About Me

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

photo of Francis

Who I am:

Laura Francis, lover of fine bourbons, cheeses of all kinds, cyber sales, dogs (also of all kinds), sports, and the advertising industry.

What I Do:

Wearer of many hats for Inspire International marketing

Where I Live:

Boston, MA, but I will always call St. Louis my home

Fun Facts:

  • Although I have limited experience, I love to play around with photography and graphic design. I've even created Snapchat filters, websites, and apparel for non-profit organizations (volunteer work only).
  • I'm one of the most passionate St. Louis sports fans you will ever meet. I even got a tattoo to commemorate the Cardinals' wild path to becoming World Series Champions in 2011. Because, #YOLO.
  • I am a proud finisher of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Experience

What I've Done

2017 - present

Inspire International

Manager, Digital Marketing and Brand Stewardship

  • Led the international Dunkin’ rebranding initiative, including the development and rollout of a new brand identity system across 3,500+ stores in 46 countries.
  • Led the international Baskin-Robbins brand repositioning initiative, including the oversight and development of a new brand architecture, experience strategy, communication strategy, and identity system.
  • Increased international online brand visibility by more than 7000% through on-page SEO consultation with licensees as well as the direct management and continual optimization of off-page international business listings. 
  • Developed the DBI social media strategy and legal policy, creating a consistent framework for 150+ international social media accounts.
  • Lead strategy consultation on digital products and communications, including CRM, loyalty, mobile apps, website, social media, and online advertising. 
  • Develop the strategy and content for high-priority campaigns in international markets, including new product launches, brand campaigns, and key partnership activations. Manage agency briefing, scoping, and production. 

2013 - 2017

Papa John's

Digital Marketing Manager

  • Redefined bidding strategies and applied dynamic personalization to paid search ads, increasing conversion rates by 10.5%.
  • Applied new targeting strategies to programmatic media campaigns, driving an immediate 1.1% incremental comp. sales growth.
  • Developed new media targeting strategies using first-party data and compelled cross-functional colleagues to implement them across additional disciplines, creating a consistent omni-channel presence.
  • Managed a $20M+ media budget.

Digital Marketing Specialist

  • Led CRM marketing and offer strategy. Increased net revenue from email campaigns by 215% and net revenue from SMS marketing by 445%.
  • Developed the Papa Rewards tiered framework, bringing greater personalization and benefits to 3M+ active loyalty program members.
  • Launched a proprietary distributed send CRM tool, providing new local store marketing opportunities to Papa John’s franchisees. Provided strategic counsel to franchisees and field marketing agencies regarding CRM best practices.

2012-2013

Hollander Home Fashions

Digital Marketing Manager

  • Organized and revamped online product listings across 20+ major retail marketing websites, including nine Fortune 500 companies, leading to a substantial increase in online sales from third-party sites.
  • Created and presented an e-commerce exhibit during New York Market Week, doubling product orders from third-party retail websites.
  • Worked with a global agency to develop a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site, including direction of the design, site architecture and user experience. Created and maintained an on-going content strategy to improve organic search value.

2009-2012

The Learning House, Inc.

Marketing Coordinator

  • Brought LH its first online leads through content marketing / lead generation efforts.
  • Developed a new brand marketing suite, inclusive of a website, marketing brochure, tradeshow display, and other collateral.
  • Developed a B2B email newsletter program, increasing new client conversion rates and driving advocacy among current clients.
  • Co-led the LH inaugural client summit (100+ attendees), fostering thought leadership and affinity among employees and clients alike.

 

Areas of expertise

What I Do

Omni-Channel Marketing

I've implemented campaigns, inclusive of video, search, social, display, website and POP that utilize 1st and 3rd party data to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time.

CRM Strategy

I have a proven track record of creating winning CRM strategies, including a +200% YOY lift in email sales and +400% lift in SMS sales at Papa John's.

Branding

I've led the international brand transformation of both Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins and have played a pivotal role in defining their brand architectures and identity systems.

Copywriting

I've written compelling copy for more than 50 brands and organizations for various mediums, including: websites, emails, push notifications, paid search, social media posts, blogs, press releases, and case studies.

 

 

Consultation

I have significant experience providing advertising, mar-tch, and loyalty/CRM consultation to executive leadership teams, often leading to an immediate impact on sales.

 

 

Social Media

I create high-level social media strategies aimed to drive consumer engagement as well as business objectives. I've created social media corporate policies and brand guidelines.

 

 

Technology

What I Use

Google Analytics

Salesforce Marking Cloud

Doubleclick Campaign Manager

Google Adwords

Sprinklr

Adobe Creative Suite

OTHER TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Google Tag Manager, Google Search Console, Google Firebase, iTunes/Apple Search, App Annie, Creative Manager Pro, Microsoft Office Suite, and basic HTML coding.

 

 

Education

What I've Learned

2015-2017

Master of Science in Digital Media

Bellarmine University

GPA of 4.0

2004-2008

Bachelor of Arts; Advertising

WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

Double minor in Marketing and Psychology. Summa Cum Laude graduate. GPA of 3.86.