John Tarquinio has over 30 years of experience in strategic planning, brand management, creative direction, and copywriting. He has held senior leadership roles such as Chief Creative Officer and Creative Director at various advertising and marketing agencies. Tarquinio has extensive experience developing brand strategies and creative campaigns across various industries including healthcare, retail, and education. He also has a track record of transforming agency creative processes and teams to produce award-winning and effective creative work.

1. JOHN F. TARQUINIO
317 West Willow Grove Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19118
215-242-0553 (H) 610-804-4017 (Cell)
stmartinscarriage@verizon.net
Core Competencies
• Powerful skill set of research, strategic planning, brand management and creative execution, equivalent to a 360
sweep of all brand strategy and marketing communications disciplines.
• Effective ability to competitively differentiate a brand in ways that clearly resonate with target consumers; created an
original methodology for developing brand attributes and architecture for clients, which became high-margin new
revenue source for the agency valued in multiple $100k’s per year.
• Well trained skills in cultural and social observation and analysis with unusual and highly relevant insight into
consumer values, needs, aspirations, emotions and how the matrix of these variables effect market segmentation,
brand perception and purchase.
• Experienced director and analyst of primary (focus groups, interviews, questionnaires, ethnographies) and secondary
research as well as skilled focus group moderator and ethnographic researcher.
• Results oriented approach to strategy, creative and marketing that has regularly achieved sales and brand outcomes
beyond client expectations.
• Agent of innovation in making company practices, processes and culture more efficient, effective and higher margin.
• Collaborative executive style that helps other senior management to break down silos and achieve group solutions
to company culture and management challenges.
• Multi-award winning creative direction and copywriting with talent for building motivated creative
teams/departments and in transforming their work into effective and award-winning creative in all media.
Experience
Freelance Creative Director/Copywriter/Brand Strategist
Various agencies and accounts (2007-present). Included brand positioning, copywriting and creative direction on the
Medco account (pharmaceutical provider for managed care providers) for Gillespie Healthcare (Princeton, NJ). Brand
strategy/positioning and creative execution for real estate, chain restaurant, retail apparel and other accounts. Pro
bono research and brand strategy for non-profit educational clients.
Sr. Vice President, Chief Creative Officer & Director of Strategic Planning
Backe Communications, Ardmore, Pa. (1998-2007)
Unusual dual role in an integrated agency with both traditional advertising and interactive divisions:
• Initiated and supervised a suite of high-margin strategic planning capabilities, including proprietary brand
development and positioning model, and supervised all research as part of agency services to clients.
• Directed the creative department in concept, design and execution of all work to assure its strategic foundation,
marketing effectiveness, and proper brand experience for the intended audience.
• Initiated the integration of the traditional non-digital and interactive creative staffs, resulting in powerful
synergies for the creative process as well as cross-training opportunities.
•
Supervised and developed creative, brand and marketing strategy for all major accounts, including pharma and
healthcare, B2B and consumer, such as:
• GlaxoSmithKline – online branding for GSK’s vaccine line, patient education, consumer healthcare access
programs. Online brand strategy and creative for GSK’s entire Oncology line
• Wyeth Nutrition – global branding strategy and marketing programs for this division of Wyeth Consumer
offering infant and pediatric nutritional products
• Omnicare Clinical Research – research-based global and internal branding with its creative execution
• PMA Insurance Group – brand strategy and ad campaigns for major commercial lines property and casualty
insurance company
• Arcadia University – rebranding of Beaver College, including research, creation of a new name, and redesign

2. of creative for institutional and recruitment audiences resulting in dramatic increases in applications and
applicant SAT’s
• Airgas Inc. – corporate brand development as well as divisional sub-brands; corporate and product advertising
for all distribution channels
Senior Vice President, Creative Director
Earle Palmer Brown/The Silberman Group, West Chester, Pa. (1995-98)
Transformed creative staff, process and product for full service agency for retail, healthcare, B2B, and
telecommunications. Introduced strategic planning concepts as additional part of agency thought process. Major clients
for heavy consumer TV, radio and print included:
• Comcast Cellular – branding and all phases of marcom, including multimedia advertising, for region’s largest
provider of cellular phone service.
• Advantra/Coventry – brand development and all phases of marcom and advertising for major Medicare
healthcare provider operating in 15 states.
• Christiana Care Health System – positioning strategy and brand identity for launch of this preeminent
Delaware system; supervised on-going positioning and creative in all media.
Vice President, Creative Director
Saatchi & Saatchi, Philadelphia (1993-94)
Chief creative executive for the Philadelphia office of the international agency. Managed staff of over 25 with emphasis
on the $60 million Silo account (retail chain for electronics and appliances). Heavy TV, radio and print. Reported
directly to Senior VP at London headquarters.
Summary of Pre-1993 Experience
Founder, President & Creative Director
MediaMoves, Philadelphia
Established and for six years operated a boutique agency with strong reputation for creative on retail, media,
healthcare and apparel accounts. Clients included JG Hook, Mickey & Co. (a Disney licensee), WHYY-TV, WCAU-TV,
CBS National Sales, IFR Furniture Rental, Coat Gallery
Director of Communications
WCAU-TV, Bala Cynwyd, Pa.
Managed in-house agency of the CBS-owned TV station in the Philadelphia market. Functioned as writer and producer
for station print and broadcast advertising and promotion for six years.
Education
Johns Hopkins University
B.A. Political Science
University of Pennsylvania
Annenberg School of
Communication
Completed M.A. program
CBS School of Management
Community Service, Professional, Personal
• Co-chaired the Strategic Planning Committee of Gesu School, serving economically distressed North Philadelphia.
Conducted focus group research and drafted final report, mission statement and five-year plan for Trustees
• Developed, researched and wrote study on “Social Determinants of Audiences for the Performing Arts” with a grant
from the Barra Foundation. Report published by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.
• Winner of 100+ creative awards, including: National Retail Merchants Assn Gold 3 consecutive years for Best TV
Campaign; NY Internatl Festival Gold for Best Agency Website for Backe Communications. Natl Assn Univ
Marketing for Best TV Commercial and Best Multi-Media Campaign for Arcadia University.