Paul Gosselin
Years ago, I thought I’d be writing sermons for a living, not ads, TV spots and social media posts.
After showing an early interest in the Roman Catholic priesthood, I spent five years in minor seminary. Then I met my wife and, well, everything changed. (Catholic priests can’t marry.)
Tapping into my natural creativity instead, I focused on advertising. This naturally led to my journey through a small collection of advertising and marketing agencies where I played a pivotal role in building some high-profile brands that continue to endure.
My work for Maker’s Mark bourbon helped it become one of the most sought after bourbons in the nation. One of my print campaigns was so successful it led to a 23% one-year growth rate in a category (brown spirits) that was in decline at the time.
A virtual rail event highlighting Cummins advances in clean-diesel and hydrogen-fuel technology led to 400+ high-level registrants requesting more information. Keep in mind that the sales cycle for railroad engines is often 30 years or more. So, when customer buy, they buy big.
My advertising campaign promoting a tax amnesty program for the Louisville Metro Revenue Tax Commission helped the city collect an additional $5.5 million. That was $1.5 million more than the targeted goal.
And when I helped rebrand the Commonwealth of Kentucky, my work led to an advertising awareness greater than any other state in the region. Independent research revealed that 90% of people surveyed said they believed Kentucky had become more desirable, and 80% said they were more likely to visit.
Along the way, I’ve been fortunate to pick up a few awards. I’ve been a Bronze Effie winner, a National Addy finalist, and my work has been inducted into the Outdoor Advertising Association’s Hall of Fame. My ads and posters have been featured in PRINT’s Regional Design Annual (now the PRINT Awards). And my broadcast work has won its fair share of Telly Awards. (These days, I mostly serve as a judge for the competition.)
In my spare time, I enjoy building acoustic and electric guitars. My dream is to, one day, develop an innovation that advances the craft of guitar building in some small but meaningful way.
If you’d like to download a PDF of my résumé, click the button below.
