Nathan Zwilling
Executive Strategy Director
Nathan Zwilling is a customer-obsessed growth strategist who has spent over two decades bending strategy, media, creative, and content toward one unrelenting goal: winning in market. His philosophy is holistic and unapologetically full-funnel. He believes that every link in the chain, brand, strategy, UX, creative, media, CRO, and analytics must be tightly aligned and accountable to business outcomes. Over the course of his career, he has led strategy and performance marketing initiatives for some of the world’s most recognized brands including Applebee’s, Bacardi, ConAgra, Discover, Hostess, McCormick, Sherwin Williams, Hunter Douglas, P&G, Fifth Third Bank, and Tire Discounters helping them navigate complex consumer journeys and achieve measurable growth. His track record includes building and scaling integrated performance marketing practices that unite media, brand, content, and data into cohesive systems designed to deliver results. He has helped clients reduce acquisition costs, improve conversion rates, and boost both preference and purchase intent by combining deep consumer insight with executional excellence. Nathan’s work demonstrates the power of customer understanding applied with rigor and creativity.
Equally passionate about leadership, Nathan has guided cross-functional teams across agencies, consultancies, and in-house roles. He thrives in fast-paced environments, where he brings both strategic clarity and an innovative mindset, while fostering collaboration and elevating those around him. His leadership extends beyond client outcomes, he has launched new offerings such as Performance Branding, Brand Maturity Models, and Need-Based Segmentations to advance the discipline of marketing itself.
Today, as Executive Strategy Director at Icehouse, Nathan continues to help brands outmaneuver fragmented customer journeys and outsmart commoditized media approaches. His work is grounded in the agency’s focus on Buyability aims to making brands valuable enough to be considered, engaging enough to connect, and actionable across the entire funnel. By applying creative thinking at every stage of the journey, starting with purchase and working backward to define what must be true, he delivers strategies that don’t just look good on paper but perform in market. Fueled by deep consumer immersion, rigorous testing, and ongoing optimization, Nathan’s approach ensures that every marketing investment works harder, builds resilience, and drives growth that lasts.