Ray has worked for multiple decades at HawkPartners, providing marketing guidance across a number of industries including healthcare, business/professional services, and financial services. While Ray helps optimize marketing strategy and communications addressing a range of business challenges, his particular area of focus is branding, both developing, evolving, and delivering impactful brand strategies that drive business growth. His seasoned perspective and long-term relationships help him connect the dots for clients across a range of marketing challenges.
Prior to joining HawkPartners, Ray worked at Prophet, a brand strategy consultancy where he honed his brand positioning and architecture skills. Prior to joining Prophet, Ray was a Vice President at J.P. Morgan, managing a firm-wide client analytics team that assisted setting client acquisition and retention strategies and drove efforts to create a more client-focused organization. Before J.P. Morgan, Ray was a manager in Ernst & Young’s Performance Management practice, and started his career with Andersen Consulting (now Accenture).
Ray received a B.A. from Williams College and an M.B.A. from the Darden Graduate School of Management at the University of Virginia. He has also written a number of articles on brand related topics for such magazines as Pharma Times, American Banker, Strategy Magazine, Risk and Insurance, and Advertising Express. Outside of work, he serves on the board of the Jacob Riis Neighborhood Settlement House, which builds and strengthens underserved communities in Western Queens and acts as a catalyst for change.
The strongest brands during the pandemic have been those that demonstrated their authentic empathy through their actions in a way that solidified their bond, not only with their target audiences, but also with the wider communities in which they operate.
Spotify, or any company who has undergone a recent acquisition, faces key decisions related to their brand management. Our team suggests three best practices to optimize a brand's portfolio, particularly when extending into new offerings.
B2B companies face a unique set of branding challenges, including sales-driven cultures and focus on short-term returns. Ray George shares solutions to addressing these obstacles and tips to guide branding strategy and tactics.
Netflix demonstrates the complexity brands face when defining competitive context, especially in markets where competitive categories continue to evolve.
Routine brand check-ups can help avert a public colonoscopy – how KFC’s approach to brand health turned a chicken shortage into a branding case study for the ages.
Despite FIFA scandals, Russia and the failure of Team USA to qualify, the World Cup presents an unparalleled opportunity for brands to engage with fans worldwide.
Brands must balance near-term positioning with long-term requirements for growth. Learn how an elastic brand can do both.
Bringing a brand strategy to life requires authenticity, particularly when your audiences face an increasingly uncertain environment
Three keys to capitalize on current-day uncertainty to strengthen loyalty and overall brand health
Make your product a crucial component of your customer’s success.
Avoid these common mistakes to stay on the path to successfully aligning your employees around your brand
Originally published in Advertising Express magazine Who are the pioneers of ingredient branding? When did it start getting used? Intel receives much of the credit for making “ingredient branding” known across the C-suite with the success of its Intel Inside campaign; whereas, several brands pioneered the concept before them. Consistently, the pioneers were high tech, […]
