All posts by Robert Payne

Multichannel marketing and communications professional with a proven ability to deliver award-winning campaigns that inspire action from difficult to reach and discerning audiences. • I’ve exceeded benchmarks time and again across programmatic and social media buys. • Empowered sales teams with tightly integrated lead funnels and lifecycle management solutions leveraging Salesforce.com. • Know how to craft a compelling narrative and have won over a dozen video production awards in the past 5 years. • Served on both the interactive agency and client side, and I am a highly capable sparring partner for any marketing professional whether B2B or B2C. Most recently, I helped the Georgia Department of Economic Development attract new business both domestically and in 12 strategic markets around the globe. In the 7 years I ran Georgia’s global marketing efforts, we were selected as the #1 State for Business by Site Selection magazine, and its database of site consultants, for an unprecedented 7 years in a row. Jobs and investment grew steadily YOY due to a healthy pipeline of prospects. In addition, the Department’s commitment to marketing over that same period of time grew more than 300% because the ROI was clear and measurable. I also managed a team of 5 and 4 agency relationships for interactive, pr, traditional and video production. My online marketing career started with the direction of email marketing and web campaigns for Mandalay Resort Group, resulting in several awards for creative execution and exceptional return on investment. This caught the attention of the interactive marketing company, Twelve Horses where I directed their corporate marketing, advertising, and public relations efforts, as well as provided strategic consulting for travel/tourism clients such as Park City, Heavenly Mountain Resort, and America’s Adventure Place. Leveraging my experience with media and multi-channel marketing technology, I went on to lead the marketing and branding initiatives for SAXOTECH (now NEWSCYCLE), a global provider of content management platforms, circulation systems and advertising solutions for the media industry. I’ve worked in sales, marketing, advertising and public relations for a variety of other companies, including Switchback PR & Marketing, Stoel Rives LLP, Preferred Capital Corporation and Patagonia. I have an MBA with a specialization in Marketing and a BA from Clemson University. Side hustle: My photography has appeared in countless ads, brochures, and marketing campaigns.

Costa Rica 2016

Quite a few changes to Costa Rica since visiting in 2007.

  • No Americans, French, or Germans to speak of.
  • All the roads are dirt.
  • Good luck finding air conditioning or a mobile phone signal.
  • No one is out surfing.
  • Realtors and developers have all moved on to Nicaragua.

Actually, only the last bullet is partially true.

Despite the changes I have to say it was nice not being so gripped on treacherous roads, although you still have to get your Costa on. I also have a fond memory of turning in to a decent size city for Costa Rica and being presented with a large bloated dead dog being picked apart by 6 or so vultures – now there is culture kids!

Other creature comforts consisted of not dealing with two young boys with chronic stomach cramps – thank you infrastructure and water treatment! Gas stations and grocery stores are prevalent, and more often than not the ATMs have cash.

So there you have it. It was indeed a great couple of weeks. The wildlife and surfing are still stunning, and the people are still charming. And I always thank my lucky stars for not having to be airlifted to a hospital; or more likely being placed in the back of a pickup truck and bounced down through the jungle as I come in and out of consciousness. Winning!

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If you want to see more photos go here – https://www.flickr.com/gp/rpayne/0r341B

Interactive Holiday Cards

Coming up with a new holiday card each year can be a challenge. But it is a challenge I enjoy.

When you are spending good money on design and development you need to balance the return on investment with cultural sensitivities around the holidays. In other words, do not sacrifice your brand integrity by disrespecting what the holidays are really about.

It was a lot of work, but this year I collected holiday-centric statistics from well-known brands throughout Georgia and put a logistics spin on it.

2014 – http://www.georgia.org/holiday-card-2014

This year my goal was to make a holiday card that could extend beyond our Department, and be usable and distributable by other state entities and citizens of Georgia.

Looking for other interactive holiday card ideas? Here’s a look back at the past two years of holiday cards I’ve worked on.


>>2012<<


>>2011<<

As you can see, HTML, Video and even old Flash have all played a role. Now responsive design and HTML5 is a significant consideration, so that individuals can view it on any type of device whether mobile, tablet or desktop.

It will be interesting to see what manifests next holiday season.

IEDC Digital Marketing Webinar

Join me for an upcoming webinar on digital marketing for economic development for the International Economic Development Council.

Find out more about why The Future of Economic Development is Online at www.iedconline.org/web-pages/conferences-events/digital-marketing-webinar-series.

Oct. 27th: What You Need to Know about Digital Lead Generation | 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET

How do you turn a visit to your website into an investment? First impressions matter. Digital lead generation is all about capitalizing on prospects: first by wowing them, and then by connecting with them. Discover the seven strategies to supercharge your organization’s digital lead generation efforts. This webinar teaches participants how to create a customer-focused website, as well as how to both promote it and make use of tools that will maintain a dynamic online conversation about your community.

Speakers:

payneGold Award for New Media: Robert Payne, Director of Account Management, Georgia Department of Economic Development Robert Payne has more than 15 years of digital marketing, technology and economic development experience.He currently serves as director of global account management for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. He and his team help the state of Georgia compete in global commerce, innovation, international trade and tourism across a variety of industry sectors including aerospace, information technology, advanced manufacturing, logistics and destination travel.

mazierGuillermo Mazier, Vice President of Strategic Accounts, Atlas Advertising | Denver, Colorado
Guillermo Mazier is Vice President of Strategic Accounts for Atlas Advertising. Atlas helps economic developers effectively reach site selection and prospect audiences through branding, digital marketing, and GIS enabled websites. Founded in 2001, Atlas has worked with more communities than any other marketing firm in the past 10 years including 165+ economic development clients in 46 states and six countries.

wakefieldJennifer Wakefield, APR, Vice President, Marketing and Communications | Orlando Economic Development Commission
As Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Jennifer manages the strategic marketing and communications efforts of the organization, including providing counsel to the organization’s executives and board officers. She also is managing the new regional business branding initiative. Jennifer has fifteen years of experience in marketing and communications and holds her accreditation of public relations (APR), which signifies a high level of professional experience, competence and ethical standards.

Real Success Video Platform

Real Success is my latest web development project, and it represents a culmination of more than 3 years of producing videos for the state of Georgia.

Using html 5 and YouTube’s api, this video hub has unique features that deliver a visually stunning experience with a focus on lead generation. I’ve always been a proponent of “real marketing” which to me means delivering your message through the voices of your customers. In other words, don’t listen to me, listen to them.

If the user pauses the video they are presented with the option to learn more information or view another video that is tagged to the same industry. Alternatively, they can close the video player and explore other industries. Other features include a share feature for social and email and a scrubbing tool, timecode and volume control.

Of course I think it’s cool, but check it out for yourself – Real Success.