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.

Augmented Reality

Augmented_Reality_Ad

I know apps like Layar and Junaio have been around for a while, but this is the first time I have actually employed the technology in a print ad.

QR codes have proliferated the ad space, and still have their place, but the amount of actual scans in the b-to-b realm is a little disappointing. Regardless, companies like Layar and Junaio are now offering QR code scanning as well but with more bells and whistles.

One thing I have found when it comes to prompting the Augmented Reality experience on your iPhone, Android or Tablet: the greater resolution and contrasting information in the image the better results you’ll get.

Download Layar and give the above a scan and let me know if it works!

Photography Lesson

Model_2

I’ll be honest. I’ve been a point-and-shoot kind of guy for a long time. If I ever were to get a little bold and throw it in Manual, I’d inevitably be asking myself, wait, is it f4 or f22 that let’s the most light in? Okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad – but close.

With the purchase of the Canon 7D, I decided it was time to venture beyond the automatic settings, and my cavalier approach, and possibly see beyond my one dimension. I came across Donne Ashlock’s photography lessons and decided to give it a go.

When I showed up for my lesson it was a cold and wintry day at Piedmont Park in Midtown Atlanta. Nevertheless, Donne surprised me by bringing along a model, and we immediately set to work.

We went through some basics, and then he showed me some deeper custom functions of the camera. Next he helped me think through how I framed the subject and the background, as well as adjusting to the light source. The experience was certainly eye opening.

I have a long way to go – and hope to schedule future classes with Donne Ashlock – but my baseline knowledge is slowly growing.

Model

Bassy

Bass

Even in the winter months, there are plenty of great opportunities in Charleston, South Carolina for catching fish either on the fly or with a spinning rod. A friend and I caught about 15 of these redfish. Good times!

Happy Holidays

GA_HolidayCard_HeroImage_FINAL

This year we wanted to take a different approach with our holiday card and make it a little bit more interactive with a few calls to action. Of course, we were careful to keep it light and spirited without beating you over the head with a marketing message. We hope you like it.

Year in Review

Year_in_Review

I am pleased and proud to have participated in the creation of our department’s “Year in Review” which illustrates some of the teams’ accomplishments in fiscal year 2012.

Our designer did an amazing job!

If you know me and would like to have a better understanding of what I do on a day-to-day basis then check it out. You might also be amazed at how much is going on in the state of Georgia.

You can download the pdf here.