Darren Contardo

Opportunity was to extend upon the Advanced platform with caffeine. So we recreated the essence of the launch and infused a fun/uplifting feel into it that communicated "energy" in an approachable way.

Challenge was to introduce the new Advanced Nutrition product line while keeping the base business on Original protected, so a colleague and I wrote the commercial to include the 40 year heritage of the brand, communicated past success and new relevance with the Advanced line as part of the SlimFast 1, 2, 3 plan.

With the challenge of making the oldest weight loss brand new again we redefined the creative along with Barker and relaunched the brand with new packaging, print, TV, radio, and websites. Along with the fresh creative I led the rework of the $58 million dollar media plan and $100 million dollar plus innovation set to rapidly turn around this beloved brand.

As part of the brand launch, I also wrote the TV commercial, selected the talent, and developed the Direct Response corresponding website/fulfillment solution. This is the 30 second cut from the original 60-sec spot after the DR testing period was over. The product went on to do millions in the marketplace.

As part of the relaunch and revitalization of Hydroxycut; America's #1 Best Selling Weight Loss Supplement Brand that I was responsible for many years we did the "Live" campaign. The Creative Director and I developed the spot. This campaign went on to lift the brand sales significantly (double digit growth).

Proud to say this product was my concept; a first in the category that went on to be one of the top-selling products in the category and the #1 selling weight loss gummy that started the weight loss gummies trend! For this spot we extended the "Live" campaign on the same shoot day and could use the Before and Afters since the key ingredients were the same.

Arguably one of the cheesiest spots I've done, but the press was significant. We hired Ronnie from Jersey Shore and shot him in one day while also making edits to the script in real time. Later on the cheese factor allowed us to get press from late night talk shows and bloggers that resulted in tens of millions of unpaid impressions.

In the many rebrands of Xenadrine the "Take it Off" commercial we tied in a pure hollywood vanity play to get consumers to aspire to the rich and famous. We shot in Malibu hills with our real before and afters. The brand Xenadrine Results gained a top 5 spot in all weight loss sales.

As part of the Bob Harper Smart Weight Loss brand launch I also developed this commercial along with a 3 hour DVD series that accompanied the bonus kit. Built everything from the products, packaging, website, print material, involved in the licensing deal, and of course the video shoots. This was actually shot at James Dean's old house in Sherman Oaks.

Shot in the dead heat of summer in Phoenix, this SpiderTech commercial was the main thrust for the brand's multi-million dollar marketing campaign I built for the retail push. 60, 30, and 15 sec pre-rolls were done. The result? Achieved over 40% above Walmart targets.

As part of the entire MD Products launch, ColdMD was the main star. Shot in Toronto, this commercial was done along with Joint MD and Sleep MD. We shot all doctors and talent over 4 days in addition to a print shoot that went into the wee hours of the morning. I made a cameo in the spot too... I'm the bald guy in the elevator.

The MD Product line went on to be one of the most successful condition-specific supplement launches of all time. Sleep MD in particular achieved the #1 spot in North America for sleep aids. I managed all the brands during that time.

Accelis was great weight loss product that managed... the key ingredient was corosolic acid from the Banaba plant in the Philippines. I thought that was a great story, so incorporated it into the spot. We also put the before and afters onto a treadmill, which was on top of a turntable. Accelis was supported by a multi-million dollar marketing campaign and was in the top 10 of all diet products during that time.

This was shot as a promo video for behind the scenes of the SlimFast commercial then shared across social media and media partner websites. The concept was to give an authentic view of the groundbreaking commercial that enabled additional press. 

As part of the brand launch for the natural energy supplement a commercial and direct response campaign was developed to help the company reach new distribution and increase sales.

In addition to shooting TV commercials, when on set the objective was to always maximize efficiencies and get the Before and Afters to share their success story. This was shot moments after Jessica finished her TV shoot.

In addition to shooting TV commercials, when on set the objective was to always maximize efficiencies and get the Before and Afters to share their success story. This was shot moments after Brittany from Toronto finished her TV shoot.

In addition to shooting TV commercials, when on set the objective was to always maximize efficiencies and get the Before and Afters to share their success story. This was shot moments after Kevin finished his TV shoot.

Immediately after the Xenadrine shoot in Miami we turned the camera and shot the before and afters to use for social media and online video hosted on the xenadrine.com website.

Immediately after the Xenadrine shoot in Malibu we turned the camera and shot the before and after Olivia to use for social media and online video hosted on the xenadrine.com website.

To extend the TV commercial the idea was to have inspirational stories of the lives touched and changed from SpiderTech tape. Omar couldn't walk without knee braces and threw them away after discovering the tape. Here is his story outside of San Diego where we shot this.

Dotsie is a Olympic Silver Medalist, 7x world champ, and 2x pan am champ for cycling and before she discovered SpiderTech her career was almost over. The idea was to let her tell her comeback story beyond the TV commercial. The integrated concept gives the campaign more authenticity.

As a former pro surfer and now physical therapist, specializing in pediatrics Car shares her story on how SpiderTech helped her. Although she wasn't in the main commercial, her expertise as an athlete and medical professional helped add credibility to new audiences.

To reach new audiences and extend the reach of the brand I put together a humorous commercial that demonstrates peoples struggle with great-tasting gluten filled products.

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"Darren led the brand development and marketing for some of our most successful selling brands. This portfolio alone consists of over 100 different products over the years and hundreds of millions in sales. Darren’s ability to work with top scientific minds, combine true scientific innovation with retailer and consumer trends, then bring it to market backed by breakthrough creative is hard to duplicate."

"When I was buying for GNC Darren led the product innovation and marketing for nearly all the top diet brands in the category. Darren created sophisticated marketing programs that worked and when I needed a new innovation in my category I would turn to Darren because I knew he would deliver. His ability to create new products backed by science, market them, and achieve significant success in the marketplace is unrivalled."

"With his marketing leadership and advertising expertise he has successfully launched dozens of products into GNC, Walmart, Walgreens, Kroger, Sam’s Club, Costco, Bodybuilding.com, Vitamin Shoppe, CVS, Rite Aid, and other leading retailers. It would be fair to say that few if any other marketer has successfully created more brands, advertised more, and has a better understanding of the landscape than Darren."

"I have had the good fortune to work with the largest organizations and brightest minds in the field of health & wellness, yet Darren stands atop the crowd. Few if any marketers have the ability to spot trends, build a strategy, pull a team together, lead them, execute flawlessly and quickly, adapt to a small or large budget, create business models, and sell to clients, retailers, or even celebrities like Darren."

"There are few if any marketers who have ultimately controlled the market in the weight loss and even sports nutrition categories as Darren has through scientifically backed innovation, strong merchandising programs, and comprehensive marketing programs. His ability to grow multiple #1 brands and continuously produce new advertising collateral that works is extremely rare."

"Darren’s strong coaching ability and incredible challenging style kept me on my toes and always pushed me to think outside of the box. He has a unique ability to lead and encourage, while being positive with a firm and effective approach. I learned more from Darren than anyone I have ever worked for in the past or present."