online strategy & community engagement
Vancouver, Canada Area
- Current
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- director, WEB (web engagement & banking) at Vancity
- blogger at azaroff.com
- Past
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- interactive marketing & channel manager at Vancity
- project manager at TELUS
- producer at Blast Radius
- producer at Media Revolution
- producer at 65 Media
- producer at DNA Studio
- community producer at AtomFilms
- owner at Group Effort Productions
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William Azaroff’s Summary
I head up the WEB (Web Engagement & Banking) Team at Vancity, which means that I get to work with all the amazing people who bring online banking to our members, an intranet to our employees, and ChangeEverything.ca to the community.
I write about the intersection of the Internet, corporate social responsibility, social media and the world of banking at azaroff.com/blog, am a seasoned speaker, an editor of CUWaterCooler.com, and am honoured to have been recently named GonzoBanker of the Month and included on American Banker's Bank Technology News list of the top 10 people of 2009.
I bring a decade of experience leading strategic web projects both at digital agencies and on the client side in Seattle, Los Angeles and Vancouver. I have spearheaded initiatives in several key verticals, including Financial Services, Entertainment & Media, Telecommunications and Automotive. The companies I've worked with include Disney, Honda, 20th Century Fox, TELUS, Nike Jordan, the Government of British Columbia, Focus Features, Intuit Canada, Universal Pictures, the Vancouver Port Authority, The WB, Nestlé and AtomFilms.
William Azaroff’s Specialties:
Online strategy, community engagement, online banking, social media, creative strategy, web user experience, interactive marketing, blogging, project management, team leadership, channel management & strategy, metrics & analytics, online community building, web 2.0, public speaking.
William Azaroff’s Experience
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director, WEB (web engagement & banking)
Vancity
(Privately Held; Financial Services industry)
January 2008 — Present (2 years )
Leads the WEB Team at Vancity, Canada's largest credit union. Evolves and innovates internal and external web properties, while focusing on the needs of members, staff and the community.
Delivers on the credit union's triple bottom line business model to ensure online initiatives improve the economic, environmental and social performance of the company.
Speaks at conferences across North America about Vancity's online activities, and its success with online branding, innovation, marketing, social media and socially responsible business practices.
Strategic planning includes:
• online banking functionality
• company's core websites as marketing, communication and engagement vehicles
• social media and digital content
• internal online communication and collaboration tools -
blogger
azaroff.com
(Internet industry)
January 2003 — Present (7 years )
Writes about the intersection of the Internet, corporate social responsibility, social media and the world of banking at azaroff.com/blog
Co-editor of CUWaterCooler.com
Occasional guest blogger on NetBanker, a prominent FI blog at netbanker.com/azaroff
Contributor to the book Age of Conversation 2. -
interactive marketing & channel manager
Vancity
(Privately Held; Financial Services industry)
September 2005 — January 2008 (2 years 5 months)
Developed strategic online initiatives aimed at building brand, extending community leadership differentiation and increasing product promotion and sales. Created a Digital Marketing Strategy to ensure web plans align with overall corporate objectives. Developed and produced large-scale social networking site - ChangeEverything.ca - to foster community and extend innovative brand attributes. Worked within Channel Management to develop a Channel Strategy, focusing on optimal utilization of all channels (Branch, ATM, Telephone and Online) to better fulfil the needs of the organization and its members.
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project manager
TELUS
(Public Company; TU; Telecommunications industry)
March 2004 — September 2005 (1 year 7 months)
Managed strategic projects focused on improving the customer experience and usability on telus.com. Adapted marketing initiatives for the web as part of the Web User Experience team within the TELUS Brand office. Produced sites for external clients, including the Vancouver Port Authority and the Government of BC.
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producer
Blast Radius
(Public Company; 201-500 employees; Marketing and Advertising industry)
2003 — 2004 (1 year )
Produced web projects and digital marketing campaigns for clients such as Nike Jordan and Intuit Canada.
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producer
Media Revolution
(Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Internet industry)
2002 — 2003 (1 year )
Strategized with internal finance and sales teams to manage projects for Honda, the company’s top-drawer client, including the development of a large scale community site for Honda's Motorcycle division. Created and delivered presentations to senior Honda management illustrating best solutions to advance functionality, carefully maintained budget and schedule efficiency to ensure project profitability and collaborated with technical and art directors - as well as Honda project managers and business leaders - to meet core objectives. Also managed smaller initiatives for Sony Pictures and Nestlé.
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producer
65 Media
(Marketing and Advertising industry)
2002 — 2002 (less than a year)
Created and executed marketing plans and proposals to showcase films and products online for award-winning web design boutique. Scheduled company’s production slate and steered high-profile projects from brainstorming sessions through final delivery to clients such as Disney, Fox and Focus Features. Produced games and viral elements within scope of most projects.
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producer
DNA Studio
(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Internet industry)
2001 — 2002 (1 year )
Collaborated closely with clients such as Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. to develop and produce web projects. Managed teams of designers and developers, created wireframes and site schematics to demonstrate site usability and maintained project schedules and budgets. Strategized and produced highly successful marketing campaigns and extensive online gaming environments.
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community producer
AtomFilms
(Entertainment industry)
2000 — 2001 (1 year )
Strategized and developed content on AtomFilms.com to engage the community of 1.8 million Atom Insiders. Collaborated with internal teams to create successful site features to achieve traffic and revenue goals in coordination with major sponsorships, such as VW, Sony, Intel and Ford.
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owner
Group Effort Productions
(Motion Pictures and Film industry)
1989 — 2001 (12 years )
Produced, wrote and directed independent films, including The Engagement Party - an award-winning digital feature - and CheckMating - a 35mm short film whose film festival success yielded international sales to television networks, airlines and online and theatrical venues.
Additional Information
William Azaroff’s Websites:
William Azaroff’s Groups:
Finovate, BarCampBank, Net.Finance, Credit Union
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The Internet Marketing Conference (IMC) Group -
Credit Union Employees -
Credit Union Network -
AtomFilms Alumni -
BarCampBank -
EverythingCU.com -
Net.Finance -
Internet Marketing Conference (IMC) Vancouver
William Azaroff’s Honors:
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Central1 Fall Conference, Net.Finance East & West, CUES Experience, International Association of Business Communicators, BarCampBankBC (organizer), Canadian Marketing Association, Internet Marketing Conference, Partnership Symposium, Finovate (live blogger), Washington Credit Union League, BarCampBankSeattle (contributor), CreditUnions.com, Northern Voice, Marketing Association for Credit Unions
AWARDS:
American Banker's Top 10 People of 2009, GonzoBanker of the Month, 2008 Webby Awards (nominee), CUCBC Innovation Award (nominee), 2007 Digital Marketing Awards (certificate), Clio Award Shortlist, Hollywood Reporter Key Art Award (nominee), London International Advertising Award (finalist)
PRESS INTERVIEWS:
The Globe and Mail, Enterprise Magazine, Make It Business, Credit Union Journal, CU Management Magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times
