Ernie B. Manansala Jr. — CMO & Brand Operator

Built for the founders and operators
who need a real CMO, not another agency.

If you're growing a consumer brand and stuck somewhere between "the marketing isn't working" and "we can't afford a full-time CMO," you're who I built this for.

/ 01

Consumer brands doing $1M–$50M

Past the proof-of-concept stage, hitting a ceiling on growth, and ready to put senior marketing leadership in the seat — without committing to a $300K+ hire.

/ 02

Founders who've tried agencies and got nowhere

You hired an agency, ran the ads, bought the followers, and revenue didn't move. You need someone who can diagnose what's actually broken — strategy, positioning, channel mix, or execution — and fix it.

/ 03

Operators preparing for a raise, exit, or scale event

You need the brand story tightened, the metrics defensible, and the marketing engine ready for diligence. I've sat on both sides of that conversation.

/ 04

Categories I know cold

Beverage. Hydration & energy. Hospitality & F&B. Automotive & motorsports. Health & wellness. Performance products. Lifestyle & apparel. Retail & CPG.

Brands I've helped build,
fix, or scale.

CMO / Brand Strategy
PANDAN Rum
Beverage · Spirits · Brand build

EVP / Managing Director
Deer Park
BlueTriton / Nestlé N.A. Waters

Nirvana Water Sciences — Brand Operator
Nirvana Water
Wellness · Functional Beverage

Outlaw Energy drink cans — President / CMO
Outlaw Energy
Beverage · Energy · 2018–2021

Brand & Identity
Hidden House Cafe
Hospitality · F&B · Identity system

GTM Lead
Victory Fuel
Performance · Sports nutrition

Garrett Motion campaign — Multi-year agency partner
Garrett Motion
Automotive · Performance

National retainer
K1 Speed
25+ kart racing centers · Coast-to-coast

KOLABAGENCY — Ethical Hackers — Founder / CEO · Exited
KOLABAGENCY
Agency · Founded, scaled, exited to Amass Capital · 2014–2019

Brand campaign
Origin Waters
Beverage · Water · Brand build

Lifestyle creative — Content & paid
Lifestyle storytelling
Social · Editorial · DTC

NOS Energy Drink can — Marketing Operator
Coca-Cola · Fuze & NOS
Strategic brand marketing — Fuze Beverages, NOS Energy

Brand + creative + web

IHI Turbo · SEMA

Built a SEMA-ready brand, positioning, and full website overhaul in 90 days — the timeline other agencies wouldn't commit to.

Automotive · Performance90-day launch

NEFT Vodka barrels at HGV Zone motorsport activation — Brand positioning
NEFT Vodka
Premium spirits · Luxury, sport & lifestyle storytelling

BlueTriton Brands portfolio — Poland Spring, Deer Park, Ozarka, Arrowhead, Zephyrhills, Ice Mountain, Pure Life — EVP / Managing Director
BlueTriton Brands
Deer Park · Poland Spring · Ozarka · Arrowhead · Zephyrhills · Ice Mountain

Fuze Beverages lineup — Brand marketing
Fuze Beverages
Coca-Cola portfolio · RTD beverage range

Six engagements, on the record.

Pulled from real client work, agency partnerships, and operator quotes. Names are named where I have permission.

Automotive · Global performance brand

Garrett Motion

Multi-year agency partner · Brand & creative

Challenge

A legacy turbo and performance technology business needed to feel modern and consumer-facing in a category dominated by tuners and influencers. The previous agency relationship had stalled.

What I did

Built the modern Garrett creative system from the ground up — brand language, performance positioning, and an always-on campaign engine. Embedded as a partner, not a vendor.

Outcome

Multi-year retained partnership across global performance markets. Trusted as the creative team behind the rise of the brand.

Engagement · Multi-yearScope · GlobalFormat · Retained partner

"Ernie and his team are equally responsible for the rise of the Garrett brand. Nimble, fresh, and unique."
— Justin T. Ocello, Global Performance Leader · Garrett Motion

Read full case study →

Motorsports · Hospitality · 25+ locations

K1 Speed

National social & digital retainer

Challenge

K1 Speed had 25+ indoor kart racing centers across North America and no dedicated social media specialist. Content was inconsistent and engagement was flat across local markets.

What I did

Took over national social and digital execution end-to-end. Built a content system that worked at corporate brand level and flexed for individual location personalities. Managed paid acquisition for new racers.

Outcome

Engagement and new-racer acquisition lifts across the network. Relationship expanded from local-only to full national + select global pages.

Locations · 25+Coverage · Coast-to-coastScope · Social + Paid

"Their services were effective and clear to the point. Without a dedicated social specialist, EMA stepped into the role and did not disappoint. As a trusted partner, we endorse Ernie and his team."
— Andrew Palos, Marketing Director · K1 Speed

Read full case study →

Cycling · Global consumer brand

Giant Bicycles

US + Global social & paid

Challenge

Giant was shifting its marketing mix to put significantly more weight on social and paid digital — across both US and Global accounts — but lacked the strategic + tactical capacity to do it well in-house.

What I did

Strategic consulting on the new channel mix plus hands-on tactical execution. Took on US and Global pages, then expanded to additional pages as performance compounded.

Outcome

Scope and ad budget expanded considerably year-over-year on the back of measurable results. Trusted partner against brand and sales goals.

Markets · US + GlobalDirection · Budget ↑Scope · Multi-page

"Their services were so effective that we expanded responsibility and ad budget considerably. Strategic consulting plus tactical implementation. A trusted partner in helping Giant reach our brand and sales goals."
— Bradley A. Klipping, Sr. Marketing Manager · Giant Bicycles

Read full case study →

Automotive · Performance aftermarket

IHI Turbo · SEMA Launch

Brand + creative + web overhaul

Challenge

IHI was signed up for SEMA — the biggest stage in performance — with no cohesive brand, no performance strategy, and no usable web presence. Other agencies wanted a year just for the website.

What I did

Built a SEMA-ready brand approach tailored to IHI's culture and product line. Executed new positioning, market-appropriate creative, and a full website overhaul in 90 days.

Outcome

Brand, web, and on-floor presence launched on the SEMA timeline. Became Ernie's go-to relationship for both creative and strategic counsel.

Timeline · 90 daysStage · SEMAScope · Brand + Web

"We executed and launched a new strategy with market-appropriate branding, and completed an entire website overhaul in just three months. Beyond his creative talents, I rely on Ernie as a confidant."
— Operator quote (anonymized), IHI Turbo program

Read full case study →

Beverage · Spirits · Premium build

PANDAN Rum

Fractional CMO · Brand strategy

Challenge

A founder-led premium spirits play needed to translate a strong product into a defensible, distribution-ready brand — without the budget of a category incumbent.

What I did

Owned positioning, identity direction, and the GTM operating plan. Wired creative, channel mix, and on-premise/off-premise strategy into a single coherent build.

Outcome

Brand system shipped. Live commercial program with a clear position and price-tier — ready for tasting room, on-premise, and DTC channels.

Role · Fractional CMOCategory · Premium spiritsStatus · In-market

Read full case study →

Financial services · Performance creative

AMF · AdzLabz performance program

Brand approval · Strategic oversight

Challenge

A mortgage funding brand needed AI-augmented performance creative that didn't feel AI-generated, with clear A/B winners to justify spend before launch.

What I did

Reviewed the creative slate, validated the A/B-winning ads, and signed off on the launch funnel. Acted as the strategic decision-maker between the agency and the brand.

Outcome

Winning ad set approved and pushed live. The creatives that felt least like AI outperformed once bias was stripped from the test data.

Method · A/B testedDecision · Launch-approvedCategory · Mortgage / FS

"The ads below are the winners from our A/B tests — the only ones that produced meaningful click-throughs. We're ready to launch; we need your approval."
— Kasi McGraw, AdzLabz · Performance agency partner

Read full case study →

§ Recognition

Telly Award winners.
Industry-recognized creative.

Two decades of work recognized across roughly half of the major marketing, advertising, and creative award programs — for strategy, brand, creative output, and media.

Marketing and creative industry award trophies

Telly Awards
Branded content · Video
Cannes Lions
Creativity & strategy
Clio Awards
Advertising creative
The One Show
Advertising & design
D&AD Awards
Design & art direction
Effie Awards
Marketing effectiveness
ADDY · AAF
American Advertising
Webby Awards
Digital & web
Shorty Awards
Social media
Communicator Awards
Marketing & comms
MUSE Creative Awards
Brand & creative
AVA Digital Awards
Digital media

Strategy · Brand · Creative output · Media · Overall branding

Three ways founders bring me in.

Fractional CMO

Embedded marketing leadership on a monthly retainer. The most common way founders bring me in.

Commitment2–4 days / week

Term6-month minimum

StartWithin 30 days

→Weekly leadership cadence with founder/CEO
→Marketing strategy & operating plan
→Team build, hiring, and agency oversight
→Channel mix, paid, content, retail
→Board / investor reporting support

Learn more →

/ 02

GTM Sprint

A focused 90-day engagement to lock positioning, ship a launch, or fix what's broken.

CommitmentFixed scope

Term90 days

StartWithin 2 weeks

→Diagnostic of what's working / not
→Positioning & messaging architecture
→Channel strategy & first-90-day plan
→Launch or relaunch coordination
→Stable handoff to in-house team

Learn more →

/ 03

Advisory

A monthly seat at the table for founders and CEOs who need a senior operator on call.

CommitmentMonthly

TermRolling

StartImmediate

→Standing monthly working session
→Async review of campaigns, hires, decks
→Marketing leader / agency interviewing
→Board prep & investor narrative
→Direct line for urgent decisions

Learn more →

Also open to

Full-time CMO or executive employment.

For the right consumer brand — beverage, lifestyle, or DTC — I'm open to a permanent seat on the executive team in addition to the retainer engagements above. Let's talk about whether that's the right fit.

Start a conversation →

Quotes from people who actually
worked with me.

Garrett Motion

Our relationship has grown from ad agency to friends and partners. We rely on Ernie to keep us realistic about what we can accomplish while pushing the boundaries on what we want to. Ernie has grown EMA into a well-oiled machine — nimble, fresh, unique.

Justin T. Ocello

Global Performance Leader · Garrett Motion

K1 Speed

K1 Speed worked with Ernie and EMA to manage social and digital across 25+ indoor kart racing centers, coast-to-coast. Without a dedicated social specialist, EMA stepped in and did not disappoint. As a trusted partner, we endorse Ernie and his team.

Andrew Palos

Marketing Director · K1 Speed

Giant Bicycles

We brought Ernie in for both US and Global pages. His services were so effective that we expanded responsibility and ad budget considerably. Strategic consulting plus tactical implementation. A trusted partner in helping Giant reach our brand and sales goals.

Bradley A. Klipping

Sr. Marketing Manager · Giant Bicycles

I don't just advise — I build.

Founder / CEOActive

EMA

Ernie Manansala Agency · Brand · Growth

Full-stack marketing for consumer and lifestyle companies. Strategy, content, paid media, retail activation.

Co-founder / CMOActive

SIM IQ

Sim racing · Performance services

Geek-Squad-style service layer for serious sim racers — rig setup, software optimization, performance tuning.

Brand & GTM leadActive

812 Hydration

Beverage · Electrolyte sticks

Hydration brand with 7-pack and 20-pack SKUs. Leading positioning, retail strategy, paid acquisition.

Brand partnerActive

Coco Love

Beverage · Coconut water

Positioning and growth strategy with the Coco Love team. Beverage category, lifestyle brand build.

Marketing partnerActive

RAFA Racing

Motorsports · Lifestyle platform

Sponsorship strategy and content production. North American schedule, ambassador roster, brand partnerships.

Co-founderActive

TikTok Trend Vend

Retail · Vending · Trend commerce

Vending venture targeting viral consumer trends — fast-moving SKUs, location-based merchandising, social-first marketing.

Ernie B.ManansalaJr.

Built for the founders and operators
who need a real CMO, not another agency.

Consumer brands doing $1M–$50M

Founders who've tried agencies and got nowhere

Operators preparing for a raise, exit, or scale event

Categories I know cold

Brands I've helped build,
fix, or scale.

IHI Turbo · SEMA

Six engagements, on the record.

Garrett Motion

K1 Speed

Giant Bicycles

IHI Turbo · SEMA Launch

PANDAN Rum

AMF · AdzLabz performance program

Telly Award winners.
Industry-recognized creative.

Three ways founders bring me in.

Fractional CMO

GTM Sprint

Advisory

Full-time CMO or executive employment.

Quotes from people who actually
worked with me.

I don't just advise — I build.

EMA

SIM IQ

812 Hydration

Coco Love

RAFA Racing

TikTok Trend Vend

Let's build something.

Built for the founders and operatorswho need a real CMO, not another agency.

Consumer brands doing $1M–$50M

Founders who've tried agencies and got nowhere

Operators preparing for a raise, exit, or scale event

Categories I know cold

Brands I've helped build,fix, or scale.

IHI Turbo · SEMA

Six engagements, on the record.

Garrett Motion

K1 Speed

Giant Bicycles

IHI Turbo · SEMA Launch

PANDAN Rum

AMF · AdzLabz performance program

Telly Award winners.Industry-recognized creative.

Three ways founders bring me in.

Fractional CMO

GTM Sprint

Advisory

Full-time CMO or executive employment.

Quotes from people who actuallyworked with me.

I don't just advise — I build.

EMA

SIM IQ

812 Hydration

Coco Love

RAFA Racing

TikTok Trend Vend

Let's build something.

Built for the founders and operators
who need a real CMO, not another agency.

Brands I've helped build,
fix, or scale.

Telly Award winners.
Industry-recognized creative.

Quotes from people who actually
worked with me.