CHAD SOMMER
CORE COMPETENCIES
Integrated Marketing Strategy
Go-To-Market (GTM) Planning & Execution
Experiential & Field Marketing
Sponsorship Activation & Management
Digital Lead Capture & QR Engagement
Retail Traffic & Demand Generation
B2B / SMB / Enterprise Acquisition
Multi-Market Program Management
Agency & Cross-Functional Leadership
Brand Ambassador Program Design
Budget Optimization & ROI Management
Multi-City Event Production
Senior integrated and experiential marketing leader with 15+ years of experience connecting national brand strategy to market-level results. My career has moved through Fortune 50 enterprise (Verizon, T-Mobile), agency environments, and nonprofit work, giving me a broad foundation that spans strategic planning, cross-functional leadership, and hands-on program execution.
My core expertise sits at the intersection of experiential marketing, sponsorship activation, and demand generation. At Verizon, I managed a multi-asset partnership portfolio with the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, St. Louis Blues, and Chicago Fire, personally overseeing 185+ annual activation days while building SOP frameworks that governed 300+ activations across the Great Lakes region. The programs I built delivered concrete results: a 344% traffic lift and 67% sales lift from the 2025 NFL Draft campaign, 200%+ traffic and sales lift from the "Headshots" SMB acquisition program, and a 14.3% year-over-year increase in regional phone gross adds through co-branded OEM campaigns. I also modernized the region's approach to digital lead capture through QR-driven engagement that generated significant qualified leads resulting in 10% conversion.
At T-Mobile's Michigan Avenue flagship, I ran experiential programming and community engagement for the brand's highest-profile retail location in the Midwest, building a localized outreach engine that delivered up to 20% incremental monthly sales. I also led the Mobile Showroom program across five Midwest markets, earning T-Mobile's national Winners Circle award for field performance and producing GTM launch plans for two new markets from the ground up.
Earlier in my career, I produced C-suite brand engagement experiences for Motorola at the World Business Forums in New York and Chicago through PileDriver Marketing, grew new business revenue 25%+ year-over-year at Liquid Event Marketing Solutions, and increased nonprofit grant revenue 29% during an economic recession at Youth Guidance. That foundation in B2B relationship management, agency business development, and mission-driven work shapes how I approach leadership: with accountability, adaptability, and a long view.
I'm currently seeking senior integrated marketing, experiential marketing, go-to-market, or sponsorship activation roles. Open to opportunities in Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area, or Seattle.
CERTIFICATIONS
Google AI Fundamentals
Career Essentials in Generative AI by Microsoft and LinkedIn
Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Specialization
Cvent Event Marketing Strategy Certification
Cvent Hybrid Events Certification
Cvent Virtual Events Certification
Lead Management in Salesforce
Social Media Marketing (DePaul University)