Colin G Chase

Seeking Contract Opportunities

Colin Chase is currently seeking consulting opportunities in the fields of eCommerce, Online Marketing (SEO/SEM), Brand Marketing, Shopper Marketing, Cross Promotion Management, Project Management, SEO Management, and Interactive or Traditional Marketing. Chase is seeking contract work (such as through a 1099 Contract or services paid directly to Chase-It Marketing™).

Colin Chase has been employed in various marketing capacities since 2000, while his Internet prowess dates back to the beginning of the World Wide Web in 1993. Chase has held positions in eCommerce, Online / Internet Marketing, Agency Marketing and Advertising, and Interactive Marketing. He has held titles such as: Director of eCommerce, eCommerce Manager, Director of Marketing, Project Manager, Marketing Film / Animation Producer and Director, and Lead Creative Agent.

Chase has seventeen (17) years of professional experience, with nearly 12 years being in management and director roles. Chase began his career as a Computer Technician and Network Administrator for a SUNY Community College from 1995 through 1999. In 2000 Chase went on to start his own marketing agency and firmly established himself in Online Marketing, Brand Marketing, and Interactive Marketing.

Chase was able to achieve a level of prominent success within interactive marketing from 2000 through the end of 2007 servicing niche Manufacturers before repositioning solely into eCommerce in 2008. For two years Chase guided the Online efforts of a mid-sized, family-run eRetail company in Buffalo, NY (best known for their website PoolSupplies.com). This company realized nearly 25% growth per year in the Internet Division that Chase managed, for the two years of Chase's employment at the height of the worst economic Recession since WWII. This growth came from within the Leisure Industry at a time when this industry was experiencing negative growth.

From 2010 through 2012 Chase directed the Online and Brand Marketing efforts of an emerging brand within the Snack Food industry that has become established in several retail chains across the US. The specific products marketed by Chase being primarily "Freeze-dried Fruit" which is categorized as a "Healthy Snack" and is a sub-set of the very large "Dried Fruit" market of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG). Due to Chase's multi-channel approach he was able to grow online revenue for the primary brand (Brothers-All-Natural) by 60% in 2011 alone.

Article Propagation and Press Releases 2012

PR - It All Begins

Cross Promotions

Expert Endorsements

It Often Begins with a Press Release

Colin Chase has explained to many clients and employers that submitting Press Releases to a national Press Release Distribution Network can have multiple affects:

1) Press Releases will get the company name or brand out there on the national stage to be noticed and heard.

2) Press Releases will bring back to the company or brand's website "authoritative" external back-links to aid with the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts.

And 3) Press Releases can get the company or brand noticed by potential partners as well as journalists.

[See the other article about Press Releases here - Article Propagation and Press Releases in 2009 as well as the one you are now reading Article Propagation and Press Releases in 2012.]

In 2010 when Chase was hired as the Director of eCommerce for the brand Brothers-All-Natural he also argued for the use of Press Releases. The reason for the arguments is that to publish a Press Release to a Press Release Distribution Network can cost hundreds of dollars (even thousands for enhanced features). However, Chase's arguments were properly heard by the Co-CEOs and in November and December of 2010 he wrote and published two Press Releases. The first dealt with the new website's launch (published November 5th 2010 - click here to view) and the second dealt with the launch of a new flavor (published December 9th 2010 - click here to view).

By the end of December 2011, just as Chase stated could happen (though Chase did stress that there are no guarantees), a marketing firm associated with Warner Brothers Home Video (WHV) contacted Colin Chase (he being the press release's author and listed contact). This led to Chase's becoming affiliated with Addie Van Gessel of Vertical Marketing. The two companies moved quickly and established Brothers-All-Natural's first Sweepstakes for the DVD Release of Yogi Bear in March 2011. This promotion really required a lot of effort on Brothers-All-Natural's end without a whole lot of support from WHV or Vertical Marketing and this was especially true due to being our first such sweepstakes.

Sweepstakes and Cross Promotions

The "Yogi Bear / Brothers-All-Natural DVD Release Sweepstakes" was a success by generating publicity for both the Yogi Bear DVD and Brothers-All-Natural's Fruit Crisps. This sweepstakes brought in over 10,000 entries, which equated to about 3,000 individuals (as you could enter multiple times) and 20% of the entrants joined the brand's Email Marketing List (an option on the sweepstakes form). So the real benefit for Brothers-All-Natural was having 600 new email subscribers and 3,000 people potentially hearing about the brand for the first time. Though Chase has stated publicly that the effort necessary to make this happen quickly was a little daunting.

Within just a few months of the "Yogi Bear" Sweepstakes ending Chase was contacted by Chris Gordon, the Vice President of Promotions with Classic Media LLC. Clasic Media was responsible for creating and managing promotions for Big Idea Entertainment LLC, the owner of VeggieTales. Gordon had mentioned to Chase that "the folks over in Burbank speak well of you and the brand Brothers-All-Natural." And so after much dialog Brothers-All-Natural was conducting another Sweepstakes that also included true Cross Promotion components such as on-packaging stickering, DVD insert, and on-bag promotion (on the Fruit Crisps packaging). This came about because Chase wanted to up the ante and make the next Sweepstakes something more grand than the first one. (Press Release published November 16th 2011 - click here to view.)

The "VeggieTales: Little Drummer Boy / Brothers-All-Natural Sweepstakes and Rebate" brought in over 18,000 entries, which equated to about 5,000 individuals. Of these 5,000 people once again 20% joined the Email Marketing List and thus the real benefit for Brothers-All-Natural was the 1,000 new email subscribers. However, additionally each of the 250,000+ DVDs from VeggieTales included an outside sticker with the Brothers-All-Natural logo as well as an inside insert that included imagery and detailed information about Fruit Crisps and a cross-rebate (for purchasing both the DVD and Fruit Crisps). Brothers-All-Natural was reaching far more people within their primary target demographic ("Moms with Toddlers") than previously achieved.

Major Success May Take a Few Tries

Once Warner Brothers Home Video (WHV) became aware of the new situation achieved with VeggieTales and Brothers-All-Natural, they too wanted to push the envelope and make the next WHV Sweepstakes a true Cross Promotion. And so in March of 2012 the "Happy Feet Two / Brothers-All-Natural DVD Release Sweepstakes and Rebate" was launched.

The Happy Feet Two movie had not done as well as anticipated in the theaters and so it was conjectured that the cross promotion may not do as well as the previous ones had done. This fear presented by the Co-CEOs of Brothers-All-Natural was unfounded and did not happen to the thankfulness of Colin Chase. In fact the "Happy Feet Two / Brothers-All-Natural DVD Release Sweepstakes and Cross Promotion" was the most successful to date for the company. The Sweepstakes brought in over 60,000 entries, which equated to about 15,000 individuals. Of these 15,000 people, again 20% joined the Email Marketing List and thus 15,000 subscribers joined the list.

Each time a promotion was conducted about 20% of the entrants always joined the weekly Email Marketing List. Of these 20% approximately 33% would become regular recurring customers, which was believed to be from the quality of the Email Marketing they received afterward. (To read more about Colin Chase's Email Marketing Efforts please click here.) This entailed BrothersAllNatural.com receiving hundreds and then thousands of new customer orders from investing in cross promotions and sweepstakes. And these cross promotions and sweepstakes had their start due to well-crafted Press Releases and the due diligence and strong tenacity on behalf of Colin Chase.

Unthought of Success by Way of Unpaid Endorsements

Another great thing came from the Press Releases that Chase published, and this was a connection with two leading Health Educators. The first was a Registered Nurse from the Toledo OH area, Michelle Rowe, and the connection with Rowe was brought on by consistent Press Releases and Products Reviews on 3rd party review websites (independent reviews from "mom bloggers"). Michelle Rowe is a health and wellness speaker and is often on the news in the Toledo OH region touting the best ways to stay healthy and happy and to keep your kids the same too. [See Michelle Rowe's website here.]

The second unpaid endorsement that Chase secured for the brand Brothers-All-Natural was with Dr. Julia Kinder, a practising physician and health and wellness advocate specializing in "Children with Special Needs" arena. Dr. Kinder has a daughter with Down Syndrome and has become a well known and sought after health and wellness speaker on the national stage. [See Dr. Julia Kinder's website here.]

What is meant by unpaid or "non-remunerative" is that normally a product receives endorsements from experts or celebities in return for money from the brand or product owner. The endorsements that Chase orchestrated for Brothers-All-Natural from these two health and wellness experts came for the freeze-dried fruit line of products and were provided with no money being returned to the experts. In short, Chase garnered ethical endorsements for the products and in return the company agreed to support the efforts of the health experts in ethical manners (such as mentioning their speaking engagements on their website and on the social media pages, providing samples of the freeze-dried fruit for their speaking engagements, and the like - all highly ethical and non-monetary in nature).

Both Dr. Julia Kinder and Michelle Rowe came into contact with Colin Chase in response to different Press Releases he had published and other ethical forms of publicity that he had created for Brothers-All-Natural. Specifically the "Eat Healthier America" Press Release (click here to view) and publicity campaign orchestrated and implemented by Chase had resonated well with both Dr. Kinder and Rowe. Furthermore, both Dr. Julia Kinder and Michelle Rowe allowed themselves to be quoted in two subsequent Press Releases for the freeze-dried fruit products on separate occassions. In these Press Releases Dr. Kinder and Rowe were quoted making endorsements of the products for several health-related reasons. Such endorsements of products are highly valuable for a brand and can only be obtained when trust and confidence is garnered for products and only when orchestrated through ethical professionals representing said products. [To see the Press Releases in which the Health Experts are quoted please click here for the one dated October 13th 2011 and click here for the one dated April 9th 2012.]

Dr. Kinder also went on to appear on a nationally syndicated television show that Chase has spearheaded in July 2012 just as he was exiting the company and moving into new directions with his career. Chase had argued with the Co-CEOs to allow him to coordinate television appearances for their freeze-dried fruit brand, and Chase had pushed for several such appearances in 2011 and 2012. In April 2012 the Co-CEOs agreed and allowed Chase to make this happen for their primary brand and in July 2012 this television show aired in over 38 million homes across the US.

Dr. Julia Kinder and Michelle Rowe continue to work with Colin Chase as he transitions into the next phase of his career. Please click here to read Dr. Kinder's and Michelle Rowe's professional recommendations of Colin Chase and his marketing prowess.

back to home