Dionne Colvin
National Media Manager
Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.
Exploring new platforms to communicate with consumers is a core tenet at Toyota. Dionne Colvin is leading that charge, helping the automaker implement campaigns from a multidimensional integrated standpoint and working with all of its ad agencies on idea development. Colvin and her team ensure that each agency delivers a campaign that best fits Toyota’s multicultural focus. She headed the prestigious placement campaign “Faces†used to introduce the 2009 Toyota Venza. The ad debuted during Super Bowl XLIII with the TV spots “Are You Venza?†She also oversaw Toyota’s participation as the official vehicle partner for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater during the U.S. portion of the company’s historic 50th anniversary global tour. Colvin has also been instrumental in involving Toyota in groundbreaking integrated marketing sponsorships for television.–Carolyn M. Brown
Frank Cooper III
Senior Vice President & Chief
Consumer Engagement Officer
PepsiCo
Frank Cooper is charged with developing initiatives to drive consumer engagement across key operational areas for PepsiCo Americas Beverages, including digital, media, sports, multicultural, and entertainment. And he’s done big things for the PepsiCo brand. Cooper is the man behind the Pepsi We Inspire online community; the Pepsi Refresh Project, a community initiative that raised money for environmental and cultural projects; and the Dewmocracy campaign, which let consumers choose the next Mountain Dew soft drink flavor. He’s also responsible for the brand’s video game marketing promotions: the Pepsi ” Rock Band†video contest, the Pepsi Madden Sweepstakes, and Mountain Dew Game Fuel for “World of Warcraft†and “Halo†games, among others. A few months ago, he was appointed to gaming company Ogmento Inc.’s board of directors. Cooper joined Pepsi in 2003 as CMO, Sparkling Beverages, Pepsi-Cola North America. He’s a graduate of Harvard Law School and the recipient of a 2010 AdColor Legend Award. –Sonja D. Mack
Esi Eggleston Bracey
Vice President & General
Manager of Global Cosmetics Innovation, Branding & Operations
Procter & Gamble Co.
Esi Eggleston Bracey has made a prominent mark in the beauty and grooming industry; she is recognized for her role in the systematic growth and evolution of P&G’s brand marketing strategy in the face of a financial downturn. With more than 1,000 people under her leadership, Eggleston Bracey oversees the operations of P&G’s CoverGirl and Max Factor brands, which have generated more than $2 billion in retail sales worldwide. Among Eggleston Bracey’s greatest triumphs is ushering in a new era of brand identity and cross-demographic marketing. This included redefining “All-American beauty†by signing such diverse celebrities as Queen Latifah, Drew Barrymore, and Ellen DeGeneres as CoverGirl spokeswomen. She began her tenure in 1991 and made history as one of P&G’s youngest general managers and the first African American to attain such status. She takes pride in helping female consumers feel good about themselves from the inside-out. –Carolyn M. Brown
Charlotte McKines
Vice President, Global Marketing
Communications
Merck & Co.
Charlotte McKines remembers when the primary pharmaceutical outreach to physicians was through a representative who made face-to-face office visits. Today the industry has multiple channels, including social media, by which to provide information on research and product development. The other major change, McKines says, has been the rise of consumer activism: “consumers wanting to be more engaged with pharmaceutical companies around their healthcare.†And so Merck’s marketing messaging is twofold in talking to healthcare providers as well as patients. “We really want to encourage the patient—physician dialogue around disease and around appropriate treatments. And for patients, we want to encourage them to better engage their doctors.†In the end, McKines says Merck’s goal is to leverage a consistent customer experience through all its channels as well as through partnerships to enhance and engage the conversation around better choices in health management.         –Sonia Alleyne
Sarah Mensah
Chief Operating Officer & Chief Marketing Officer
Portland Trail Blazers
There’s never a dull moment for the COO of a major sports team. “One day I may focus primarily on communications and public affairs issues, and another day I might be completely immersed in forecasting pricing and finance,†says Sarah Mensah, who assumed her most recent post with the Portland Trail Blazers in June 2010. Mensah spent the two years prior to her appointment to COO as CMO for the popular sports franchise. In her new role, she still is the lead executive with oversight of all marketing and branding activities related to the franchise.
She joined the Trail Blazers as a corporate sales manager in 1993 and has steadily worked her way up. “I have developed two skills that I feel are most valuable. The first is the freedom to admit when I’m wrong and change course on a dime. The second is the ability to welcome and seek out risks. I’ve learned that if there is no risk there will be no reward.â€Â            –Sonja D. Mack
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