Marketing Director, Data & Marketing Association (UK)
Elise Hunter
Kia ora, and welcome to my portfolio of work. I'm an expert brand marketer with 10+ years experience in strategic & data-driven marketing, brand building, and launching brands into international markets. In particular, I've spent the past nine years in the New Zealand and Australian Ed Tech industry. Originating from NZ, I recently moved to London to join the Data and Marketing Association—UK & Europe's largest marketing trade association—as their Director of Marketing.
- Writer's Toolbox Rebrand
- International ABM Campaign
- Tech Awards
- NZTE Funding
Writer's Toolbox Rebrand Story
In 2020, I led the NZ and AU rebrand of WTE to Writer's Toolbox: the only AI-driven, school-wide writing solution in the market. In 2011, the first WTE HQ was above the founder's garage in Auckland, NZ. What started as the original best-seller Write that Essay! Tertiary Edition aimed at first-year university students who needed some sure-fire ways to get their essay on paper, evolved into Write that Essay! The Online Tool. Today, what started as some scrawls—is the smartest educational writing software that takes students right from Year 3 to their first year of university.
In 2020, we decided to change the name to 'Writer's Toolbox' to truly reflect the value students and teachers alike perceived in the brand—beyond just essay writing.
• We simplified the Writer’s Toolbox house of brands, elevating the Writer’s Toolbox brand story, and showcasing customer success stories that mirrored the customer journey.
• We created a library of shareable assets to communicate the single-brand.
• Developed an annual brand story amplification plan.
• New brand positioning and corresponding brand guidelines.
• A new website with B2C and B2B payment solutions and marketing automation to drive unique customer journeys.
• A client case study led PR campaign and omnichannel digital campaign over 12 months.
AU/NZ Targeted ABM Campaign
Marketing starts with positive word of mouth. I think being in a growing tech business, this was very evident. When I first started at Toolbox, there were 4 staff members including the founder, and today there are 60+ spanning 3 markets. And while when we were starting out, PWoM created a steady lead-gen pipeline; as we grew it was crucial to support the sales pipeline with new business opportunities, and continously monitor and improve conversion rates.
In 2022, this evolved into an audience-specific lead nurture program to increase conversion. We run a an ABM campaign targeting our top 250 prospect client schools across AU and NZ with high-value content over a 6-month period. This kicked-off with a Direct Mail campaign, sending 250 corporate gift boxes to school leadership. The result?
• 110 new conference attendees across the next 3-months that we previously had no touch-points with.
• 140 schools took on active free software trials.
• 30% conversion from trial to paid school customer.
Writer's Toolbox Awards
2021 | Finalist, NZ Hi-Tech Awards
2021 | Honouree, Webby Award's
2022 | Honourable mention, NZ Hi-Tech Awards
2023 | Winner, NZ Hi-Tech Awards
Winning at the NZ Hi Tech Awards in 2023 is one of my career proudest achievements to date. This was a huge achievement for us. Having started as a publishing company, to get recognised by your industry, while you're up against tech giants, as not-only a top performer, but creating an excellent user-experience—was an incredibly gratifying experience.
In 2017, we made the difficult decision to put on hold on any improvements to our SAAS offering and rebuild the entire tool from the ground up. We knew this would cost us customers to competitors, and we would be behind the market, but it meant we could heavily invest in our own AI. This meant a complete rebuild and we launched this in 2020 after 3 years of product development and $7.5mil in R&D. It paid off and the technology was awarded a patent in Australia in 2023 for the original technology process that drives the tool.
Commencing in 2021, I led a senior team who completed the application and panel interviews which led to receiving these recognitions every year at the Hi-Tech Awards from 2021 - 2023.
International Growth Fund
In 2o23 we were invited to join the NZTE F700 and have a Game Plan underway with NZTE for market expansion across Australia. This was based on the market valuation International Springboard project which I led internally. This project clarified that the B2C market was not as viable at this stage as originally anticipated. Accordingly, we accelerated the B2B school market and focussed on further demand creation to validate whether the early success and structure in Queensland was scalable and replicable in other Australian states.
This project led to Writer's Toolbox receiving an international growth fund from NZTE which included:
• $500k in matched funding to grow Writer's Toolbox across NSW and VIC in Australia.
• Keynote speaking slots and conference stands at Australasia's biggest education conferences.
• Access to a network of industry leaders in PR, branding, UX/UI, and marketing strategy to help accelerate business growth.
