Ben Gotto-Smith
Future Story
Brand strategist
Copywriter
Creative director
Marketing
Project manager
Public relations
Available for communications and marketing consultancy to brands and agencies in Australia and UK:
Strategic planning
Creative PR ideas
Publicity campaigns
Social media integration
Event and experiential concepts and amplification
Talent negotiation, management and leverage
Crisis management planning and execution
Stakeholder communications
I run a cost-effective yet fully-accountable creative collective model, hiring in hand-picked resources only as and when needed, including graphic and web design, SEO, paid media, copywriting, event production and theming.
I love developing and delivering ideas that drive consumer engagement at scale to increase client revenue. Recent sectors include travel, hotels, start-ups, beverages, architecture, interior design, aged care and the exploding drone economy.
My childhood was spent between Australia, Saudi Arabia and England, with education including Classics and Maths at Westminster School and a Bachelor of Science in Economics & Philosophy from the London School of Economics.
Early work was in London, marketing at IBM and as a strategic planner for the Bates / Saatchi & Saatchi European network, then spending over a decade at top Australian PR agencies, including Stellar* Concepts and Hausmann, culminating in successfully launching and growing Shoreditch hotshop Splendid Communications’ Australasian HQ in Sydney; before returning to London as Director of Communications at leading integrated agency, Exposure Europe, managing their Comms team of 40.
Based back in APAC from 2011, I have consulted to the likes of @radical.media (film), 303MullenLowe (ATL), Maverick (experiential), The Mint Partners (PR), PPR (PR), W Communications (PR & events) and Karmarama UK (integrated comms), with clients including McDonald’s, Nando’s, Jenny Craig, Dettol, Greggs, W Hotels, The Canggu Club and Hanging Gardens of Bali, applying integrated comms creativity to win pitches and solve bottom-line challenges.
I ducked back to London in 2014 for a European Board-level Managing Partner contract with a pitch-winning remit in the PR and experience team at iris Worldwide’s HQ, and my old alma-mater Splendid in a senior creative/pitch-doctor role; before returning permanently to Australia in 2015 to be closer to family.
From 2016 I enjoyed an extended contract as Creative Director to the rapidly expanding Dialogue PR & Communications, helping more than double revenue, leading pitches and major projects across the interiors, lifestyle, architecture, property, education, travel, tourism, hospitality, CSR and, especially, alcohol sectors.
With a strategic backbone throughout my career, I love conceiving insight-led, creative, integrated campaigns that use multiple communications channels to drive media, influencer and consumer engagement at scale; then selling these ideas in the boardroom by demonstrating brand building and measurable, sales-driving ROI; finally working closely with my teams, partners and, crucially, my clients, to constantly exceed KPIs and deliver best-practice campaigns on time and on budget, hitting then exceeding aggressive P&L targets, to best accelerate the growth of both my clients and agencies.
Experience by sector includes alcohol (wine, beer, cider, champagne, clear & dark spirits), consumer tech, cosmetics, education, fashion, film, finance, FMCG, fine & fast food, healthcare, hospitality (hotels/restaurants/bars/clubs), interior design, luxury goods, manufacturing, music, not-for-profit, property, publishing, retail, soft drinks, sports, telco, travel and white goods.
my core skills
Event management
experientials
social media content
paid social media
influencers.