1.2 Created By A Working Marketing Professional

This book is designed to give you the tools and knowledge to effectively brand, build and execute marketing plans for businesses, products and services. The skills and strategies you will learn are applicable across the spectrum of businesses—from large consumer product brands to small mom-and-pops; from insurance agents to dentists; and from home designers to web-based businesses. It has been developed by Eric D. Schulz, a 25-year marketing professional who has spent a career leading marketing efforts for some of the world's best marketing companies—Procter & Gamble, Disney, Coca-Cola, and others.

At Coca-Cola, I developed and executed the world's most expansive and expensive marketing program: the company's sponsorship of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. The plan was executed in 152 countries around the world, at a cost exceeding $450 million. Despite the hefty price tag, the campaign increased global sales volume by 9 percent, global profits by 22 percent, and Coke's stock price jumped 32 percent over the nine-month period leading up to the Games when my plans were being executed.

Many of the products you have in your home have had my hands guiding their success. I was the inventor of the spout on your orange juice carton. At Disney I created the "Direct-to-Video" movie category that generates almost a half-billion dollars annually for my beloved Mouseketeers. I have marketed household beverage staples including Folgers coffee, Hawaiian Punch, Coca-Cola, Sprite, PowerAde, and Minute Maid. I've consulted for eBay & PayPal, and marketed businesses across the spectrum of entertainment, including Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus, Disney On Ice, the Utah Jazz of the NBA, local television & radio stations, and a movie theatre chain. I worked with NBC and World Wrestling Entertainment to launch the XFL Football League and have experience in the non-profit space with Special Olympics and the Utah Governor's Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities. I've consulted with businesses large and small, from Time-Warner and On-Demand to InCharge Debt Solutions, Perfetti Van Melle confectionary brands, and even Islandz Caribbytes, a small startup in the Bahamas selling unique tourist memorabilia. I even created and launched a prototype preschool for franchising, and developed the introductory marketing plans for a unique kitchen gadget called, "The Shrimp Butler".

Through this wide and varied pool of experiences, I have brought together for this book the best practices and strategies that have been proven over time to be the most effective at generating customer interest and sales. The objective of this book is simple: to provide you with the tools and expertise to effectively brand your products and services, then build and execute marketing plans, tilting the table in your favor to sell more products using less time, money and effort.