J. Edward Christopher

Driving growth and building brands with proven leadership and measurable results.

  • Work Highlights
    • American Express OPEN Start Booming
    • American Express Small Business Saturday
    • Volkswagen Das Auto Brand Launch
    • Volkswagen TDI Cup
    • Influencer, Content and Lead Gen Platforms
    • LendingTree.com
    • All Work Highlights
  • Contact

American Express OPEN Start Booming

In 2009, small business owners were reeling from the recession, worn down by shrinking demand and economic uncertainty. American Express OPEN stepped in with a mission to help them recover and grow stronger. Owners gained access to charge cards with real purchasing power, along with a suite of digital apps to streamline productivity and marketing.

Through OPEN Forum, they could tap into expert insights, practical advice, and peer networking. And to give them what they needed most, which was customers, OPEN launched Small Business Saturday, a nationwide shopping movement.

Start Booming was the platform that brought these tools, services, and community initiatives together to help small businesses not just survive but thrive. The integrated campaign drove brand reappraisal by 30% and accelerated customer acquisition.

American Express Small Business Saturday

In 2010, Small Business Saturday, a new shopping day was created between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, to support small businesses, create jobs, preserve neighborhoods and fuel local economies nationwide.

In its first year, Small Business Saturday became the fastest growing site on Facebook with 1.2 million people joining in the first two weeks. Small businesses reported a 27% increase in sales from customers using their American Express cards during a weekend that saw overall retail sales increase 9%. Recognized as one of AdAge’s "Top 15 Campaigns of the 21st Century."

Volkswagen Das Auto Brand Launch

Leveraged the new Volkwsagen global brand platform Das Auto to start laying the foundation for volume growth in the US. Volkswagen had been co-opted by various niche groups over the years which created the wrong perception of the brand as well as barriers to growth.

Max, a 1964 Beetle, was created to tell the real Volkswagen story of German engineering and innovation priced for the people. In the launch campaign Max talks to notable figures from pop culture about what the people want.

We extended this campaign into individual model launches including 5 in one year. This integrated campaign increased brand consideration by 23% and loyalty by 28%, resulting in market share growth of 25%.

Volkswagen TDI Cup

The world's first green racing series designed to prove the VW Jetta TDI is both eco-friendly and fun to drive.

30 young drivers racing 30 identical Clean Diesel race cars for the chance to win $100,000. Each race was televised as a 30-minute episode on Speed TV, Planet Green and Discovery, culminating in a 90 minute documentary, Racing Under Green.

The series was highly successful, running for three seasons and generating strong engagement while driving increased consideration of VW clean diesel models.

Influencer, Content and Lead Gen Platforms

Multiple IBM content platforms strategically designed as lead-generation engines.

By leveraging premium, high-value content, they engaged prospects at every stage of the purchase journey, providing the insights and information needed to build trust, demonstrate expertise, and drive decision-making.

At the same time, they served existing customers with targeted, actionable guidance to deepen loyalty and maximize the value of their relationship. Every piece of content was purpose-built to capture interest, nurture leads, and convert engagement into measurable business results, creating a seamless path from discovery to purchase while reinforcing the brand’s authority and credibility.

LendingTree.com

Brand and product campaign that established LendingTree.com as the dominant online lending company and successfully launched its real estate offering.

Within three years, drove brand awareness from 26% to 73% among U.S. adults, and increased loan volume by 294% while cutting acquisition costs by 64%.

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jedwardchristopher@gmail.com | 305-761-0014