General 5 — Neil Ferguson

About Neil.

I have over a decade of experience in marketing, social media, communications, journalism, and content development. I see marketing as a way to tell stories, and I pride myself in staying creative and forward-thinking while never missing a deadline. Most recently, I have worked as Director of Marketing at the Oregon Wine Board and as Creative Marketing Manager at USA Pears. Both of these roles gave me the opportunity to tell the stories of passionate farmers and the products they bring to consumers through a variety of campaigns and tactics.

Director of Marketing
Marketing & Communications | Project Management | Creative Strategy & Development

Summary of Qualifications

Director of Marketing with over 10 years of expertise spanning the agriculture, food, wine and beer, and produce industries, coupled with a background in journalism, PR, and communications
Creative Marketer and Communications Manager proficient in curating website content, and leveraging social media strategies to bolster business traffic through meticulous project management
Versatile Journalist proficient in research, human interaction, and continuous knowledge-building and communication strategies of multiple organizations, providing unique insights from a journalistic perspective

Areas of Expertise

Professional Experience

Director of Marketing Oct 2021 – June 2024

Oregon Wine Board | Portland, OR

Developed marketing initiatives aimed at educating, inspiring, and driving sales for a trade association representing over 1,000 wineries while managing a $250k marketing budget in an industry worth $7 billion
Oversaw publishing, content development, editorial calendar, copywriting, and industry and consumer-facing newsletters and print publications, reaching audiences of 240K website visitors, 40K newsletter readers, and 50K followers, reaching 1.2M consumers via Facebook advertisements and 1.29M impressions on Instagram
Developed wine tourism programs in collaboration with state tourism agencies and regional tourism groups, including Travel Oregon
Managed multiple annual research initiatives, including viticulture and enology, market insights, and trends, while planning and executing statewide initiatives for the wine industry
Developed and executed the Oregon Wine Month campaign, aimed at increasing engagement with Oregon's wine industry across distributors, restaurants, retailers, and consumers while creating a platform for tactical promotions to stimulate sales in all channels, including DTC/eCommerce
Supervised the trade relations manager, strategizing year-round programming, including event planning, distributor relations, asset development, POS materials, training materials, and educational materials

Creative Marketing Manager Oct 2017 – Oct 2021

Pear Bureau Northwest/Usa Pears | Portland, OR

Developed the marketing and communications strategy used across all digital channels, which promoted pear growers across the Pacific Northwest and marketed 88% of pears grown in the United States
Authored, edited, and managed the publication of industry-facing newsletters, print publications, and syndicated press releases, reaching over 1,000 recipients within the pear industry trade media and agricultural communities
Authored, edited, and managed the publication of consumer-facing newsletters with over 50,000 readers while also developing creative content and tactics for generating media coverage in consumer outlets
Managed multiple agency relationships and strategies for PR and communications, advertising, content development
Developed and executed e-commerce programs as part of omnichannel campaigns with major grocery retailers, including Walmart, Kroger, Harris Teeter, H-E-B, and others
Planned and participated in consumer and trade events, including international produce expos and conventions
Directed and executed digital advertising across platforms, handled website copywriting, and managed publications, engaging with an audience of 92K followers across all platforms

Media Content Developer Aug 2016 – May 2017

COROFLOT/CORE 77 | Portland, OR

Wrote, edited, and published 5-8 weekly pieces of editorial content on the Coroflot blog, and online career community dedicated to connecting worldwide creative professionals worldwide with meaningful opportunities
Handled multiple projects simultaneously in the aspects of marketing, communications, and publicity, including press releases and email newsletters sent to 250,000+ subscribers
Supervised the planning, scheduling, and posting of original content onto the website and major social media platforms, specifically Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn
Oversaw project management for a complete website redesign

Additional Marketing Experience

Freelance Journalism Experience

Education

Bachelor of Arts in English | University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX
Associate’s Degree in Radio, Television & Film | Austin Community College | Austin, TX

Certificate in Film Studies (Bridging Disciplines Program) | University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX
Certificate in Film | Austin Community College | Austin, TX