Meet Dave
Marketing Strategist.
Creative Director.
Copywriter
Art Director.
Designer.
Photographer.
Illustrator.
Response-Generator
dkroha@krohadirect.com
860-306-2630
A Bit About Me
Strategic. Innovative. Adaptive. Effective. “Type Triple A…”
Some try to suppress it. I embrace it. Since launching my first marketing agency in 1884, I have proven time and again the value of infusing team-inspiring enthusiasm into every stage of the creative process. Positive high energy really can be contagious.
I’ve learned to think focused — and fast. And I translate that thinking into innovative, clearly presented creative solutions that crush writers block, inspire great design, and are in lockstep precision with defined communication objectives. Goals I often help define.
My career start as a successful direct marketing designer has given me a unique ability to integrate the “power of direct response” in any and all media. The creative solutions that I develop and oversee achieve top-level performance not by accident, but rather by design through strategic message structure.
Experience
1984 – Present
Principal /
Creative Director
Kroha Direct, Inc.
13 Priorwood Gardens, Cromwell, CT
DBAs:
iiCREATiVE, Rocky Hill, CT
Arrowhead Direct, Rocky Hill, CT
Kroha Associates, Middletown, CT
Direct all business and creative services associated with running a boutique marketing and branding
agency. Responsible for prospecting, strategy research and planning, creative content development, and integrated message deployment in all media. Originally founded as a “brick and mortar” direct marketing firm, Kroha Direct has continually evolved, positioned today as a virtual marketing consultancy that delivers targeted solutions along with cost-saving advantages.
Key Accounts Served
Walt Disney Company – Helped create and launch Disney Books by Mail publishing division
- Branding: developed product identities/positioning, content directives, and offer strategies
- Packaging: developed continuity programs/products using licensed Disney characters
- Marketing: developed and managed national campaigns – direct marketing, print
Cox Communications – Marketed cable and broadband services throughout New England
- Direct Marketing: created/deployed service subscription campaigns – print, mail, broadcast
- Fulfillment: developed/distributed welcome and service upgrade kits to subscribers
Cigna – Multi-year retainer for marketing Cigna Healthcare for Seniors Medicare-Risk product
- Marketing: created print, mail, and fulfillment campaigns that beat incumbent marketing
efforts to become benchmark-setting package “controls”
Bobbex Inc – Brand and product redesign, resulting in 30% sales increase first year
- Branding: redesigned logo, tagline, and packaging across 6 product lines in U.S. and Canada
- Marketing: developed e-commerce website, promotional video content, sales collateral
Catalyst Health & Fitness – Branding and marketing to support franchise expansion
- Marketing: Created website, social content, print, promoting growth to 2nd location
1994-1995
Marketing Lead/
Managing Partner
Caring Grandparents of America
Washington, DC
Co-launched, developed, and marketed Caring Grandparents of America — an affinity marketing program targeting new parents and grandparents.
Sold one year after launch to Dial America Inc. for 20-times initial investment.
1984 – 1987
Managing Partner /
Art Director
Katz & Kroha, Inc.
College Street, Middletown CT
Developed B2B and B2C direct marketing solutions for distribution through a wide range of print, broadcast, and mail channels. Served as a “Book Packager,” developing continuity program prototypes used in focus-group research and dry-test marketing campaigns.
Key Accounts Served
IDG Communications; Personal Computing; The American Red Cross – Middletown Chapter; Prentice Hall; Business & Legal Reports; GMH Marketing; United Cable Television; Xerox Educational Publications; The Garlinghouse Company.
1980 – 1984
Art Director /
Designer
Xerox Education Publications
Middletown CT
Designed direct marketing materials promoting published products, book clubs, subscriptions, and continuity programs targeted to consumer, educational, and preschool markets.
Education
1980
Boston University
Boston, MA
BFA: Concentration: Graphics, Marketing, and Advertising Design
- Awarded full athletic /academic scholarship
- Included 2 years active in Boston University Ad Lab – a student/faculty-run advertising agency serving the Greater Boston non-profit sector
Clients
Clients I have had the good fortune to service include
“ ! ”
STRENGTHS
Agency Services Management
Identify, contact, and convert prospects into clients through clear, goal-focused presentations—developed through hands-on management of strategy, creative and technology teams.
Marketing / Branding Strategist
Formulate guiding strategies based on market analysis, data science, sales goals, and budget. Translate strategies into SEO targets, offer tactics, clearly written creative briefs that steer creative direction, prioritize response objectives, and coordinate media tactics.
Creative Director
Guide creation of content in all media to ensure proper and consistent integration of message strategy and style, while also ensuring all elements conform to branding requirements.
Copywriter / Editor
Write and edit media-appropriate content for digital and print that attracts, engages, and motivates value-delivering response.
Art Director / Designer
Direct (and develop) digital, print, video, photography, and illustration to ensure visual elements reinforce message goals and are consistently on brand.
Website / Digital Content Developer
Plan and develop solutions based on UX goals and SEO strategies for websites and digital/social channels.
Product / Prototype Developer
Create and/or identify products and opportunities to expand market share within established and vertical business sectors.
Photographer / Digital Retoucher
Photograph and digitally retouch images for reproduction in digital and print.
Skills
Adobe Creative Suite: Id | Ps | Ai | Ru | Xd
WordPress | DIVI Builder
Joomla! CMS
Advanced SEO
Video Scripting, Storyboarding, Directing
Digital Photography | Retouching
Printing | Lettershop Management
Learning
HTML/CSS
Advanced WordPress
Adobe Premier
Ukulele
Case Studies
.01 | Bobbex Animal Repellents
.02 | Disney Books By Mail
.03 | Advanced Cosmetic Dentistry
.04 | Catalyst Training Gyms
.05 | CED Machining