It’s an incredibly difficult thing to bring a giraffe down. They can kill a lion with a single blow from their feet.

– Joanna Lumley

Aim high. Stay tall.

After 20-plus years in developing strategies and marketing materials for “big business,” I am very aware few businesses get the kind of marketing support they truly need to thrive.

I started the khaki giraffe because I believe time-strapped owners and marketers need more than someone to design a logo or three social media accounts. They need a communications expert who will not waste a lot of money and time trying to work out what sort of marketing they should do. Independent business owners need an experienced marketer who can listen and partner with them to develop and implement a consistent focused marketing approach that can win business and take their company to the next level.

Jeny Dowlin

Jeny Dowlin

the khaki giraffe

How I earned my patches

Born with an ability to observe and curiosity, I am well aware I have not had anything close to a “traditional” career path. As skills I learned 20 years ago continue to enrich my daily work though, I am ever so grateful for my journey.

  • Earned my Bachelors in Journalism from Michigan State University. My focus was broadcasting with emphases in Spanish and Criminal Justice.
  • BROADCASTING: CBS Lansing affiliate intern. Three years producer and on-air talent for government channel. Two years on-air morning DJ for FM station.
  • To give myself an edge into Chicago ad agency life, I first learned how to code websites in 1996. At age 27, I was new business pitching as the in-house expert for this new phenom – the Internet.
  • Thanks to my web and former broadcasting life, I became one of four web producers to manage Oprah.com. I was there as the Oxygen channel launched, O Magazine launched, Dr. Phil, Bob Greene, etc. It was a huge learning time for me especially in personal branding and maintaining quality with speed.
  • PUBLIC RELATIONS: Worked at Fleishman-Hillard on international communications for large entities like SBC Global, Con Agra Foods, UPS, AARP. Seeing how the big guys operate has given me insight into powerful ways to stretch smaller budgets. I currently spend my days working at a PR agency, Interprose, as a visual communications designer and online strategist for clients.
  • My agency experiences include 8+ years as an account manager, digital designer, web site producer. I’ve worn both suit and creative hats.
  • At a point when I felt burnt out by marketing, it came back into my life via a temp job. What was supposed to be simple adminstration support turned into full-time serving as the member relations and event planner for a public-private organization of 1,700 individuals from 700 organizations. Speed, customer service and knowing how to craft a good email were all essential here. Loved it.
Jeny has expertise in everything from pitching advertising campaigns and developing communication pieces to producing web and graphic design material. Her range of talent is impressive and her work is a cut above the rest.
Carrie Owens

Director of Marketing and Communications, EnerNex

[Jeny] combines fresh perspectives and out-of-the-box thinking with pragmatic marketing planning abilities to deliver solutions that are innovative, within budget, reflective of the business and yield the desired results.
Blaine Kohl

Strategist | Marketing | Business Development, Blaine Kohl Consulting

Brand and Industry Experience

• AARP
• Abbott Labs
• Ace Hardware
• Age Defiance™
• Alaska Family Salmon
• Arizona Grand Resort
• Asher-Cole
• Baltimore Gas & Electric
• Black Hills Energy
• Boise Cascade
• Canary Hotel
• Car-X®
• ChargeDefense
• Citizens Clean Elections Commission
• ConAgra Foods (Corporate, Healthy Choice)
• Culligan
• Dyneon
• eDonor
• EnerNex
• the e-tailing group
• Ethernet Alliance
• FASTR (Future of Automotive Security Technology Research)
• Febreeze®
• Forest Labs
• Gemini Mobile Technologies
• GridIntellect
• Hallmark
• Hasbro
• Health Pathways, Inc.
• Hotel Casa Del Mar
• IEEE Societies (Power & Energy, Smart Grid, Smart Cities, Internet Initiative, etc.)
• ITT Technical Institute
• Jet-Puffed Marshmallows
• LPGA
• Molex
• Navistar International
• New Life Colostrum™
• Northland Family Help Center
• O, The Magazine
• Oprah’s Angel Network
• The Oprah Winfrey Show
• Pampers
• Pure-Spin Golf
• Riparian Institute
• SBC Global
• Shutters Hotel on the Beach
• Smart Grid Interoperability Panel
• Snapware™
• South Carolina Electric & Gas
• Sunnyhill Adventures
• Symbiotics
• TACKLE Technologies
• Target
• Ubisoft
• US Postal Service
• Unity Church of Phoenix
• Waste Management
• Xanadu

by Industry

• Animal Related
• Associations
• Children’s Products
• Engineering
• Financial Services
• Food & Beverage
• Health & Fitness
• Healthcare
• Higher Education
• Home Improvement & Construction
• Hospitality & Travel
• Luxury Goods & Services
• Manufacturing
• Media & Entertainment
• Non-Profits
• Pharmaceutical
• Professional Services/Consulting
• Public Utilities
• Publishing
• Real Estate
• Sports
• Technology
• Telecommunications

Hello…
Is It Me You’re Looking For?

Let’s find out! It all begins with sending me a short email to get the conversation going. Please and thank you.