Wray Ward has named John Dasher integrated media strategy director, an integral position that creates and sets the overall process for media strategy and planning. In this position, Dasher will oversee the agency’s integrated media strategy team to deliver strategic plans across all paid media channels for clients, including large media-led plans and B2C initiatives. His role complements Wray Ward’s ongoing dedication to creating the most innovative, engaging and effective work in the home and building category.

"John brings with him both an impressive track record of creating and implementing thoughtful, successful integrated campaigns and a refreshing approach to leadership that will continue to drive our integrated media strategy team’s success,” said John Mader, vice president and director of Connections at Wray Ward.

As integrated media strategy director, Dasher will lead his team as it works in tandem with multiple Connections disciplines, such as media, public relations, content, social media and search through the planning process, making strategic recommendations, leading the team and maintaining the integrity of the overall campaign. He will also work to develop communications strategies and analyze media consumption and behavior based on consumer personas developed by the agency’s Insights team.

Dasher has experience collaborating with cross-functional teams in analytics, insights, creative and media buying groups. He has held positions at Facebook and Sherwin-Williams as well as at advertising and media agencies including Publicis Sapient and Media Storm, where he handled digital strategy for key clients such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Most recently, Dasher was Strategic Planning and Media Investment Manager at Facebook, designing and planning measurable media strategies to align to business objectives spanning awareness, brand sentiment and core product metrics for instant messaging app, Messenger. He brings a holistic omnichannel media approach to Wray Ward that is focused on goal-oriented strategies for individual brand experiences.

“It’s critical that integrated media strategists marry the organization’s business and marketing goals — and that they find a way to translate that into a strategic plan, using media as the marketing lever,” said Dasher. “When I think about media strategy, I ask myself, ‘How can we drive media accountability?’ It takes understanding the business and manifesting that knowledge to determine key touch points we need to hit for our core audience or developing the brand experience that will move the needle.”

Dasher graduated magna cum laude from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Advertising.