Brand strategist Mary Ergul shows how she contextualizes business problems through a human lens by finding juicy tensions to inspire creatives and makers. This portfolio has cases from IQ Agency and Miami Ad School.

1. BRAND STRATEGIST
A TENSION
S E E K E R

2. WHAT I
BRING TO
THE TABLE
WHY ADVERTISING?
I’ve been drinking the advertising kool-aid a
loooong time.
At 9 years old, I saw the film What Women Want
and decided advertising was a more viable career
path than being a princess.
While getting my undergrad in advertising, my
university offered a study abroad at Cannes Lions,
so in 2013 I was sitting front row for panels with
Gloria Steinem while humming Dumb Ways To Die
and figuring out how to sneak into GoogleX
conferences. I realized this industry was much
more powerful and innovative than I thought, and I
was eager to get in. After graduation, I worked at
two agencies then headed back to Miami Ad School
for account planning bootcamp, where I received
the Top Dog award for best in class.
WHY BRAND STRATEGY?
My talent is also my passion - delivering innovative
thinking by understanding business problems
through a human lens.
I love getting to know people - what they hope for,
what tensions they face, what they’re proud of. The
best work champions the human spirit.
The opportunities that lie in challenges and the
ability to make something meaningful are why I’m
excited to get to work.

3. How do you approach human feelings in a world of stony transactions?
How do you inspire people to pick up poop?
How do you get real in a world of perceived perfection?
RISING
TO THE
CHALLENGES
How do you take the dread out of a chore as well as take the guilt out of fun?
The cases in this portfolio show a breadth of recontexualizing business problems and inspiring creative at various agencies.
How do you deliver a gift that keeps on giving?

4. THE CHALLENGE
Park goers who do not pick up after their dogs are not responding to current shaming efforts.
THE TENSION & INSIGHT
Doggy parents will train their dogs on what’s right and what’s wrong. However, sometimes parents do not follow their own advice when doing the
right thing is inconvenient.
THE STRATEGY
Train the humans by enforcing good behavior and punishing bad.
THE RESEARCH
I conducted mystery dog walking by borrowing my neighbor’s puppy to walk in the parks in addition to absorbing secondary research of dog-owner
culture. I found that the vast majority of dog owners thought of their dogs as members of the family. The dogs are babies, just with paws.
THE CAMPAIGN
Good Human: Using the dog’s perspective allows for clever calls-to-action and speaks to the emotional bond humans have with their pets.
CHATTAHOOCHEE
PARKS
CONSERVANCY
How do you inspire people to pick up poop?

5. THE TEAM
Agency // Miami Ad School
Jessica Pester // Art Director
Alexa Lyons // Art Director
Mya Passmore // Copywriter
CHATTAHOOCHEE
PARKS
CONSERVANCY.
Creative campaign: Good human.

6. THE CHALLENGE
Soda likers and lovers are cutting cardonated soft drinks out of their lives.
THE TENSION & INSIGHT
There’s a judgement when someone indulges; supposed perfection is when someone can refrain from their cravings.
THE STRATEGY
Remind people that a healthy lifestyle is one of balance, not deprivation.
THE RESEARCH
Social listening analysis and secondary research showed that people still craved soda but they felt like they had to cut it out.
THE CAMPAIGN
So worth it: Bold creative declares sodas are a treat worth having.
AMERICAN
BEVERAGE
ASSOCIATION
How do you get real in a world of perceived perfection?

7. 15 SECOND SPOT FOR RADIO
Announcer VO: On the first day, God said
Let there be light…
And On the seventh day He rested…
SFX: *sound of Soda can pop/fizzing*
Announcer VO: So Worth it.
Brought to you by the National Soda
Association
AMERICAN
BEVERAGE
ASSOCIATION
Creative campaign: So worth it.
THE TEAM
Agency // Miami Ad School
Kendra Little // Art Director
Max Mager // Copywriter

8. AND
THEN
SOME
These cases are stand-alone strategies showcasing skills from business transformation to persona development to SEO.
How do you take the dread out of a
chore as well as take the guilt out of fun?
CHALLENGE. This retail brand needs to
evolve the activity of shopping in a way
unique to their values.
TENSION. Getting something done feels
like it has to be a chore and having fun feels
like you’re not getting something done.
STRATEGY. I cultivated a business
transformation that leans into the brand’s
joyful experience and makes Target the
place where having fun is a necessity to
getting something done.
CHALLENGE. This credit union needed to
have a deeper understanding of the unique
emotional barriers with their financial
institution based on what milestones they’re
expected to achieve by a certain age
TENSION. Personal finance seems like
such a boring and complicated game (with
high stakes) that only few know how to “win”
while others are frustrated figuring out where
to start.
STRATEGY. After developing five
personas, I created empathy maps to
demonstrate how Oregon Community Credit
Union genuinely cares and could best help a
member accomplish stability in their lives.
How do you approach human feelings in a
world of stony transactions?
How do you deliver a gift that keeps
on giving?
CHALLENGE. This appliance brand
needs to expand its communication
audience and customer journey when it
comes to gifting.
TENSION. People want to give and
receive great gifts as surprises but the
lack of communication results in anxiety
and lackluster presents,
STRATEGY. Discerning gift givers from
gift receivers, I used relationships and
customer journey behaviors to build a
targeted search and influencer campaign.
This campaign showed why and how the
appliances could be the most relevant,
useful, and fun to give and get.

9. “The world is all gates,
all opportunities,
strings of tension
waiting to be struck.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

10. E X P E R I E N C E
gulmary93@gmail.com maryergul.com 706.877.7438
University of Georgia
I attended Fall 2011 to Spring 2016
with a Charter Scholarship to
receive a Bachelor of Arts in
Advertising, Local Food Systems
Certificate, and Global Health
Minor. I studied aborad at Cannes
Lions in 2013.
Miami Ad School
I attended Fall 2017 for the Account
Planning Bootcamp in Atlanta and
received the Top Dog award, voted
on by the professors as best in class.
E D U C AT I O N
BRAND S T R AT E G I S T
NARWHAL DIGITAL
Associate Digital Strategist Spring 2017 - Present
I consult with various Coca-Cola teams to fortify their brand strategies and
management globally. My primary responsibilities are user experience research
and situational analyses to provide best in class digital products.
My favorite project was brand architecture for a new memory keeping brand in
need of presentation and leave-behind material for investors. My deck showed
landscape understanding, brand positioning, and white space opportunities.
Social Listening
Crimson Hexagon
Brandwatch
Synthesio
g
TO O L S
H O B B I E S
-
IQ AGENCY
Strategist Summer 2016 - Spring 2017
My insights and deliverables helped credit union and CPG clients understand the
importance of consumer driven change while helping our agency secure more
projects from initial scope of work.
My favorite project was an internship program. I started at IQ as an intern and took
lead on building the agency’s first formal internship program for strategy, creative,
and account teams. Networking with schools, choosing learning materials, and
landing a client for a real project pitch stengthened my dedication to mentorship.
Design
Photoshop
InDesign
Languages
English
Turkish
User Experience
General Assembly program
Sketch

11. STRATEGISTS
Professionally, she looks for relationships
between data points that seem disparate,
analyzes them, and makes smart and strategic
recommendations to solve two problems where
the client only saw one.
Interpersonally, she finds connections with
employees in all disciplines. She is a true
bridge, which I experienced first-hand when we
collaborated on multiple projects. Solving a
problem alongside Mary is a pleasure – she is
sharp, eager, and compassionate.
She has a knack for developing insights out of
unstructured data and turning it into a story for
easy consumption. Hire her. You won’t regret it.
Arielle Cason // Research Lead
Noah Echols // VP Strategy
CREATIVES
Mary is one of the most enthusiastic planners I have ever
had the pleasure of working with. Her attention to detail and
her ability to communicate with purpose and precision make
her the ideal team member. I have no doubt in my mind that
she can accomplish any task put in front of her. We could
probably move a mountain if she helped us with the strategy.
She offers unique value to every project, always contributing
original insights based on her above and beyond research
findings. Mary doesn’t stop at planning, but offers assistance
and feedback throughout the creative process, helping in any
way she can.
Clive Neish // Art Director
Jessica Pester // Art Director
She's a team player and often a team leader. As such, she will
do whatever needs to be done to make sure that the team
functions well as a group. She's all in. Both hands. Both feet.
Above all, she's a pleasure to work with. I look forward to
working with her again.
Mya Passmore // Copywriter
SELF-PRAISE
IS NO
RECOMMENDATION
Don’t just take it from me; co-workers and fellow students want you to hire me too.