Beryl Cohen Porter

Hi, I'm Beryl Cohen Porter. Welcome to my profile!

Beryl Cohen Porter's Bio:

Beryl Cohen Porter's Experience:

• Senior V.P. Retail Marketing & Merchandising at Sony Music Entertainment

  January 2007 - Present | New York, NY

  Directed eCommerce efforts resulting in over one billion of sales in 2012: music, video, consumer electronics categories. Execute and administer major social media platform relationships included Facebook, Linkedin, Twiter, Google+, YouTube Managed process linking Sony Music and Consumer Electronics’ representation in over 100 third party marketplaces around the world which now account for approx. 30% of top-line eCommerce revenue. Growth through this source has grown exponentially over the past 4 years. Spearheaded the Sony CRM strategy executed as a successful multi-phase program brought to bear as a large-scale business transformation using a Salesforce.com systems implementation that utilizes performance indicators to accomplish the ideal customer experience. The project came to fruition under the projected budget figure and before the slated completion date. Guided the partnership that leveraged a premier vendor's knowledge of large systems with many transactions to launch an entirely new eCommerce solution that fully met the business and technical requirements of our Company. Both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) markets were targeted

• Senior Vice President/ Chief Merchant at Tower Records

  October 1997 - December 2006

  Tower Records was the premier music, video and entertainment retailer in the world that launched the careers of many musicians, artists, actors and executives. Ultimately, the Tower business model--large stores with deep music catalogs--couldn't compete in the age of digital downloads and discount retailers. My tenure here taught me how to obtain success strategically in diverse markets Developed strategic brand direction & consistent presentation Marketing cohesion (Brand, Publishing, Catalog, Web & Retail) Weekly, monthly season and annual marketing campaigns domestically and internationally Assembled and directed a buying and merchandising operation that resulted in over $1 Billion annual revenue through over 200 stores and eCommerce Created initiatives across digital platforms to develop and produce a one-of-a kind direct to consumer, social network and eCommerce initiatives Designed and sourced a complete line of small consumer electronics, cameras, accessories, storage, and apparel marketing them successfully under the Tower name. These goods were of a superior quality and enormously profitable for the chain

• Vice President & Senior Director of Merchandising at MONTGOMERY WARD/LECHMERE STORES

  April 1993 - September 1997

  Managed merchandising and marketing efforts to introduce a customized regional assortment. Develop strategies, advertising campaigns, and materials to redefine the image of the core stores as a an attractive cutting edge place to purchase consumer electronics and pre-recorded media Conceptualized and relaunched a store-within-a-store retail concept at 250 locations that achieved double digit revenue growth by 28% after the first year Negotiated a partnership with The Backstreet Boys vocal group where our company was the corporate sponsor of their United States and Canadian tours which brought a younger demographic to our stores initially for licensed goods but ultimately were cross sold on complete store assortment Sourced and coordinated the production of licensed goods both from the Orient and domestically of a superior quality than most and featured the co-branded identity of the group and Montgomery Ward Assembled proprietary music collections and sourced Lechmere/Ward branded product that put marketed high margin goods to the consumer at a value price that reinforced the corporate image. Accelerated vendor-funded marketing campaigns, increased participation levels by 30%. Developed marketing plans and materials for new markets Directed the creation, style and production of various print & video marketing materials raising awareness of inventory depth and assortment

• Director at BORDERS, INC

  January 1990 - March 1993

  Designed and implemented from a new concept of music utilizing a just-in-time inventory concept with very limited backstock of goods. This resulted in the ability to drastically reduce inventory cost of ownership while offering a huge assortment of titles. Headed the marketing team that created a unique marketing campaign resulted in strong brand awareness and attractiveness Created packing and collateral to support the "independent" identity of the company Assembled a proprietary line of books and music under the Borders Presents nameplate that was marketed through a rewards program and a subscription network, as well as at retail. This product was an inexpensive, low-risk purchase for the consumer Created the vendor sponsorship matrix that became a huge profit center for the organization Launched the Discover Borders monthly magazine fully vendor funded and distributed at store level and through the extensive mailing list. The analysis confirmed that this successfully drove traffic into the stores with no capital outlay. Managed and supervised $5 million cross channel marketing budget. Developed a training protocol consisting of marketing, operational and extensive product knowledge that resulted in the acknowledged best trained and successful staff in chain retail Additional Professional Background

• Senior Vice President, Retail Marketing & Merchandising at SONY CORPORATION

  January 2007

  Strategic development and implementation of an annual marketing strategy that resulted in continued sales increases in a flat growth industry. 2007 - 22%, 2008 - 24%, 2009 - 15%, 2010 - 17%, 2011 - 20% Assembled and guided a new marketing team with a unified approach to success Created a cohesive marketing strategy using social networking and alternative markets Greatly Increased presence in European and Middle East markets Developed and sourced proprietary account based products from our own plants and other manufacturers based in the Orient & Southeast Asia to enhance margin and differentiate from our competitors' offerings. These goods were both exclusive to our retail partners and marketed within the Sony chain of stores, and included both small electronics and entry level televisions & sound bars Directed and guided production department to build compelling websites, social networking enhancements, players, widgets and other tools that drive site traffic and sales

Beryl Cohen Porter's Education:

• Boston University

  1980 – 1982
  Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)

• Boston University

  1978 – 1980
  Master of Arts (M.A.)
  Concentration: Music Theory and Composition

• Kellogg School of ManagementNorthwestern University

Beryl Cohen Porter's Interests & Activities: