Advisor Spotlight: Julie Ennis, Marketing and PR Consultant

By Julie Ennis

What was the most impactful marketing strategy implemented during your corporate career?

At General Mills, I was working on a business that had been steadily declining (along with the rest of the category). I led a six-month project to explore multiple hypotheses on what was driving the decline, including doing some fascinating consumer immersion work. The result of the project was a new messaging strategy that increased advertising ROI by 41% and stemmed the declines we’d been seeing in the business.

How do you use your passions to drive success in the workplace?

The reason I went out on my own to do brand and marketing strategy consulting was because I love the challenge of jumping into entirely new situations, learning about new brands and organizations, and helping provide a fresh perspective.

What makes your consulting techniques unique and effective?

I don’t start a consulting engagement assuming I know all the answers – I really enjoy learning a new business and team and then working alongside them to tackle tough problems. I also customize everything for each client – I don’t believe in off-the-shelf project plans or solutions.

How has your past work experience allowed you to grow?

I’ve been really fortunate to have had a broad mix of experiences over the years, from working in marketing research, to management, to retail marketing; and I’ve also had some great opportunities to tackle “non-traditional” roles like working cross-functionally within an R&D organization. Learning to adapt to different organizational cultures, business situations, and functional roles has given me a much better appreciation for the many factors and perspectives I need to consider in my consulting work.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

My two boys, ages 6 and 8, keep me pretty busy…but they’re also getting to the age where they can join me in some of my favorite things to do – like running, hiking, and cross-country skiing!