing Automation
Klaviyo, Omnisend, Attentive, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign
CRM & Sales
HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho One, GoHighLevel
E-Commerce & Marketplaces
Shopify, Amazon Seller Central, WooCommerce
Paid Media
Meta Ads, Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, YouTube, TikTok
Analytics & SEO
Google Analytics, SEMRush, TrustPilot, Triple Whale
Creative & Design
Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, Figma
AI & Automation
Claude (Code, Projects, API), GPT-based systems, AI image and video generation, workflow automation
Data & Integration
API configuration, CRM integrations, marketing automation pipelines, data visualization
Core Capabilities
Brand strategy and positioning
AI-assisted content production at scale
Creative direction and campaign development
Performance marketing and paid media leadership
Email automation and behavioral segmentation
Landing page design and conversion rate optimization
Attribution modeling, analytics, and executive reporting
Sales enablement and partner / dealer portals
Amazon marketplace optimization and launch strategy
Retail expansion and channel partnerships
Gamification and engagement program design
Community education and brand trust-building
Marketing infrastructure and team build-out
Selected Outcomes
The work that moved the number.
Engagements where I owned marketing execution, creative direction, positioning, and revenue accountability.
Hard Head Veterans
Built a creative performance system that fingerprints every ad against a defined attribute taxonomy, then uses AI analysis to identify the combinations driving winners. Six months of validated data, top performer rate now averages 35%, with leading ads sustaining 9.0 ROAS at $15K+ in spend.
8.4 ROAS
The Outcome
- Built a creative attribute taxonomy and performance algorithm that tags every ad against a defined set of creative elements, generates a unique combo key per concept, and uses AI analysis to identify the attribute combinations that consistently correlate with winning ads.
- Top performer rate averages 35% across batches, with strong weeks hitting 40% and weaker weeks at 22%. Industry baseline for performance creative is closer to one winner per week out of every 10 to 15 concepts tested.
- Average 8.4 ROAS across the creative system, with leading ads holding 9.0 ROAS at $15,000+ in sustained spend. Strong returns at high spend levels are the harder test, and the system is meeting it.
- Six months of validated performance. The first two months defined the strategy and confirmed the model worked. The four months since have confirmed it scales.
- Paid creative system ships ~14 new concepts per week with structured variations (base, static, alternate hook, alternate copy) across Meta, Google, and YouTube. 60-80% video, 20-40% static, every batch fed back into the model.
- Sign-off authority on all customer-facing creative output across paid ads, website, email, packaging, dealer materials, organic social, and PR. Full ownership of brand voice, visual standards, and product launch creative (GEN2, GEN3, ATE Lite, ATE Bump, Micro Lattice Pads, Kevy).
Alexander Tutoring
Built the marketing engine from concept to repeatable system. Set up paid acquisition, conversion infrastructure, and creative production so the company could establish a reliable baseline and grow it over time.
2,743% ROAS
The Outcome
- Cinematic AI-produced ad campaign generated 14 new clients in 2 weeks, driving $134,400 in attributed annual revenue from a single creative concept.
- $4,900 in ad spend at 2,743% ROAS through AI-assisted creative production, audience targeting refinement, and landing page conversion design.
- 12% bottom-of-funnel conversion rate on landing pages built around clear positioning and reduced friction.
- Repositioned the brand around life preparation rather than test prep, becoming the strategic foundation for paid creative, organic content, and conversion messaging across every customer touchpoint.
- Marketing engine established as a reliable channel with documented systems for paid acquisition, creative refresh, and conversion tracking. Set the baseline for what marketing can deliver predictably.
- Built for handoff and growth: systems documented and structured so the company could maintain and grow without ongoing external dependency, while keeping the option to scale further with continued strategic input.
Gula
End-to-end brand build for a premium pet wellness startup, from positioning through active commerce. Built the complete marketing infrastructure that took the company from concept to launch.
Brand Build
The Outcome
- Complete brand build from positioning to launch: brand strategy, voice, visual identity, and category positioning developed before a single asset went to market.
- Website designed and built as the central conversion surface, with brand voice, copy, and conversion architecture aligned to the broader brand system.
- Email marketing infrastructure established with flows, campaigns, and segmentation built to convert browsers into buyers and one-time buyers into recurring revenue.
- UGC and influencer seeding program built to generate consistent content flow without paying agency markup, creating a sustainable creative pipeline through and after launch.
- All product packaging designed in-house, with the brand system applied consistently across every physical and digital surface the customer would encounter.
- Launched successfully and now operating, with the infrastructure and brand systems in place to support continued growth.
JJHatch LLC
Led marketing across health and wellness subsidiaries, transforming paid acquisition performance and launching an Amazon channel from a standing start.
$2.6M+
The Outcome
- $2.6M+ in additional revenue in 9 months through dual-brand strategy across health and wellness subsidiaries.
- Meta ROAS: 2.2 to 5.4 in 90 days through AI-assisted creative testing and audience refinement.
- Amazon launch from zero: $80K/month organic plus $140K/month paid revenue within first 90 days.
- Customer LTV: $80 to $245 (206% growth) through behavioral segmentation and automated reorder nurturing.
- Email open rates: 41% to 63% through AI-assisted content optimization and predictive purchase automation.
- 3 major retail partnerships secured across 4 states with all sales enablement materials, product photography, and merchandising guides produced in-house.
Cratos Equipment
Built the marketing function from zero inside a dealer-distributed industry where most buyers had been ignoring digital channels entirely. Marketing moved from non-existent to 70% of total company sales attribution.
4,000%+ ROAS
The Outcome
- Zero to 70% of total company sales attribution in the heavy equipment industry. Built the marketing function from scratch on a $150K+ annual budget.
- "It's That Easy" campaign: $2.4M in equipment sales at 4,000%+ ROAS. A humor-led ad system that sold electric construction equipment to an industry suspicious of anything new. A billion-dollar competitor launched a similar approach shortly after.
- AI-assisted video production reduced ad costs by 80% across Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, with self-created creative replacing agency dependency.
- Dealer partner portal serving 3,000+ external sales reps with 40% active adoption rate and integrated CRM APIs for real-time performance visibility.
- The Volt Program gamified product education and dealer sales performance, driving a 20% increase in equipment rental utilization and sales.
- Modular trade show booth system saved $150K annually versus prior disposable display approach. Automated sales guide generation reduced production from days to hours.
Spartan Armor Systems
Took over marketing for a $15M tactical brand ranked #5 in the personal body armor category. Rebuilt segmentation, paid creative, product launches, and email strategy. Email database grew 1,027%.
1,027%
The Outcome
- Email database: 29K to 327K subscribers (1,027% growth) through a quarterly giveaway system partnered with adjacent brands. Email became the company's second-best revenue channel.
- Quarterly revenue: 125% increase at 450% ROAS through integrated campaigns and self-produced creative.
- Customer acquisition cost: $120 to $90. Hercules Level IV product launch with 3 of 7 Project on YouTube hit 400K views at launch, cut into ads across Meta, YouTube, and Twitter.
- Website redesign: 17% increase in average order value and 22% decrease in abandoned carts through optimization and intuitive filtering.
- Directed 4 flagship product launches with influencer partnerships, producing all photography, launch video, and creative assets in-house.
- Segmentation strategy built around real behavioral signals: lead source, purchase history, state, platform, engagement level, AOV, and messaging response. Every send went to exactly the right people.
Femi Secrets
Transformed a clinical DTC hygiene brand into a lifestyle brand on Wegman's and Target shelves. Rebuilt the brand, the funnel, and the channel mix end to end.
56%
The Outcome
- Customer acquisition cost: $64 to $28 (56% reduction) through PPC optimization, original creative development, and landing page rebuilds.
- Retail placement secured in Wegman's and Target through brand positioning rebuild, sell sheets, pitch decks, wholesale pricing structure, and packaging updates.
- Amazon launch: $80K/month within first 90 days. New channel built from zero with listings, creative, keyword strategy, and paid Amazon advertising.
- Subscription eCommerce model launched. Monthly delivery, lower friction, better LTV. Turned one-time buyers into recurring revenue.
- Press coverage in Digital First Magazine, Enterprise World, and Success Magazine. Pitched the founder story and positioned the brand as a disruptor.
- Complete brand overhaul produced in-house: packaging, website, ad creative, and brand graphics. The bet was that we could make feminine hygiene feel like skincare. The bet worked.
APV America
Established the US marketing function for an Austrian agricultural equipment manufacturer. Localized the brand, built the CRM, and rebuilt trade shows from money pit to demand engine.
2x ROI
The Outcome
- Trade show ROI doubled at 50% expense reduction through automation, pre-show outreach, post-show follow-up, and in-house production of marketing materials.
- Lead conversion: 38% increase after building the CRM system from scratch and integrating it with lead capture and qualification flows.
- Brand localization for the American market. Replaced corporate European tone with a voice that sounded like the customer. Messaging focused on yield, less time in the field, and more time with the family. Practical and emotional.
- US website designed and built to give the American market a localized experience separate from the European parent.
- Dealer marketing portal built with custom graphics, videos, and branded materials, turning distribution partners into an extension of the marketing function.
- All brand assets produced in-house: photography, video production, print collateral, custom landing pages, and campaign materials. Eliminated vendor dependency entirely.
AI-Native Marketing
AI in practice.
What matters isn't that I use AI. What matters is what gets built with it. Over the last several years I've used AI to direct cinematic advertising at a fraction of traditional production cost, build creative performance algorithms that identify winning ads before they spend, and design systems that compound learning across thousands of creative variants. Strategy stays a human discipline. Execution economics have changed.
01
End-to-End Creative Production
Direct creative for ad campaigns produced end-to-end with AI tooling. Pre-production planning, art direction, video and image generation, post-production. No agency hand-off. The creative comes out of my hands.
Receipts
Cratos Equipment: 80% production cost reduction, 4,000%+ ROAS on AI-assisted video. Alexander Tutoring: AI-cinematic ad campaign at 2,743% ROAS with roughly $200K equivalent production value executed for under $5K in spend.
02
Performance Algorithms & Pattern Recognition
Build creative tagging systems that fingerprint every ad against a defined attribute taxonomy, then use AI to identify which element combinations consistently drive winners. Move beyond gut-feel creative decisions to a documented predictive model.
Receipts
Hard Head Veterans: creative attribute taxonomy plus AI analysis driving a 35% top performer rate at 8.4 ROAS average, with leading ads sustaining 9.0 ROAS at $15K+ in spend. Six months of validated performance.
03
AI-Assisted Testing & Optimization
AI accelerates the work most paid teams cannot do at scale: rapid creative variation testing, audience refinement, copy optimization, and landing page iteration. I design the testing infrastructure. AI executes the volume.
Receipts
JJHatch LLC: Meta ROAS 2.2 to 5.4 in 90 days through AI-assisted creative testing and audience refinement. Email open rates 41% to 63% through AI-assisted content optimization and predictive segmentation.
04
Strategic Research & Decision Support
Use AI as a thinking partner for market analysis, competitive intelligence, opportunity sizing, and positioning frameworks. Deliver senior-level analysis in hours rather than weeks, with rigor that holds up in a boardroom.
Applied To
Every recent strategic build: brand positioning frameworks, category analysis, market opportunity validation, competitive intelligence, and executive decision documents that inform real go / no-go calls.
Where I Fit Best
The companies I tend to work best with usually have one of these problems.
→
The product works, but the market doesn't understand the company yet.
→
Marketing exists, but it isn't compounding.
→
The founder is still functioning as the head of marketing.
→
The company needs someone accountable to outcomes, not activity.
About
A bit more about me.
I'm McKinnon Mitchell, a marketing operator focused on founder-led companies with real product-market fit and the ambition to become category leaders.
Over the last ten years, I've worked across tactical gear, heavy equipment, education, pet wellness, health and supplements, consumer hygiene, and agricultural manufacturing. Building positioning systems, acquisition engines, creative infrastructure, and executive reporting tied directly to commercial outcomes.
Before marketing, I served in the US Army as a 35F All-Source Intelligence Analyst with the 82nd Airborne Division. The work I do now is shaped by what I learned then: how to operate under partial information, how to deliver a recommendation a decision-maker can act on, and how to tell the difference between real urgency and the manufactured kind.
The common thread across nearly every engagement has been the same: the product was real, but the company needed clearer positioning, stronger creative systems, and operational marketing leadership capable of compounding growth.
I'm currently pursuing Director, VP, or CMO opportunities with founder-led companies.