Steve R Gibson

Marketing Director

15+ years leading integrated, cross-functional, multi-channel growth for national brands. Expert in connecting customer insight to positioning and full-funnel execution across Search, Social, and Programmatic.

Steve R Gibson

Core Competencies

Strategic Leadership

  • Integrated Marketing Strategy
  • GTM and Campaign Planning
  • Team Leadership (15+ person teams)
  • Budget Ownership ($90MM+)

Technical & Analytics

  • Google Ads, DV360, Meta Ads
  • GA4, GTM, Looker Studio
  • Attribution & Incrementality Testing
  • Lifecycle/CRM & Nurture

Professional Experience

View Full Resume →

Director of Marketing

04/2020 - Current

Fullman Firm | Irvine , CA

Owned performance marketing, paid search, and full-funnel growth for a national debt-relief law firm.

  • Built an AI-assisted audience engine, automated qualification workflows, and cross-channel measurement processes that improved lead velocity and revenue predictability.
  • Designed and scaled a paid search + PMax framework across Google and Microsoft, implemented feed-driven DCO for legal services, and integrated offline conversions from CRM to optimize for qualified consultations instead of raw leads.
  • Operationalized weekly KPI cadences (ROAS, CPQL, win-rate, velocity), improved forecasting accuracy, and aligned media pacing with attorney capacity and intake operations. Reduced CAC by 17% and increased qualified consultation volume without increasing media budget.
  • Introduced attribution through GA4, call tracking, and form tracking; implemented conversion imports and server-side events; and standardized negative keyword governance and remarketing ladders to reduce wasted spend and improve funnel efficiency.

Vice President, Group Director

02/2015 - 04/2020

Canvas Worldwide | Playa Vista, CA

  • Led a 15-person cross-channel team across Search, Programmatic, and Social for Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, and others.
  • Managed $90MM+ in annual media; instituted portfolio bidding frameworks and experimentation standards. Increased Conversion Rate by 6%.
  • Partnered on new-business pitches (programmatic, search, and audience capabilities), contributing to wins including Wheels Up.

Client Director

01/2013 - 02/2015

Initiative | Los Angeles, CA

  • Unified paid search with programmatic prospecting and retargeting (RLSA) for Hyundai, Kia, Best Western.
  • Introduced ROI portfolio approach: increased in-market impression share by 15%, reduced CPC by ~20%, lower CAC by 10%.
  • Built process for PMP deals and viewability targets; trained distributed teams on trafficking and QA.

Client Director, Search & Video

07/2011 - 01/2013

Garage Team Mazda | Irvine, CA

  • Designed Super Bowl-week YouTube and Search strategy delivering highest-viewed auto spot without in-game buy.
  • Merged paid search and SEO operations; cross-trained Display and Programmatic.
Steve R Gibson Career

What Colleagues Say

"Steve Gibson is the true definition of a paid search rock star. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Steve on the Hyundai SEM team at Initiative. In that time, I’ve been able to strengthen my knowledge of paid search strategy. Not only does he know the best practices to optimize and improve account performance, he is also quick to formulate new strategies that utilize new features any of the engines introduce. His years of experience in the industry have given him a wealth of knowledge that he is more than happy to share with his colleagues."

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Ben Pablo

Associate Director, Paid Search at Hearts & Science

"I've had the pleasure of working with Steve aka "The Zen Master" for the past year on the Kia Search business. Steve is a highly experienced marketer with a strong understanding of the power of Search and analytics. Steve can turn a not so exciting conversation about Search into an intriguing story and draw you in. His company-wide presentation of search media was what ultimately lead me to leave display and join the Kia Search team. He is constantly working to find creative solutions to complex problems."

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Parisa Heidari

Performance Marketing & Advertising

"Leading the Hyundai and Kia accounts, Steve was the band leader that kept the team together, culturally and professionally, and I appreciated his open door, hands-on attitude in guiding the strategy, business intelligence of the account. Steve has also provided opportunities to broaden my scope as a search marketer, allowing me to contribute to one-off projects such as Rock in Rio."

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William Saw

Associate Director, Search at Hearts & Science

Recent Insights

Thoughts on digital marketing, AI, and growth strategy.

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Let's Connect

I'm currently open to new opportunities in search and social marketing leadership. Feel free to reach out to discuss how I can help your team achieve its goals.

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