Tyler McDonald

Passionate about market research and driven by strategic thinking, I specialize in understanding audiences and uncovering the key factors that motivate and influence their behaviors. With a keen ability to help companies effectively communicate and capture their target market, I have played a pivotal role in supporting clients across industries - from building and repairing reputations to navigating crises, winning elections, launching new products, entering global markets, and creating integrated campaigns.

With a diverse range of experiences spanning various sectors, I have developed a strong interest in financial services, aviation, healthcare, and sports & entertainment. Previous clients include: Delta Air Lines, Citibank, BlackRock, AMEX, Discover, WEX, Google, John Deere, Hilton Hotels, the New York Yankees, ESPN, DAZN, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, StubHub, and British American Tobacco.

Areas of Expertise: Strategic Planning, Audience Insights, Data Analytics, Corporate Narrative Development, Creative Campain Planning, Brand Strategy, Workshop Facilitation, Channel Planning, and Market Research (Qualitative & Quantitative).

National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), Gilbert AZ

Senior Brand Marketing Manager March 2024- Present

• Lead a team of six overseeing brand strategy, public relations, social media, international marketing, global tradeshows/events, and market research for NASM, AFAA, and ClubConnect brands. 
• Develop brand partnership strategy and oversee the global programs including campaigns, events, activation and all related activities; manage budgets and report on KPIs.
• Work with product managers and product development teams to conduct qualitative and quantitative research, develop personas and go-to-market strategy plans; developed a strategic audience pivot of our wellness product to focus on a which increased revenue by 22% in Q1-Q3 of 2024. 
• Lead strategic brand and marketing projects for the company including a pricing analysis, concept validation testing, implemented a referral strategy and platform, and external review audit and strategy; spearheaded a customer journey analysis which insights and recommendations led to several initiatives aimed at improving the cart experience and overall customer satisfaction scores.

Market Intelligence and Insights Manager June 2023 – March 2024

• Built NASM's primary research strategy, ensuring alignment with brand and business goals; established and managed vendor relationships, optimized resource allocation, and fostered collaborative environment with cross-functional teams to ensure data-driven decision making.
• Created and grew NASM’s insight community to a database of ~2,000 individuals across demographics that have opted in to take part in future research studies; This community streamlined operations with survey deployment and decreased incentive costs, allowing for research to be completed in shorter timelines. 
• Directed NASM's Academic brand narrative project, leveraged customer interviews to develop audience personas; authored a brand narrative that serves as a foundation for communications and brand identity across touchpoints including the redesign of the website and brand marketing materials.

Edelman, New York City, New York May 2021 – June 2023

Vice President / Brand Strategy Director

• Led strategic brand development for 25+ clients, driving the strategic planning process from creative brief development to execution of brand marketing campaigns and initiatives.
• Directed the development of a brand safety guidebook for a leading agricultural manufacturer, evaluating potential risks around hot button and relevant issues for the brand and serving as a guide for day-to-day marketing, communications and event decision making.
• Crafted a strategic brand narrative for a B2B payments company to position itself as a leader in the EV transition for fleet management. Developed an EV-focused narrative and new tagline that launched at EV London, and guided all messaging, marketing materials, and speeches for the brand.
• Designed and executed an audience insights project aimed at understanding the thought leadership consumption and wants of commercial banking decision-makers. Developed a comprehensive channel strategy that effectively targeted sub-audiences, resulting in increased content engagement, including 35% higher click-through rates and 20% more downloads. The success of this project led to three additional scopes of work (~$300K) across the firm with new client groups.

BrandOutlook, Scottsdale, AZ January 2020 – May 2021

Associate Director 

• Managed key client accounts across pharmaceutical, hospitality, and financial services industries; scoped, designed, and managed market research projects; managed concurrent project timelines and budgets; oversaw vendors and 1-2 project staff members.
• Synthesized data from primary and secondary data sources and translated findings into clear and compelling narratives with actionable recommendations and solutions.
• Built out new market research offerings, including the introduction of proprietary research methods; evolved best practices and trained team on new technology and practices.
• Led segmentation and persona development for a global pharmaceutical client which resulted in the development of data-driven messaging plans and go-to-market strategies for physicians across the U.S. and secured approval in key European markets for a first-of-its-kind immunotherapy.

Golin, Washington, D.C. April 2018 – December 2019

Senior Manager – Explorer; Analytics and Insights 

• Established the firm’s qualitative research capability; co-led the market research team, GolIntel, growing it from an internal corporate resource to a client-facing team with several market research-only clients, bringing in a total revenue of $1.1 million in 2019.
• Proposed and directed more than 40 strategic research projects, including primary and secondary research approaches that provided actionable insights and compelling PR narratives for clients.
• Managed a $120K annual research budget for Discover Financial Services; wrote and fielded yearly tracking surveys as well as ad hoc surveys resulting in data-driven insights for PR campaigns; led strategy sessions to develop new brand narratives, content, visual assets, and marketing plans. 

Luntz Global Partners, Washington, D.C. September 2015- April 2018

 Strategist

• Designed and executed communications and marketing research projects; drafted materials for 150+ focus groups; identified and prepared creative content for dial testing; moderated 20+ focus groups across 4 global markets; wrote survey questionnaires; and presented findings to stakeholders.
• Assisted in the development and design of a proprietary mobile application that was used to collect real-time data at focus groups; performed UX testing, developed SOP, and trained staff. 
• Launched and managed the firm’s internship program, mentoring 12 full-time time interns over three cycles and leading to the hiring of four individuals as full-time staff.

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Affairs from The George Washington University

Graduate certificate in International Business Management from Georgetown University.

Graduate certificate in Global Sports Management from New York University.