Champlain Today

McDonald's, Burger King, Pfizer, Bumble Bee, Wise, Heineken and L'Oreal. Do any of these names ring a bell with you? Surely they do -- after all, they are among some of America's best known consumer brands.

LaMontagne returned to campus last semester to speak to students.

Renée LaMontagne '94 got to know these brands inside and out because she's been part of their marketing and advertising teams. She has helped to position many products for success in the marketplace, just as she's positioned herself for success in an exciting career in the New York City area.

Today LaMontagne works as a senior product manager for a manufacturer of fine art materials. For a woman who attended art school in Paris and loves to paint, she's finding that managing the Liquitex acrylic paint brand is a dream come true. "I get to marry my art world and my business world -- how great is that?" she said. "There are brushes and paints all over my office. It makes me think more creatively every day."

LaMontagne, who earned a bachelor's degree in Business from Champlain, is developing new products and bringing them to market, conducting market research, coordinating marketing to both retailers and consumers, and managing the overall brand. "You wear many hats," she said.

Prior to this position based in New Jersey, LaMontagne was an account supervisor with Arnold McGrath Worldwide in New York City, where she worked on a mammoth McDonald's Corporation account. "It's really exciting when you've worked on a campaign for three months and you then see it on TV. You feel like a rock star," she told a group of 100 Business students assembled to hear her speak at Champlain last spring.

LaMontagne oversaw the McDonald's account for the New York City, New Jersey, Hartford and Springfield regions of the Northeast. This involved planning coupons and advertising, and directing business research and product development. "For the New York area alone that totals $45 million," she said matter-of-factly.

She explained to the Champlain students that the agency worked to define the brand essence of their product -- the emotional reaction you get from it. For "Mickey D's" they determined it was "personal satisfaction." All marketing and advertising efforts attempted to pass on that notion.

LaMontagne was responsible for annual marketing plans, budgeting, competitive assessments, brand positioning and the day-to-day management of the account. But that's not all. She actually had a hand in deciding what's on the menu at your corner Mickey D's. You know the Dollar Menu that's become popular? LaMontagne was in on that one.

During new product or menu development, she worked closely with McDonald's to generate ideas, conduct consumer research and product sourcing, and negotiate supplier cost. "I worked a tremendous amount of hours, but I loved it," she said.

Arnold is one of the country's top 20 agencies with clients such as Volkswagon, Monster.com, Fidelity Investments and the edgy "Truth" antismoking campaign for the American Legacy Foundation. "Advertising appeals to fun-spirited people," LaMontagne said. "I've worked with people from many different majors."

Before working for Arnold, LaMontagne worked for ACNielsen and D'Arcy, Masius, Benton & Bowles agencies in New York. Earlier in her career she was employed by Bruegger's Corporation in Burlington, Vt., and Fleet National Bank in Providence, R.I.

While working in the Bruegger's bagels marketing department, she learned the importance of building relationships and networking. She worked hard for the marketing director and, in return, that employer helped to get her an interview for her next job at a national agency. A while later she left that job to attend art school in Paris, but was later invited back to rejoin the agency. "Never burn bridges," she told the students who had come to hear her speak.

During her campus visit, the Rhode Island native shared her appreciation for her alma mater. "I feel very strongly about Champlain and how much it's done for me," she said. "There are so many things that I learned that I use today."

-- Kris Surette