Jim
Detjen.
The experience
behind the ideas.
I have spent more than 25 years working on brands, building businesses, and leading the people responsible for both.
A closer look
People on one team.
Managed at Katapult Design, across packaging, catalogs, websites, advertising, and brand identity.
First-year retail sales.
At Swim Team Outfitter, the e-commerce business I co-founded and led in marketing and design.
Increase in lead conversion.
Following Salesforce CRM and lifecycle engagement work at Wasatch Academy.
Understand
what Karalynne
has built.
The trust people place in Just Ingredients is personal. The CMO has to understand how that trust was earned.
I would begin by listening to Karalynne and the team: how they make product decisions, what customers value, and what they want to protect as the company grows.
At Wasatch Academy, I worked closely with the Head of School across marketing, admissions, advancement, and athletics. In my advisory work, founders and executives rely on me to understand their priorities and help people act on them.
My family and I are clean-label consumers. This mission has a place in our own lives. I would bring that personal interest to the work, alongside responsibility for the team, the budget, and the results.
The work is
the best introduction.
Six parts of my background that connect directly to the Just Ingredients role.
From the package
to the shelf.
I have worked on packaging, product presentation, websites, catalogs, advertising, and brand identity. That work has also put me across the table from retail buyers.
Examples include Harry’s Razors at Target and Walmart; Creamies at Walmart, Target, Costco, and Kroger; P&G products at Costco; and Coca-Cola Bläk at Walmart, Target, and Kroger.
Make the product easy to understand online and in-store. Give retail partners useful creative, sampling support, and a reason to give it attention.
I have been
the operator, too.
I co-founded Swim Team Outfitter and led its brand and online customer experience, including team stores, mobile design, merchandising, and product photography. The business reached $2.3 million in first-year retail sales.
At Wasatch Academy, I implemented Salesforce and lifecycle engagement work that increased lead conversion by more than 40%, with Pardot supporting admissions and relationship management.
Follow what happens after the advertisement: choosing a product, making the first order, using it well, and deciding to buy again.
People, budgets,
and responsibility.
As creative director of Katapult Design, I managed a 48-person team at an agency with a $30 million annual budget. At Wasatch Academy, I served as Assistant Head of School and CMO, with a multimillion-dollar marketing communications and basketball budget and P&L responsibility.
I have led internal teams and outside specialists across creative, digital, communications, social media, photography, video, and advertising.
Set clear priorities. Make sure people know who decides, what they own, and how their work will be judged. Develop the team while holding the standard.
A relationship
should lead somewhere.
At Wasatch, I worked directly with Nike executives on national events, sponsorships, and athlete-development initiatives. I helped launch the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference and its multiyear agreement with Nike, ESPN, and Paragon Marketing Group.
In a basketball leadership role with Real Salt Lake, as Interim General Manager and Director of Basketball, I supported partnerships and operations through an ownership transition, working with the Miller family and Smith Entertainment Group’s incoming leadership.
Choose partners for the audience and the work we can do together. Plan the content, product trial, events, and follow-through before signing the agreement.
Give people a reason
to keep listening.
I created Think First and lead its brand, podcast, editorial work, website, and publishing. The work includes podcast season sponsorships with Cozy Earth and OŪRA, and my book, Distorted: The Psychology of Gaslighting, the Power of Story, and the Practice of Clarity.
I also spent eight years as a guest lecturer at the University of Utah, teaching branding, digital marketing, e-commerce, and creative strategy.
Help Karalynne’s teaching reach further through thoughtful topics, good production, and content that answers real customer questions.
Know what
the work is producing.
My experience includes campaign development, SEO/SEM, media buying, affiliate and direct marketing, CRM integration, and customer engagement. As VP of Marketing at ProGenealogists, I led brand strategy, the online retail lifecycle, and global advertising during its transition into Ancestry.com.
I have bought media across radio, television, web, and print, and supported events serving enrollment, donors, alumni, and the wider community. The channel matters less than understanding who we need to reach and what we need the work to accomplish.
Work with channel specialists and finance to understand acquisition costs, repeat purchasing, and profit. Use that information to decide where the next dollar should go.
Know the people.
Bring a reason to talk.
Years of work with buyers, brand leaders, sports executives, and creative partners give me a place to start. The next step is bringing them an idea worth considering.
Experience across the table.
Buyer-facing work involving Target, Walmart, Costco, and Kroger has taught me to connect brand ambition with what an account needs: a clear product story, useful support, and a commercial reason to act.
More than an introduction.
My work with Nike executives and the Nike, ESPN, and Paragon conference agreement involved making relationships productive through events, content, sponsorships, and operations.
A route to the conversation.
I have direct connections to the Nestlé and Starbucks executive teams. For a well-developed proposal, those relationships offer a starting point for reaching the appropriate decision-makers.
Access creates an opportunity to discuss an idea. The Barista Plant Protein concept is exploratory; no partner interest or agreement is implied.
Experience with
brands people know.
Client work, agency collaborations, partnerships, and executive roles. The nature of the work varied by engagement.
Consumer brands & active lifestyles
Brand counsel · Retail buyer work
Retail buyer work · Costco
Retail buyer work · Target & Walmart
Selected client experience
Brand counsel · Sports activations
Brand & marketing counsel
Agency collaborations
These marks identify organizations associated with my work. They do not imply endorsement of this presentation or candidacy.
What it is like
to work with me.
Excerpts from recommendations by people who have worked with me. Originally shared on LinkedIn in 2021.
“Jim took me under his wing for a period of time and helped me grow, not only as a marketer, but as a professional as well.”
March 23, 2021
“He can execute on a vision, and attracts top talent to his teams. He makes his team feel valuable and motivates groups to do hard things.”
April 1, 2021
“His combined artistry and communication acumen place him above the pack in the sports marketing field.”
March 25, 2021
Get close to
the business.
The ideas in this presentation are a starting point. The first decisions would come from working with Karalynne, the team, and the actual numbers.
Understand the standards.
Learn what customers trust and what the founder wants to protect. Agree on how that should show up in products, education, and campaigns.
Get the work connected.
Bring brand, content, paid media, CRM, retail, affiliates, TikTok Shop, partnerships, and events around shared priorities and clear responsibilities.
Decide what earns more investment.
Review spending, customer behavior, channel costs, and results with finance and the team. Set a regular time to decide what to keep, improve, or stop.
Help more people discover Just Ingredients,
choose it confidently, and keep buying it.
Let’s talk
about the work.
Jim Detjen · Draper, Utah
B.S., University of Utah
Former Chief Marketing Officer and VP of Marketing