Whether it’s launching the iconic MasterCard “Priceless” marketing campaign, summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro or revolutionizing marketing strategy for a healthcare IT start-up, Victoria Vitarelli’s zest for life, creativity, and passion for excellence fuel her success.
Victoria is best known for leading the marketing strategy behind MasterCard’s “Priceless” campaign at a pivot point in its evolution, rejuvenating the company and positioning it for explosive growth. The touching and wildly successful series of ads has shown continuously since 1999. They have been translated into 98 languages in 220 countries. In this role as in many others, Victoria combined fresh ideas, data-driven decision making and leadership to achieve unprecedented results.
From the very beginning of her career, Victoria attained lofty goals. She was highly motivated to land a good job in a tough economy just before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the State University of New York Oswego. Victoria immediately began cold-calling marketing agencies and networking. A personal connection led to several interviews, and Victoria landed her very first job even before she graduated. It was with Ogilvy & Mather, the legendary marketing firm featured in her college textbooks.
Victoria’s marketing expertise truly transcends industries. On a lark, she applied for a marketing position with the New York Jets. She was chosen from a field of 1,200 top marketing professionals in a highly competitive selection process. In that role, she introduced the personal seat license (PSL) concept, delivering 96% occupancy during an economic downturn when many teams were struggling. Victoria collaborated closely with the Jets’ arch-rivals, the New York Giants, to define the branding and environmental graphic design of the shared MetLife Stadium.
At Univision, Victoria launched a 24/7 sports network, establishing a brand voice for Univision Deportes. She created the core branding message and redefined the social media landscape, propelling a 20% increase in engagement, likes, and tweets in less than four weeks.
As VP of Marketing in a newly created position and equity partner at MD Online, Victoria drove value and positioned the company for acquisition by ABILITY Network. She elevated marketing performance, built a sales recruiting pipeline and energized the newly unified sales and marketing teams. She was a driving force in navigating the merger and integrating the sales and marketing teams. As a key member of the Integration Management Organization, she collaborated with executives from both companies to define a structured, highly effective path forward as a visionary leader in an emerging market.
With a well-deserved reputation for scaling businesses to attain ambitious goals in growth environments, leading transformational change and enriching relationships with C-level executives, Victoria is often called an inspirational marketing strategist and creative, flexible, energizing yet empathetic leader. Hallmarks of her management style include an aura of calm confidence, organized thinking and decisions based on marketing analytics.
Throughout her career, Victoria has helped companies innovate and evolve through marketing, from Fortune 500 firms to start-ups. Past clients include American Express, Bausch & Lomb, Bulgari, Kraft General Foods, L’Oréal, Garnier, Maidenform and UltraFem.
In 2004, Victoria climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with her husband and his parents – the result of a year-long exercise in physical training, adaptability, and mental toughness. After a decade of casual running, she trained for and completed the New York Marathon in 2009. Today, Victoria places a high value on work/life balance, spending time with her family, and constant innovation to drive marketing results.
Victoria’s specialties are transforming corporate culture and leveraging data-driven decisions to elevate marketing performance. She believes that attitude trumps environment. She honed her management skills by attending the prestigious Columbia University Executive Education Program. With expertise in launching brands and collaborating with diverse management teams, Victoria enjoys working with truly passionate, talented and driven people who have a life to attain new heights as a high-energy marketing leader and brand champion.
