Lawrence Gee | Marketing, Internet, Creativity, Strategy

I’m Back…

Well it’s sure been a long hiatus since my last blog post - a lot of things have happened.

In May, I completed my MBA education at USC Marshall School of Business, having graduated with Beta Gamma Sigma honors.

In July, I married my girlfriend of five years and got to honeymoon in Belize.  I also started my current job as Internet Marketing Manager at LAMPS PLUS.

In August & September, I got accustomed to post-MBA and newly-married life.   I’ve learned that the flexibility of school hours really is something special.  I’ve also learned that being flexible in marriage is also special.

In  October & November, most weekends were busy with attending other weddings and weekend trips (Joshua Tree, San Francisco, New York). All fun but time-consuming.

Now, that I’ve gotten settled back into the swing of things restarting my blog postings was on the top of my list.  Now with this posting, I can officially cross that task off my list.

Stay tuned for more commentary and thoughts on Marketing, the Internet, and more.

No Comments » | Bookmark Me:

Search Marketing Has a Bright Future

I came across an article today called “Search Marketing: A Rewarding Career Path ” on Search Engine Watch today. It basically was discussing the results of a new survey of in-house SEMs conducted by SEMPO, the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization . Some very interesting facts from the article:

• ~64 percent of respondents had five years of SEM experience or less.
• For those with 0-3 years of experience…
  • 8.0% made over $100K
  • 48.8% made between $50-100K
  • 43.2% made less than $50K
• For those with 5-7 years of experience…
  • …they make significantly more.
  • The majority (56.4%) make more than $80,000 a year. Of this, 4.4% reported earning more than $200,000 and 30.3% make between $100,000 and $200,000.
• Few senior management roles for Search as of now - Only 4% had VP titles and 10% had Director titles.

Some very interesting numbers and figures, especially considering that SEM is a relatively new field of marketing. Simple supply and demand theory implies that salaries should be decent for both inexperienced and experienced hires. How many graduating college students have degrees or concentrations in Internet Marketing? Yes, exactly.

Of course, in the next 3-5 years this will obviously change. I recently took an Internet Marketing class as part of my MBA curriculum at USC Marshall. A few years ago it was an experimental class; today its a regularly listed elective. We all should expect more colleges and universities to offer courses like this. It’s hard to deny the fact that the Internet is an important channel for any marketer to get a grasp on. It will definitely be a competitive advantage going forward for any company and individual who gets it.

No Comments » | Bookmark Me:

Tests, Races, & More

It’s been a busy few weeks as I have had 3 midterms, several assignments, ongoing PT internship, and the Bootcamp Challenge Race.  I’ll get back to writing more posts very soon. 

No Comments » | Bookmark Me:

Marketing the Graduate Marketing Association

Classes start up again on Monday so I wanted to do some shameless promotion for the Graduate Marketing Association, where I am VP of Marketing.  This summer, I spent some time developing a logo and new website for the organization.

 The fruits of my labor can be found here.  I would love comments and/or feedback if you have any.

No Comments » | Bookmark Me:

About Me

Originally hailing from Long Island, I currently reside in Los Angeles, California.  I am an experienced marketer with a diverse professional background.  I have a BS in Business Management and Marketing from Cornell University and an MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business.

My marketing career path has been varied and diverse.  It began in consumer products as a Field Marketer for Newell Rubbermaid, managing in-store relationships and merchandising for products such as Rubbermaid, Levolor, and Sharpie.

I have always been fascinated by technology and the Internet.  In fact, several college internships were spent dealing with web design rather than Marketing.  It was only fitting that post-Newell Rubbermaid, I spent four years at an online educational software startup called Aplia.  As Marketing Manager, I helped grow Aplia from a beta product to having over 450,000 students and 500 institutions use the software.  My role required me to develop integrated marketing campaigns, plan sales demos and events at higher education conferences, dive headfirst into CRM and database management, deal with shoe-string budgets, and build up word of mouth marketing.

My time at USC Marshall was spent on exploring my personal development, continuing lifelong education, and realigning my career goals.  In 2006, I investigated the world of Brand Management and was selected to attend the prestigious Procter & Gamble Summer Marketing MBA Camp and the Johnson & Johnson Brand Mini Camp. While traditional CPG companies were interesting, my explorations made me realize that I enjoy working in smaller, technology focused environments.

Currently, I am an Internet Marketing Manager for LAMPS PLUS, #139 on the Internet Retailer Top 500 Retail Web Site List.   Some of my responsibilities include managing two SEM analysts, optimizing and managing paid search campaigns and shopping comparison site datafeeds, providing strategic recommendations for our online business, and evaluating new initiatives like social media marketing opportunties.

In my spare time, I am working on several pet projects dealing primarily with affiliate marketing, search engine optimization, and search engine marketing.  The purpose of this blog is to offer an outlet to collect my thoughts on marketing, strategy, and technology.

On the personal side, I’ve been happily married since July 2008. In my free time, I am an avid sports fan (Yankees, Knicks, Dodgers, Lakers) and enjoy outdoor activities such as running, hiking, and triathlons.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog.  Please feel free to comment on any postings or drop me a note at larry@lawrencegee.com.

–Larry

No Comments » | Bookmark Me: