SYMBION

CREATIVE • PERFORMANCE

Prepare for Dramatic Results…
At the Ideas Stage.

Creativity takes time.

Whether it’s a strategic approach, adapted for diverse contexts, or a tactical attitude that leverages talents and learning to confront new challenges, ideation is a progressive practice.

Performance is immediate.

The execution of a creative process requires direct action and rapid decision-making.

Which is why the value — and the potential return — of a transformational concept can be determined well before the lights go up… by its usefulness, feasibility and measurability.

Setting the stage for success — that's performative thinking.

Original playbook, inspired interpretation, powerful impact. Bring down the house.

BACKGROUND

Setting the scene — who, what, where.
Experience, expertise, accomplishments.

Roll Credits →

DELIVERY

Playing the part — which, why, how.
Services, logic, approach.

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BACKGROUND

Ken Dobell (B.A. McGill, '93) is a high-calibre digital marketing, management, sales and strategy executive, with a superior track record of market positioning, product/service innovation, people and business development — and fast, profitable revenue growth — throughout North America and Europe.

transformative change management

Throughout his career, Ken has successfully led the charge as an agent of change — leveraging technology and consumer trends to develop, communicate and deploy new revenue models, service offerings and go-to-market strategies — often managing risk to build new and sustainable growth platforms through fundamental repositioning in real time. He has managed high-performance agency teams internationally, in English- and French-speaking environments. He can be relied upon to inspire through enthusiasm and benchmark progress through data — articulating a viable, compelling vision, elaborating strategies for achieving it, and executing on the details.

TECHNOLOGY & BUSINESS ACUMEN

In his six powerhouse years as President of Digital at DAC Group, Ken spearheaded the reinvention of a declining offline advertising brokerage into a leading-edge digital shop powered by proprietary technology. Today, the company is one of Google Canada’s largest trading partners, and among a select group of strategic partners in the U.S. Its unique PAGEtorrent™ platform, prototyped in 2007 and developed on scale in 2008, became the agency’s flagship asset, prime differentiator and competitive edge.

Thought leadership & communication

Two decades at the forefront of online brand building, corporate communications, marketing and demand generation has given Ken wide-ranging experience and a big-picture view, as well as hands-on expertise and keen instincts for spotting genuine trends through the hype. His knowledge of Internet technologies and integrated communications, coupled with a dynamic, engaging speaking style, has made him a regularly solicited contributor in industry circles. He has delivered future-facing presentations (e.g., SMX: Toronto, New York, London), led workshops & seminars (e.g., CMA) and authored opinion pieces (e.g., Visibility Magazine). An international network of 3,500+ professional contacts speaks to his exceptional relationship-building, consultation and business development skills.

As a freelance copywriter, translator and editor, Ken has selected, adapted and amended countless pieces for publication, from academic papers to popular fiction and non-fiction, including translating a bestselling Québecois novel (Les Bouquets de noces by Denis Monnette) for American audiences.

Over the course of a successful international career based out of Toronto, Montreal and Paris, he has worked throughout North America and Europe and traveled extensively abroad.

Ken has written numerous short stories and at least one unpublished full-length novel.

View Ken Dobell's profile

“I learned more in a 45 minute conversation with Ken than I have in many hours speaking with supposedly knowledgeable people.”

— CEO, global robotics manufacturing company

CAREER PROGRESSION

President, Digital: DAC Group

Digital Performance Marketing Agency
Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, New York, Rochester, Cleveland, Louisville, Chicago

VP Marketing: WSI Internet Consulting

Worldwide franchise network
1,500+ Digital Marketing Consultants

Monster Worldwide (TMP/Cala/Calagraph)

•    Head of Interactive (Europe)
•    National Director, Interactive (France)
•    National Director, Interactive (Canada)
•    Director, Strategic Planning (Canada)
•    Creative Director (Canada)
•    Associate Creative Director (Canada)
• Sr. Copywriter & Translator (Canada)

DELIVERY

Symbion offers inspired, performative thinking and solid, effective doing to business leaders in the market for results. Show-stopping analysis, crowd-pleasing creative, powerhouse workflows — a blockbuster performance is not about smoke or special effects — it's the product of discipline and fine-tuning.

Strategic ideas resonate. Great tactics rock.

PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING

A native expertise in technology-fueled, multi-channel product & service marketing, coupled with a pluri-disciplinary skill set and a global media / technology / advertising agency background, makes for deep understanding and incisive points of view.

Symbion will help you conceive the idea, build the business, align the organization, analyze the effort, streamline the activity — and exceed your revenue targets.

. . . BRAND POSITIONING

MARKETING OPERATIONS

You need executive level marketing leadership, starting yesterday, without the hire. Just in time, or over time. Maybe only until the problems are fixed, or your new initiative is on track. You have plenty of talent but no clear roadmap, ample capacity but a shortage of rare skills… or simply zero resources and no time to spare.

Upgrading the how of marketing is about doing business quickly, and efficiently. Helping the marketing function be a value driver, and assisting the whole enterprise to pull together around revenue opportunities.

In a larger organization, the focus might rest on metrics dashboards, resource/asset management and automation of marketing processes. Closer to the ground, our top priorities are to maximize:

Business intelligence
Buying decision process alignment
Scalability, strategy execution, and ROI

Symbion will help you progress from a holistic vision, through knowledge-based decision making and efficient planning, towards optimal profitability, predictive analytics and enterprise metrics alignment.

CREATIVE development
& expert services

BRANDING…

Elevating repetition through declaration, to recognition by reputation.

MEET CONTENT.

Bringing award-winning expertise to bear, across platforms, channels and devices.

• Identity & Messaging; Look & Feel
• Persuasion & Authority; Personality & Voice

From concept to copy — writing, editing, translation, adaptation; from design and development, to production and proofing, Symbion will help you tell a great story in a fresh light.

With a proven track record of demand and lead generation success at every level of creative content development and distribution — Symbion has the experience, expertise and creative spark you can count on to make a measurable contribution to revenue, while enhancing brand image.

• Quality content of business relevance
• Informed, articulate and shareable points of view
• Clear, concise, compelling presentation

No matter your industry or business model, your competition or market dynamics, your communication challenges, regulatory environment or sales process, our business is to understand your business. To deliver profitable growth and service excellence.

To gain recognition, grab attention and grow your customer base — from street to C-suite.