A CONSULTANT YOU CAN TRUST
Hey there, and welcome to my homepage. Glad to see you here, and I hope you will find what you are looking for. I am Mika. I am an Account Director specializing in digital and online marketing, strategic marketing consulting, as well as funnel and business model optimization. During my working career, I have gained hands-on experience i.e. in the following fields of marketing: social media, performance marketing, as well as, Rx-communications in the pharmaceutical industry.
On this page, you will find information on my professional background, academic career, areas of expertise, and a selection of projects, I have completed as a part of my work.
You might wonder that I have a rather casual approach on this page. I prefer to interact at eye level and e.g. call persons by their names, instead of the formal way. In my opinion, addressing people by their surnames and titles leads to an unnecessary distance, which I consider, as not keeping in with the times.
This approach also reflects my striving for a hierarchy-free working environment, where trainees and directors are treated equally. Moreover, employees should be defined by their expertise, achievements, and experience - not only by their titles. Do not hesitate to contact me. I can answer your questions quickly, and it never hurts to get in touch personally. Mika.
Content is King, but engagement is Queen, and the lady rules the house!
- Mari Smith -Analytical creative
Two contrary lifelines flow in me. One is enthusiastic about creative ideas and visual implementations, with a good eye for creativity. The other thinks analytically, acts strategically, and is good with numbers. But I am neither a crazy creative nor a full-blooded analyst. Therefore, I am good at implementing creative ideas and simultaneously challenging their impact on business value. This skill is an added value, especially in multi-channel marketing, where robust expertise in various disciplines is required. Furthermore, one of my essential skills is to identify and challenge how multimedia adaptions need to be elaborated, to support the overarching business target and what strategic benefits they bring to a campaign.
Ability to listen
Soft skills are often undervalued by business deciders. However, I believe that interpersonal skills should win importance in the future. Understanding people, recognizing needs, and giving appreciation are qualities that can lead any company to success. Therefore, I would like to put my interpersonal skills in the foreground next to any professional knowledge and showcase them as my most valuable competence. The gift of listening, understanding, and deriving actions from it, is invaluable goodness. In doing so, business opportunities can be identified, escalations avoided, or circumstances improved. No methodology or analysis can replace this.
My toolbox
Every expert has a toolbox with a selection of different tools. Through a diverse academic and professional career, I have already been able to equip my toolbox with interdisciplinary methods and tools. I primarily use tools for funnel optimization, design processes, strategic analyses of the consumer journey, and brand positioning, as well as for the elaboration of digital campaigns. In addition, I have good skills in photography, audio and motion picture production, digital creation, social media content and strategy, design thinking and co-creation, agile working - to name a few. I am convinced that I can find a tool or method for any task in the field of marketing from my repertoire.
The quarterback
A team without leadership and a trustworthy base are weak. Teams need charismatic leaders that can lead them to the title with their example and actions. In American football, this is classically the quarterback. This metaphor can be adopted in the business world, too. Lack of leadership and a team without a leader often leads to low productivity and general demotivation. This process mostly has a direct effect on a company's balance sheet. One of my key strengths is to equalize this disposition through my actions and leadership, which often brings the team back on track. Still, I am not the traditional, hierarchical leader that gives orders from his/her Ivory Tower. I prefer to meet my colleagues at eye level. Listen, digest and act. This way of managing people has often borne fruit.
SKILLS
I have always believed that the way you treat your employees is the way they will treat your customers, and that people flourish when they are praised
- Richard Branson -CAREER
I have been working in marketing since 2015 with a focus on client consulting and account management in digital campaigning, social media, web design, and Rx-communications. After getting into marketing in agile app development, I spent the last five years on the agency side.
Today my focus lies in helping my clients with their challenges amongst others in funnel optimization, performance campaigns, digital creation and transformation, as well as social media strategies, user guidance in UI/UX.
Before working in marketing, I spent a decade in the restaurant industry: as a dishwasher, kitchen assistant, bartender, and shift manager. Later, I gathered experience in recruiting for the restaurant industry. In those years I understood, how important for a brand and company, the quality of service is, and what effect working at the grassroots level has on a business. I have also been working in music production for almost 20 years and have experienced the Finnish music industry firsthand as a music producer, DJ, and artist.
3/2020 - currentAccount Director
Digitas Pixelpark2/2018 - 2/2020Senior Account Manager
Digitas Pixelpark1/2017 - 1/2018Account Manager
Palmer Hargreaves1/2015-12/2016Marketing Manager
Kaasa health2006-2016Self Employed
Three Legs Luigi
- Key account and budget management as well as lateral team leadership in the healthcare department
- Leading client consulting and campaign management with focus on Rx communication
- Management and control of interdisciplinary client teams with responsibility for project processes and prioritization
- Concept development, campaign planning and implementation as well as evaluation and presentation of results to both internal and external decision makers and board members
- Budget and planning responsibility for monthly and annual budget planning for existing customers (rolling forecast and sales forecast)
- Optimization and control of internal processes, efforts and resources: including approval and review of employee time sheets
- Cost estimates and quotations, incoming and outgoing invoices and external ordering processes
- Active and independent project acquisition and presentation of new marketing and project concepts to decision makers of existing customers
- Direct reporting of work status and budget developments to the client partner of the healthcare unit
- Key account management, leading customer consulting and campaign management with a focus on digital and social media campaigns
- Management, lateral leadership and control of interdisciplinary client teams with responsibility for daily resource planning
- Concept development, campaign planning and implementation as well as evaluation and presentation of results to both internal and external decision makers, stakeholder and board members
- Budget and planning responsibility for annual budget planning of existing customers, annual retainers as well as FTE calculations
- Optimization and control of internal processes and resource allocation: including approval and review of employee time recording, incoming and outgoing invoices, and external ordering processes
- Active and independent project acquisition and presentation of new marketing and project concepts to decision makers of existing customers
- Direct reporting of work status and budget development to the management of the Digitas Pixelpark location Düsseldorf
- Customer consulting, account and project management with a focus on digital projects and campaigns
- Planning and project management of interdisciplinary departments
- Concept development, quality assurance and presentation of results to both internal and external decision makers
- Budget and planning responsibility for own projects
- Internal agency training for agile processes and gamification approaches
- Optimization and control of internal processes
- Direct reporting of work status and budget development to the account director as well as the division manager of the "Life Science" division
- Management, coordination and planning of external marketing projects in Germany, England and the USA
- Concept and strategy planning of apps, tracking and reporting of online marketing activities as well as planning and creation of content for social media channels
- Creation and submission of application documents for award competitions
- Setting up social media channels for the Meister Cody brand
- Setting up performance marketing campaigns targeting awareness and app installs
- Planning and support of trade fair and congress appearances
- Working in a pure SCRUM environment
- Music production, sound editing and realization of music projects as well as customer acquisition and marketing coordination
- Event management, concept planning and marketing for events
- Over 100 composed and registered songs with 13 million verifiable online plays
- Numerous DJ and live performances in the Finnish event, club and festival scene
Growth always involves the risk of failure
- Howard Thurman -QUALIFICATION
I am one of the lucky people that had the privilege of a versatile, academic education. Enclosed you will find some core information about my academic career and degrees. During my studies, I already held some guest lectures at Universities in Finland and Germany. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that before I started my studies, I had already completed practical training in radio journalism (at Laajasalon Opsito, Helsinki) with several internships at national radio stations. I have also been a tutor for freshmen at both the University of Helsinki and Bauhaus University Weimar.
- Applied empirical market research
- Economic theories and media economics
- Marketing and Media
- Media law and media management
- Organization and networked media
- Business administration and economics
- Investment and financing of media companies
- Strategic marketing and competitive dynamics
- Service marketing and management
- Customer behavior and theories of consumer culture
- Retailing and distribution
- Retail business models and marketing
- Comparative and contrastive language research
- Language media and mass media research
- Text linguistics (especially the language of mass media)
- Contemporary German literature and culture (especially narrative research as well as the meaning and reception of literature)r
- Introduction to communication research
- Communication structures and communication policy
- Theory of communication and publicity
Kick-Off-Meetings
Monthly E-Mails
Coffee to Go Cups
Project briefs
REVIEWS
