Mandi Gould, Marketing Director

With over 20 years of marketing experience, Mandi is a forward thinking strategist who knows how to bring a marketing plan to full realization. From the big picture vision to the minute daily execution, her clients and colleagues call her the most competent, reliable, and results-oriented person on any team. 

Highlights

  • Two Decades of Marketing Mastery: Over 20 years of rich experience in the marketing field, showcasing versatility across various sectors including the arts, corporate institutions, non-profits, e-commerce, SaaS, and event promotions.
  • Strategic Visionary: Demonstrated expertise in developing and implementing innovative marketing strategies, adept at identifying market trends and tailoring approaches to diverse industries.
  • Project Management: Proficient in leading complex projects from conception to completion, ensuring seamless execution and delivery within stipulated timelines.
  • Dynamic Team Leadership: Skilled in guiding multidisciplinary teams, fostering a collaborative environment that encourages creativity and drives high-performance outcomes.
  • Entrepreneurial Spirit: Successfully established and managed a full-service marketing agency, exemplifying strong business acumen, self-motivation, and organizational excellence.
  • Exceptional Multitasking & Time Management: Renowned for efficiently juggling multiple tasks, prioritizing responsibilities, and adhering to tight deadlines without compromising quality.
  • Adaptable Team Player & Leader: Equally effective working independently and in leading teams, known for a hands-on approach in steering projects to success.
  • High-Stakes Client Coordination: Proven track record of working closely with executive-level clients, managing high-stakes ventures with professionalism and strategic insight.
  • Cutting-Edge Marketing Insights: Constantly updated with the latest marketing trends and technologies, proficient in various digital operating systems and programs.
  • Driven for Challenges: Highly motivated individual with a thirst for new challenges, always seeking opportunities to grow and excel.
  • Operational Excellence: Aided Chief Operations Officer in comprehensive docket lifecycle management, streamlining company-wide operations.
  • Global Perspective: Cultivated an international client base, gaining valuable experience and insights from working across multiple cultures and geographies.
  • Record-Keeping & Oversight Expertise: Exceptional at generating and maintaining meticulous records, overseeing project milestones, and ensuring team alignment with goals.

Career Overview

  • Marketing Director & Social Media Strategist, Merged Media (July 2022-present)
  • Account Manager, Dog and Pony Studios (Oct 2021-June 2022)
  • CEO & Marketing Director, Barker Social Marketing (2016-Sep 2021)
  • Marketing Director for Ahoy Vintage Cruises 
  • Marketing Director for Stepping Out Vintage (previously known as Roaring Twenties Events)
  • Member of the Board of Advisors for the Frankie Manning Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization in the United States 501(c)(3) (2011-2020)
  • Marketing Director for Swedes in New York City including a panel at Lincoln Center (May 2019)
  • Producer for a special event and performance at the Rockefeller Estate in Tarrytown, NY (April 2016)
  • Promoter for the Niagara VegFest (2014-2016)
  • Promoter for the Niagara Jazz Festival (2014-2015)
  • Freelance Marketing (2014-2016)
  • Marketing Director & Producer for the performance Swingin’ Frankie’s Way at Harlem’s World Famous Apollo Theater in New York City (May 2014)
  • Marketing Director & Overall Event Organizer for Frankie100, the largest swing dance festival and convention in history in New York City; $800K 5-day 2000+ person (2013-2014)
  • Marketing Director & CEO of Bees’ Knees Dance, Toronto’s leading swing dance studio (1999-2014)
  • Marketing Director Health Nut, an independent health food business (2010-2012)
  • Marketing Director for Niagara Rawstock, a wildly successful raw food festival in Niagara on the Lake (2011-2012)
  • Project Coordinator to the Country Leader of Canada for Futurestep, a Korn Ferry Company; global industry leader in middle management search (2005-2009)
  • Branch Manager for Quantum Management Solutions , a staffing firm in downtown Toronto (2004-2005)
  • Promoter & Administrator for the Herrang Dance Camp in Sweden, the world’s largest swing dance camp (2003-2004)
  • Promoter & Tour Organizer for the Harlem Hot Shots award winning performance troupe (2002-2003)

Video Productions

Examples of video projects I spearheaded for clients: 

Client Examples

Unique in the Creek

uniqueinthecreek.com

A true Canadian success story! Taking the niche craft supply industry by storm, Mandi led the Barker Social Marketing team to form Unique in the Creek’s digital marketing department. 

Marketing Strategy

Leveraging a combination of DIY tutorials and personal branding to drive ecommerce sales, this marketing strategy benefitted particularly from Facebook and YouTube live videos and strong community engagement.
 

“Mandi is our social media strategist and digital back bone. From content to blogging, she is a huge part of the voice behind the UITC™ brand, she makes us look good. Mandi does amazing work!”

~Tanya Head
Director of Sales, Unique in the Creek

$93K Single Day Sales

KPI - Special campaign in April 2021 that generated $93K of sales in one day. Helped take the brand from $570K in 2020 to over $2M by the end of 2021.

Asgardia, the Space Nation

Managed the global digital marketing campaign for this international organization from 2017-2019, helping Asgardia grow to the point where they were ready to bring their marketing fully in-house in Vienna, Austria. 

Marketing Strategy

Coordinating with an international team of internal organization directors, community managers, and a high level SEO consultant, Mandi led an international team to execute an organic and paid strategy focusing on widespread brand exposure, community building, and content creation to drive website memberships. 
 
  • Paid Facebook & Instagram advertising – €1M+ ad spend
    • A/B/C/D testing, full targeting, retargeting, landing page, and CTA tracking 
  • Facebook Page – 198K
  • Facebook Group – 12K
  • Instagram – 58K 
  • Twitter – 18K
  • Daily industry news (blog copywriting) to support SEO

“Mandi Gould and her team have been with Asgardia since 2017. During this time they have done an excellent job, as a result of which we were able to get 1,000,000 followers. Their work with us has included social media ads, copywriting, daily news management, SEO, e-mail services and various digital project management. They have been an advantage for our marketing efforts. Thank you for your contribution and we hope for further cooperation!”

~Anna Grigg
Marketing Director, Asgardia

1M Website Registrants

KPI - The campaign resulted in over 1M registered website followers (part of their previous website membership campaign)

Owl Practice

owlpractice.ca

Growing alongside Owl Practice from 2016 to 2021, Mandi helped establish and grow Owl Practice to become Canada’s #1 platform for mental health practitioners.

Marketing Strategy

With Mandi’s leadership, the Barker team executed a successful marketing strategy for Owl Practice, which included a mix of paid and organic social media, supported by blogging for content marketing. Monthly paid advertising with an emphasis on seasonal sales were particularly successful for driving new memberships.  
 
  • Paid Facebook & Instagram advertising
    • A/B testing, full targeting, retargeting, landing page, and CTA tracking 
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn 
  • Blogging – optimizing keyword strings and adding value to customers

“The Barker team has been helping us with our daily social media marketing, Facebook ads, and blogging since the fall of 2016. This has been a big year of growth for Owl Practice and Barker’s help has been instrumental in that growth. We’re data people and we really appreciate the monthly reporting they provide so that we can really see how people are getting to our website. We’re big fans of what they do and we’d recommend their services to any businesses who would like to build their online visibility and their overall brand.”

~Andrew Sloss
Founder & CEO, Owl Practice

Year-Over-Year Growth

KPI - The Owl Practice user base grew steadily year after year from 2016 to 2021.

Ahoy Vintage Cruises

ahoyvintagecruises.com

Mandi executed the full development of the new Ahoy Vintage Cruises brand, which launched in April 2021; vintage themed Transatlantic crossings on the famous Queen Mary 2 ocean liner. 

Marketing Strategy

Brand development has included all digital and visual assets including direction of the website, graphic elements, video production, paid advertising, email marketing, organic social media, brand endorsements, and more. 
 

“Without Mandi we really wouldn’t even have a brand. She told me about the specific strategy she wanted to take before we got started but it’s still amazing to see it all come to life and be so successful!” 

~Tom Pecena
Director, Ahoy Vintage Cruises 

~Andrew Sloss
Founder & CEO, Owl Practice

“I can’t remember the last time I saw a new brand come on to the scene in such an impactful way. It’s been a pleasure to see and I’m excited to watch it grow.”

~Dandy Wellington
Social Media Influencer

Saint Savoy

saintsavoy.com

Targeting the vintage style niche, Mandi expanded Saint Savoy’s reach to go beyond just the restrictive dance shoe space to build visibility with the much greater reproduction vintage fashion audience. 

Marketing Strategy

Instagram is massively important in the fashion niche. Working with a modest advertising budget, Mandi led the Barker team to grow the Saint Savoy brand steadily through mainly organic growth with an emphasis on community building and influencer marketing. 
 
 
 

“As a small business focused on quality over quantity, it’s been important for me to work with a reliable and thoughtful marketing manager who understands my niche, cares about my success, and can guide me to grow. Without Mandi’s help these last two years, I would not have gotten to where I am today.”

~Rani-Patricia
Owner, Saint Savoy

Skoki

skokico.com

Engaged by Skoki children’s wear in their first year (2020-2021 winter season) specifically to manage their cost per click Facebook and Instagram advertising. 

Sample Advertisement 

❄️ Bundle up your little ones and keep them cozy and warm with Skoki’s luxury balaclavas.

🔥 Toasty hats for active adventurers, ages 1 through 10. The fabric can also be pulled up to cover the mouth and nose.

✔️ 100% Merino Wool on the outside
✔️ 100% Cotton Lining on the inside
✔️ European Quality
✔️ Made with Love ♥️

🇨🇦 We are 3 Canadian moms modernizing traditional children’s garments and we can’t wait for you to experience the quality and warmth of these gorgeous balaclavas!

👉 SHOP NOW
https://skokico.ca/pages/skoki-luxury-childrens-balaclavas

Plant Powered Summit

plantpoweredsummit.com

Event marketer for the inaugural Plant Powered Summit (2019) connecting Canadian restaurant leaders and their brands to the evolving plant-powered food world. 

Marketing Strategy

Building a base for the new brand from zero, Mandi used a mix of industry specific contacts and outreach to build brand awareness, network, and fill the event with targeted industry representatives.
 
 
“Mandi was instrumental in bringing the first ever Plant Powered Summit to fruition. I relied on her digital marketing expertise to give the event the digital presence that helped make it a success.”
 

~Peter Henderson
Event Producer, Ideovation

iLindy.com

iLindy.com

Implemented a strategy to grow iLindy.com into the world’s largest resource of online Lindy Hop lessons with an international monthly membership base. 

Marketing Strategy

Establishing iLindy.com as the most reputable and thorough resource of its kind, Mandi used a mix of paid advertising and community building to raise awareness and grow the brand. 
 
 
“You can have a great product but without great marketing, no one will know or care. Mandi has helped grow the iLindy brand into something more than we could ever have imagined. “
 

~Tim Collins
Managing Partner, iLindy.com

Instagram Branding

Social media acts as a powerful branding vehicle. Much like a portfolio, a carefully curated Instagram feed can be a strong branding tool in many industries, helping embed your brand essence into the hearts and minds of customers. Here are a few examples. 

Connect with Mandi on LinkedIn

“I have a strategic mind and tremendous drive for planning and project management. Not only am I the person with big ideas, but I know how to execute them and see a project through. My creative spirit, project management skills, and team leadership have been the driving force behind a diverse career of more than 20 years.

From working with the Rockefellers in New York to innovators in the space industry in Austria, to arts organizers in Sweden, I am the person who sees a project through to success, no matter what it takes. 

At this stage in my life, I’m looking for the right opportunity that I can throw myself into from now until retirement. 

If you’re looking for an uber competent marketing dynamo, let’s connect.