Alana A. Reid
Using authentic storytelling and innovative creativity to build meaningful connections with brands to drive results.
I enjoy all things art and identify as a student of life. I am a marketer who takes pride in curating, creating, executing and strategizing marketing and communication plans that align with brands' higher-level objectives. I have successfully navigated the advertising, medical, and banking industries for B2B, B2C and D2C brands.
5 Topics of Interest
Social impact marketing
Music - Jazz, Oprah, Hip Hop, R&B, Classical
Technology transforming marketing
Korean Dramas
Travel
PROJECTS
Establishing Brand Identity In Canada & U.S.
Challenge
Dr. Patricia Oyetakin recognized the importance of building a social media presence to draw in patients and solidify her position as a respected figure in the field. This decision emerged during her transition from being a dermatologist in Canada to returning to the United States to practice in Atlanta. Her challenge lies in leveraging social media and PR to showcase her expertise and capture the attention of prospective patients.
Approach
Developing a comprehensive strategy involves the deliberate showcasing of Dr. Patricia Oyetakin's personality, values, and passions across various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok. Additionally, my approach encompasses the acquisition of press coverage, strategically positioning her not only within the academic realm but also as a prominent figure in the beauty industry. This multifaceted strategy aims to create a strong and authentic online presence while simultaneously broadening her visibility and influence across diverse sectors.
Results *Over a 5-month time period
Over a 5 month time period*
423 Followers
24,000 Reach
63,000 Impressions
40% Engagement Rate
849 Followers
332 Profile Views
83,275 Impressions
93% Engagement Rate
PR
Features in Allure, Women's Health and Health Central
4 articles within 30 days
Open Rate: 40.00% Response Rate: 10.53% Conversion Rate: 100.00%
Challenge
As a marketing professional with a deep understanding of the medical industry, I am proud to be working with Dr. Chaula Mehta to help launch her clinic and increase brand awareness. In today's digital age, it is essential for doctors to have a strong presence on marketing and social media in order to promote their services and grow their practice. By leveraging these powerful tools, we are positioning Dr. Mehta for success in the competitive healthcare landscape.
Approach
I created a business and personal branding strategy for Dr. Mehta that would utilize social media platforms (LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook) to strengthen the doctor's brand awareness and support their goal of generating patient leads. Each social platform was identified and created for personal and business, with a curated tone and aesthetic. Every month, the doctor would receive the copy, assets and visual directions for the coming month's posts.
Results *over a 10-month period
900 Followers
50,437 Impressions
55.6% Engagement Rate
The Power of Branding and Social Media: A Doctor's Journey
The Advertising Industry: Shaping Culture and Popular Trends
Challenge
As a member of the Hylink Digital marketing team, I faced the challenge of obtaining Western media coverage for the agency with a limited budget of $2,500 for 2022. Through my strategic planning and creative problem-solving skills, I was able to successfully secure media coverage and showcase the agency's expertise to a wider audience.
Approach
The pandemic has transformed the media landscape into a pay-to-play environment, making it more challenging for companies to secure coverage. I developed a pitch strategy that personalized, maximized, and monitored the number of pitches we sent, and also created the agency's first external newsletter to introduce ourselves to the media and share our valuable insights. In addition, I leveraged social media as a tool to educate the public about our services, share our published content, and support our SEO objectives. As a result of these efforts, Hylink Digital was featured in 99 publications in 2022, including Forbes, Fast Company, BOF, JingDaily, Campaign, AdExchanger, and USA Today.
Media Results
1,000 daily pitches
30% average pitch open rate
1.5% average conversion rate
208% media mentions and growth from 2021
$2.1 billion publicity value generated
Monthly contributor to Campaign USA and Campaign Asia - $148,000 value saved.
Newsletter Results
20 editions
50% average newsletter open rate
90% SEO score
Humanizing Your Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategy
Challenge
In the wake of George Floyd's death in 2020, the global community began to more fully recognize the struggles faced by the Black community on a daily basis. Many corporations made pledges to prioritize equity and inclusion, but found it difficult to fully understand and address the experiences of Black individuals within their organizations. As a result, they turned to KDPM Group for support in navigating these complex issues and creating more inclusive environments.
Approach
In my role at KDPM Group, I conducted research and curated a Racism, Equity, and Inclusion Tool Kit to help corporations better understand and address issues of racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. The tool kit covered topics such as the current state of race relations, the importance of workplace diversity, the Black perspective, and how to make Black lives matter in corporate environments. I made this tool kit available for free to corporations in exchange for their email address, with the goal of providing them with insights and guidance on how to be allies to the Black community in the corporate workplace.
Results
I'm proud to report that our Racism, Equity, and Inclusion Tool Kit was well-received by the corporate community. Over 500 individuals from Canadian corporations downloaded the tool kit, demonstrating a strong desire to better understand and address issues of racism and inequality in the workplace. This response shows the importance of initiatives like ours in helping to create more inclusive and equitable environments for all.
Attracting International Students with Gamification
Challenge
University of Southern California (USC) enlisted the help of Hylink Digital to increase brand awareness and gain insights into the Chinese market. The school's goal was to use the Games Expo event to showcase its STEM program to potential students and their families through Chinese media, in an effort to attract international students. Hylink Digital was tasked with developing and implementing a strategy to achieve this goal.
Approach
As the leader of a team of three, I took on the challenge of helping USC increase brand awareness and attract international students through the Games Expo event in China. I worked closely with a team member responsible for Chinese media communication to develop a three-phase campaign that included a pre-event press release, an event featuring a student's story, and an interview with a major Chinese publication. Given the political climate in China, I carefully targeted a media distribution ratio of 40% gaming and 60% mainstream to ensure the success of the campaign. I oversaw the execution of the strategy and negotiated with the media to achieve our goals.
Results
11 published articles
3 media and influencer collaborations
116,153,900 total campaign reach
$55,375,475 media value of reads
The Adage 'You are Only as Good as Your Last Award
Challenge
In the competitive world of advertising agencies, it is important to consistently achieve recognition and success through awards. Hylink Digital had missed the awards window in 2021 and made it a priority to win awards in 2022, setting a target win rate of 40%. I was responsible for identifying the most suitable work and awards submission categories to help the agency reach this goal.
Approach
As the lead on awards submissions for Hylink Digital, I worked closely with a range of internal stakeholders, including the account team, the creative team, and the agency managing partners. My responsibilities included developing the award stories, writing case studies and scripts, and briefing the creative team to produce supporting short films. I also played a key role in mapping out the awards landscape and identifying the categories with the highest probability of success for Hylink Digital, based on a review of our past creative work and award winners. By carefully strategizing and executing our awards submissions, we aimed to achieve success and recognition in the competitive agency world.
Results
48 awards submissions
48% win rate
Reduced award costs by 22%, a 10% increase from 2021
Challenge
As one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, pre-pandemic New York City welcomed over 10 million visitors each year. In the first half of 2022, the city was eager to welcome travelers back again, despite the fact that a 21-day COVID quarantine was in place for Chinese travelers at the time. NYC & Co recognized the need to launch a campaign that reminded the world of the city's many attractions and encouraged travelers to book their trips now. As a marketing agency, we were eager to support this effort and help position New York City as a top destination for travelers.
Approach
To drive interest in New York City as a travel destination, NYC & Co partnered with Trip.com and Ctrip.com to launch two industry-first initiatives. The first was a virtual event hosted by Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com, called "It's Time for New York City," which aimed to showcase the city's many attractions and encourage travelers to book their trips. The second was the launch of an NFT (non-fungible token) in the travel industry, which was designed to reward those who booked their trips during the event with exclusive NFTs. As the leader of this campaign, I identified key New York City scenes and opinion leaders that would appeal to the target audience and worked with the creative team to design the NFTs. My team promoted the event on WeChat and Weibo and I was responsible for writing and organizing the press release and report to support the campaign. By leveraging these innovative approaches, we aimed to drive interest in New York City as a top travel destination for the post-pandemic world.
Results
Within the first hour of the live stream event:
9,000+ Rooms booked
10,000+ Future bookings
$5 million U.S. Revenue
5:1 ROI
Travel’s First Streaming Event
It's All in the Data: Leveraging Insights to Drive Success for Sloafer
Challenge
Sloafer is a UK-based e-commerce shoe brand that has been in business for four years. The brand positions itself as the perfect ballerina sneaker and sought the help of Hylink Digital to grow brand awareness, form strategic partnerships, and increase sales in 2022. As a marketing agency, we were excited to work with Sloafer and help them achieve their growth goals.
Approach
As part of our marketing efforts for Sloafer, I used a combination of Shopify data and programmatic insights to accurately identify the brand's target demographic. From September onward, as an official new client of Hylink Digital, we focused on pitching Sloafer as the perfect shoe for the working woman, travel, and holiday gifting. To support these pitches, I created a media kit that was included with every pitch and curated a list of media outlets and influencers that included 50% traditional media, 30% social media, and 20% morning shows. By carefully targeting our pitches and leveraging a variety of marketing channels, we aimed to increase brand awareness and drive sales for Sloafer.
Results
The month of September was fruitful:
1,022 Pitches sent
54.03% Open rate
7.79% Response rate
25 partnership opportunities
From Seeing Patients To Online Digital Commercials
Challenge
Dr. Marjorie E. Dixon is a well-known and highly respected figure in the Canadian media landscape, regularly appearing as a guest on the popular morning show Cityline. She has also been identified as a key opinion leader for household brands. Given her expertise and credibility, Rexall selected Dr. Dixon to be featured in two online digital commercials to promote the flu shot and a supplement brand. These commercials were aimed at helping viewers prepare for the winter season and were intended to reach a wide audience.
Approach
As the project manager for Dr. Dixon's collaborations with Rexall, I was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the process. This included negotiating the contract, reviewing and approving the scripts and products featured in the commercials, and ensuring that the doctor remained compliant with Canadian medical regulations. I also attended the production sites to ensure that all aspects of the commercials, including the products and scripts, were in line with the agreement and Canadian health regulations. By carefully managing these details, I helped to ensure the success and integrity of the campaign.
Results
Through my efforts in managing Dr. Dixon's collaborations with Rexall, I was able to secure $20,000 in revenue from the two commercials. This was a significant achievement and a testament to the value and credibility that Dr. Dixon brings to these partnerships.