James Alexander

Resume of Jim Alexander

jim@TV2020.net – (770) 841-7820 – www.TV2020.net
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Strategic insights leader with proven ability to find business and brand opportunities at the intersection of consumer needs, motivations and changing media technology. Collaborator, who partners across matrix organizations, frames business issues, creates plans for research and analytics, and translates insights into clear actionable recommendations that delight customers and drive revenue.
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• Content Development / Program Testing
• Content Prioritization / Site Design / Usability
• Quantitative / Qualitative / Syndicated Research

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• Research Plans / Timelines / Budgets
• Business Savvy / Planning / Problem Solving
• Advertising Positioning and Effectiveness

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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

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TV2020 Consulting & Insights – Proprietor 2012 – Current

Providing management consulting, audience measurement, analytics and turn-key marketing research using the most effective contemporary research methods for digital video content.

Microsoft – Director of Campaign Insights, Redmond WA 2011– 2012

Developed analytics and media strategy across global MSFT brands using advanced effectiveness tools such as GfK comScore and Nielsen IAG to measure, optimize and grow effectiveness of traditional, digital, emerging and social advertising campaigns. Managed the MSFT emerging media program and the agency analytics team.

• Conducted evaluation of Hulu+, addressable TV, and advanced television offerings.
• Led the evaluation, testing and MSFT adoption of Nielsen’s OCR (Online Campaign Ratings) and comScore’s
  VCE (Verifiable Campaign Ratings) for impression based measurement of digital advertising.
• Optimized Hispanic advertising, measured MS Store advertising tags, and quantified social media impact for
  the 2012 ARF Ogilvy Award winning holiday campaign.
• Created a platform for Search Engine Marketing and a ground breaking solution for SEM impact on a brand recognized for innovation at the ARF’s Great Minds Awards 2012. Windows Phone perception grew +57%.
• Introduced innovative positioning based sales strategy to Bing with $100 million + revenue potential.

NBCU – VP of Consumer & Strategic Insights, weather.com & The Weather Channel, Atlanta GA 1998– 2010

Provided recommendations, forecasting, testing, analytics and audience measurement that drove the business through launches, strategies, brand positioning, programming, content prioritization, design, distribution agreements, and advertising sales. Led research planning, budgeting, for applications, websites, widgets, mobile, radio, TV and licensed products.

• Negotiated measurement contracts and advanced solutions with Nielsen and comScore.
• Designed and presented segmentation studies and recommendations for four competitive markets that drove strategy, execution, prioritization, and content decisions by platform.
• Developed and tested products and partnerships including websites, mobile apps, desktop widgets and iTVas weather.com became the #1 news site and Top 20 overall (40M viewers, 1.2B monthly page views 2009).
• Proposed break structure resulting in highest rating retention and ad recall in the industry.
• Equated metrics from different sources and developed a market share to inform and position TWCC as a cross-platform/integration leader.
• Proposed new networks, content partnerships, new products and a signature program strategy that inspired the launch of TWC’s first long-form program. Led development and launch of Storm Stories and It Could Happen Tomorrow which boosted time period ratings by +80% and +40% respectively and saw total advertising revenue grow by +7%, +15% and +9% each year following 2003 launch.
• Managed $2 million budget in support of TWCC’s rapid growth – the 2nd network to reach 100 million subscribers.
• Anticipated and forecasted a rating decline and provided growth solutions before the company was offered for sale. Contributed to the positioning materials and buyer’s Q&A sessions leading to the $3.5B sale.
• Informed ownership transition to private equity (Bain Capital, Blackstone) and NBC Universal.

Time Warner – Director of Audience Research, CNN & Headline News, Atlanta GA 1993– 1998

Managed audience measurement and primary research. Regularly reported to top management (marketing, programming, distribution) and presidents of CNN, HLN, CNN en Espanol, CNNSI, CNNfn

• Provided critical insights that impacted Headline News subscription growth to 66.9M in 1998 (up +64% from 1992 compared to cable industry up +35%).
• Sold in and completed sports segmentation study producing consumer value proposition, competitive insights and recommendations for the CNN/Sports Illustrated network launch in December 1996.
• Worked on the first measurement of CNN Interactive which became CNN.com in 1995.

Time Warner – Associate Director of Research, Turner Broadcasting, Atlanta GA 1992– 1993

• Proposed, inspired, developed and launched the original Headline News SportsTicker – the first scrolling news ticker on television – that lifted HLN ratings +60% in 1994. Created internal and external partnerships.
• Developed marketing, programming and audience development strategies.
• Wrote the network’s first on-air and cross-promotion media plan.
• Tracked brand equity, customer satisfaction and the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and promotions
• Managed national news viewer opportunity analysis and segmentation study
• Helped develop the positioning of individual programs like Sports Tonight and CNN Presents, managed positioning for press releases and interviews, and project managed new product and program tests

EDUCATION
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Michigan State University – Eli Broad School of Management, East Lansing, MI

MBA – Marketing (Research, Statistics); BA – Telecommunication

 

Awards, Activities & Organizations
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• Ogilvy Silver Award for Microsoft Multi-Product Holiday Campaign 2012
• ARF Innovation in Advertising Research recognition, “Great Minds Awards” 2012
• MSU College of Communication Arts & Sciences Board of Directors 2008-Present
• CTAM Research Leadership Committee 2007-2012
• Neurological Marketing Article published in Alert Magazine 2009
• CTAM Research Conference Speaker on Neurological Advertising Research 2009
• PROMAX|BDA Silver Award for When Weather Changed History spots 2009
• Strategic Chairperson for TWCC Diversity Council 2007- 2009
• CTAM Case Study Award & Journal Article: CNN/SI’s Sports Segmentation 2007
• Outstanding Alumni Award, MSU College of Communication Arts & Sciences 2001

Expertise and Measurement Tool Keywords
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MS Office, Nielsen, IAG, Explorer, NPower, StarMedia, Arianna, comScore, Nielsen Online, Omniture, Atlas, DoubleClick, OCR, VCE, Web Analytics, Segmentation, Modeling, Brand Equity, Copy Test, Usability, Multiplatform, Digital, Search, Mobile, MRI, Simmons, @Plan, Syndicated Research, Social, Qualitative, Quantitative