BRANDING
Beginning in June 2022, I held the role of Director of Marketing at Sellmark, where I was responsible for overseeing the Pulsar Optics brand. During my tenure, I focused on promoting Pulsar's innovative thermal optics, which are renowned for providing exceptional thermal imaging solutions to outdoor enthusiasts and professionals alike. This role allowed me to enhance the brand's market presence and foster a deeper connection with our target audience through strategic marketing initiatives.
YouTube Short Films
In mid-2024, we launched an initiative to create a series of short films designed to define the Pulsar brand story and showcase our thermal optics in action. These films have been highly effective in expanding our YouTube audience and boosting engagement levels. By weaving compelling narratives, these films have significantly enhanced brand awareness and fostered a strong emotional connection with our thermal optic consumers.
Pulsar Presents: Seasons of the Range 2025
Pulsar Presents: Born in the Dark 2025
Existing Advertising
Prior to My Arrival in 2022
Prior to June 2022, Pulsar's advertising strategy primarily consisted of studio imagery that was heavily focused on the product itself. This approach, however, proved to be ineffective in resonating with consumers. The lack of aspirational imagery meant there was little to establish an emotional connection with the thermal hunting audience, who value experiences and stories that tap into their passion for the outdoors. Furthermore, the advertising was similar to what competitors were producing, making it difficult for Pulsar's brand to stand out in a crowded market. This highlighted a clear need to rethink our advertising approach, focusing on creating more distinctive and emotionally engaging content that could better connect with our audience.
Rethinking Creative
Post June 2022
In collaboration with the creative, communications, and sales departments, we transformed our approach to advertising for the Pulsar brand. We began by conducting thorough research to gain a deeper understanding of our thermal consumers, segmenting them into three distinct categories and identifying common traits across these segments. By understanding how consumers use thermal optics regionally, recognizing our largest segments, and engaging with our fastest-growing ones, we were able to craft advertising that was both aspirational and emotionally resonant with our target audience. Rather than merely highlighting the product, our advertising showcased the experiences and adventures that our products enable, sparking curiosity and encouraging consumers to explore Pulsar's offerings further. This shift from promoting just a product to emphasizing how it enhances consumers' lifestyles has made a significant impact.
Digital Advertising
We implemented a comprehensive digital advertising approach aimed at driving consumers to our website and boosting e-commerce conversion rates. By meticulously tracking the performance of our digital advertisements, we were able to identify and focus on the most effective sources of traffic. This data-driven strategy enabled us to allocate our resources efficiently, ensuring that our ads reached the right audience at the right time. By continually optimizing our campaigns based on real-time data, we not only increased website traffic but also successfully converted visits into sales, further enhancing our overall marketing success.
To develop a successful email marketing strategy, we partnered with various companies within the outdoor industry, collaborating on campaigns that significantly boosted our email list by an impressive 1400% over three years. A key component of this success was examining consumer behavior closely and segmenting our audience into those interested in handheld thermal optics and those looking for rifle-mounted options. This allowed us to tailor content specifically to their interests, effectively driving clickthroughs. By consistently developing fresh and relevant content, we not only increased open rates but also improved clickthrough rates, which in turn boosted conversions on our e-commerce platforms. This strategic and targeted approach has proven highly effective in engaging our audience and driving sales.
Trade Show Booth
When I stepped into the role of Director of Marketing in 2022, we made the strategic decision to redesign our trade show booths to provide each of our five brands with distinct spaces within the same 30x80-foot area. The challenge was to optimize this space efficiently while maintaining cost-effectiveness. This innovative booth design made its debut at the 2023 NSSF SHOT Show in Las Vegas, successfully showcasing each brand individually while maximizing both space and budget.
