Marketing consultant, Fractional CMO, brand strategy, energetic speaker, foodie, soccer player, and proud Dad

I’m passionate about marketing and building brands, and that energy is evident from the first moment of interaction. My approach combines curiosity with strategic thinking and creative solutions to help businesses stand out and grow through effective marketing.

With over 20 years of experience, I’ve led transformative projects across diverse industries, including technology, medtech, consumer goods, and professional services—serving both B2C and B2B clients. In 2012, I founded Common Giant, where I helped companies harness branding as a competitive advantage in a crowded marketplace.

Throughout my career, I’ve worked client-side managing retail stores up to $52MM in revenue, served as VP of Brand Strategy on the agency side, launched an agency with global clients, and acted as a fractional CMO for multiple businesses. My experience spans branding, marketing strategy, and creative execution across a variety of business models.

"The guy you want in the room." - Former coworker.

I believe in these four core principles:

1 - Marketing is a business practice. 
It’s not just about promotion. Marketing is a series of levers to pull for higher profits.

2 - Know the customer as much as you know yourself.
Understand what, how, and where your customers buy to serve them best.

3 - Grow the orchard while you sell the fruit.
Focus on long-term brand growth while capitalizing on immediate sales.

4 - Boring is expensive.
Mediocre marketing is forgettable, less effective, and costs more in the long run.

Beyond my work with brands, I'm an enthusiastic keynote speaker, delivering engaging talks on branding, marketing, creative problem-solving in business, and effective marketing strategies to audiences of all sizes.

Phillip Oakley

I work with CMOs in higher education to develop the institution’s brand strategy and brand campaign. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

- conducting quantitative and qualitative research
- conducting and overseeing market research
- facilitating on-site and virtual intake sessions with all groups of people from students to C suite.
- identifying target audiences and determining brand positioning
- leading cross-functional teams to rebrand, brand launch, and brand refresh
- work closely with creative teams to ensure that all brand-related materials are aligned with strategy and are meeting the client’s needs
- monitor and analyze brand performance
- manage brand and admissions enrollment accounts as main point of contact
- prepare and assist sales pitches
- aide in the development of internal marketing initiatives

Director of Brand Strategy

RingoFire

I generate comprehensive strategies for brands based on insights, analytics and market research to communicate a clear and cohesive brand and marketing direction for the client and our team. Created strategies ensure everything our agency implements for our clients (from large scale production to media buys and ads) are aligned with their mission and vision and ensures our client's success.

All strategies are formed to grow brand awareness, increase offering perceptions and improve customer experience.

Senior Brand Strategist

Graphic Designer

Steeplechase Collective

Independent Business Owner

Director of Brand Strategy at GMB

As a multidisciplinary brand strategist, I balance human connection with professionalism to help brands resonate deeply with their audiences. I streamline planning processes and ensure seamless strategy implementation across departments.

My focus is on making brands more relatable and creating and encouraging meaningful connections that drive engagement and loyalty, both internally and externally.

At GMB, I’m actively involved in Student Engagement, where I develop strategies to connect with higher education students, aligning our efforts with our mission to create abundance in education. As part of our Design Table, I keep our internal team inspired and promote design thinking and innovation across disciplines. Additionally, I’m a member of our Teammate Engagement team, dedicated to developing and maintaining a culture of wellbeing and belonging and inclusiveness within our company.

This work is complex and ever-evolving, keeping me curious and eager to learn with every new challenge.

taplio

The Battle

Phillip Oakley

Elliot Lollis

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