Director of Brand Strategy

Primary Objective/Position Summary:

Design and facilitate a unified strategy to effectively deploy all three New Orleans & Company brands: leisure, corporate, and Built to Host. Reporting to the SVP of Marketing, this role will manage a dynamic team of creatives who craft compelling visual storytelling and engage all internal stakeholders in ensuring effective, cohesive alignment of our visual identities with messaging to various audiences.

Major Areas of Accountability:

Creative Strategy & Brand Development

Lead and shape the creative direction for New Orleans & Company’s new leisure brand, ensuring alignment with our vision to promote New Orleans as the most remarkable, unique, and welcoming destination in the world.
Oversee the development of campaign concepts and visual design for leisure and corporate brands.
Concept and art direct high-impact assets and content, including photography, video content, tv commercials, digital advertising, OOH, radio, paid social, activations, and more.
Steer the evolution of the corporate brand, crafting a unified visual identity that aligns seamlessly with both the leisure and Built to Host brands. This identity will bolster the organization’s efforts to engage local audiences and spotlight initiatives that directly benefit residents as well as increase brand awareness for New Orleans & Company as the official destination marketing and sales organization for the city of New Orleans.
Collaborate with Editorial and Social Media teams to understand evolving “best practices” to deliver content that meets impression and engagement goals while staying true to brand standards.
Review work for final quality control and brand adherence for all design products created in-house and by any third-party agency or designer.

Team Leadership & Project Management

Directly manage a creative team consisting, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment.
Mentor and develop team members, providing creative guidance, performance feedback, and opportunities for growth.
Oversee and prioritize project workflow, ensuring timely and high-quality delivery of assets across print, digital, video, and experiential channels.
Set an example of creative excellence that inspires and guides a team of creatives to always reach for the highest standards.
Ensure the best creative resource is allocated to the correct projects.
Assign prioritization of projects based on demand, workload, and deadlines.

Collaboration & Cross Departmental Support

Partner with departments to deliver impactful creative assets that support their needs.
Collaborate with external vendors and agency partners, providing clear creative briefs and ensuring alignment with New Orleans & Company’s brand vision.
Support the Built to Hostbrand by collaborating with Convention Sales to maintain cohesive brand standards as needed or requested.
Assist the Tourism and External Affairs teams in developing creative assets and other content, such as video, environmental elements, and signage for events and activations.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

The Director of Brand Strategy must possess a blend of strategic, creative, analytical, and leadership skills, specifically:

Strategic Thinking

Ability to craft and execute long-term brand strategies that align with business goals, such as:

Destination Positioning:

Ability to refine and evolve New Orleans’ brand identity to differentiate it from competitors while highlighting the city’s unique selling points (e.g., culture, history, attractions, events).

Visitor-Centric Strategies:

Developing strategies that resonate with target visitor personas, including leisure travelers, business travelers and meeting planners (in collaboration with Convention Sales), and niche markets (e.g., eco-tourism or cultural tourism).
Understands market trends, competitor landscapes, and consumer behavior to identify opportunities.
Ability to develop frameworks for positioning, messaging, and brand identity.
Ability to bring together Leisure and Corporate Brands, including Built to Host while ensuring alignment with New Orleans & Company’s vision to promote New Orleans as the most remarkable, unique, and welcoming destination in the world.

Leadership & Collaboration

Inspiring and leading cross-functional teams, including marketing, creative, and research.
Excellent communication skills to align stakeholders and secure buy-in for strategies.
Mentoring and developing talent within the organization.

Brand Storytelling

Crafting compelling authentic narratives that capture the essence of New Orleans, connect emotionally with target audiences, and that will make locals proud.
Maintaining brand consistency across channels and platforms.
Deep understanding of brand tone, voice, and visual identity.

Market Research & Data Analysis

Proficiency in analyzing consumer insights, tourism data, booking trends, market research, and campaign performance to inform strategic decisions and campaign development.
Ability to translate data seamlessly and quickly into actionable insights to refine strategies.
Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics, Placer, social listening platforms, and research methodologies.
Understanding seasonality and how it impacts travel to the destination, allowing for strategic messaging during peak and off-peak times.

Creative Vision

Collaborating with creative teams to produce impactful campaigns that capture New Orleans’ personality (e.g., photography, video, and design that showcase iconic visuals) and bring the brand to life visually and experientially.
Staying updated on design, digital trends, and cultural movements to ensure brand relevance.

Digital and Omnichannel Expertise

Understanding how to craft seamless brand campaigns across digital, social, print, and experiential touchpoints.
Familiarity with social media platforms, paid media, SEO, and content marketing strategies for collaboration with the Manager of Social Media.
Adapting strategies for emerging technologies and platforms.

Problem-Solving & Adaptability

Navigating challenges, from shifting consumer preferences to economic changes to stakeholders’ reprioritization of goals and objectives
Flexibility to pivot strategies based on real-time feedback.

Crisis Management

Following the lead of the Senior Vice President of Communications, developing consumer-facing messaging that addresses crises such as natural disasters, public health issues, or reputational challenges.

Evolving Travel Trends

Adapting strategies to respond to changing traveler behaviors, such as the rise in remote work, demand for eco-friendly travel, or post-pandemic travel recovery.

Budget Management

Allocating resources effectively to maximize ROI for brand-building initiatives.
Balancing creative ambitions with financial constraints.

Cultural Awareness

Developing campaigns that reflect the destination’s diversity while making all travelers feel welcome (e.g., LGBTQ+, multicultural, or accessible tourism), and ensuring inclusivity and equity in branding efforts.