Brand positioner.
Boundary pusher.
Former child model.
Behind award-winning, rock-star creative is rock-solid strategy. Shannon heads the strategy work at Zehno, providing the unshakeable foundation that launches the bold creative concepts our clients love.
She works with clients to uncover their often hidden assets — existing markers for greatness that need to be brought out in new ways to resonate better with audiences. She examines each client’s situation and aspirations, frankly and critically, digging deeper until its authentic distinctions come into focus. Once uncovered, she gets internal buy-in, a necessary part of any good strategy, by persuading even the most entrenched skeptics to believe in the power of their authentic brand identity.
The most common marketing mistake she sees educational institutions make is being afraid of real differentiation. She says that being true to your mission and relevant to your audiences only matter if you don’t sound just like the competition.
She joined Zehno in 2011 with a track record of marketing innovation and creative management success in companies ranging from small, specialized firms to national, publicly traded corporations.
A native of Manhattan and a New Orleanian post-college, Shannon claims dual citizenship of the country’s two most incomparable cities. She once ran a gourmet cooking school out of a New Orleans converted mansion. She also coaches visual artists on connecting with their creative processes and reducing anxiety around gallery deadlines, and volunteers with Families Helping Families, a nonprofit center for individuals with disabilities and their families. If she looks somehow familiar, you may have seen her growing up. She modeled for Parker Brothers games in the 1980s.
Education
B.F.A., Cornell University
Social enterprise certificate, Community Wealth Ventures