Top Executives in Advertising & Marketing

One high-powered entrepreneur creates imaginative campaigns for major-league clients to reach any constituency. An enterprising executive finds new ways to communicate the value of buying and selling products online. Another power player boosts sales for a beverage giant by connecting with new audiences through music and technology while his peer bridges the cultural gap, marketing pharmaceuticals from here to Mumbai. Meet GlobalHue’s Don Coleman, eBay’s Richelle Parham, PepsiCo’s Frank Cooper III, and Merck’s Charlotte McKines. They represent just a sampling of the innovators found on our latest exclusive roster: Black Enterprise’s Top Executives in Marketing & Advertising.

For this groundbreaking list, our editors selected more than 100 of the highest-ranking and most influential execs who have positioned the world’s most valued brands, engaged consumers, and generated millions in revenues in the process. Ranging from C-suite corporate professionals to be 100s CEOs, some have created ads that move millions to act while others have targeted influential segments of our multicultural world. These men and women are among chief marketing officers, senior vice presidents, senior media directors, creative directors, brand strategists, and other such business leaders overseeing multimillion-dollar campaigns, controlling media buying, and creating new audience development strategies.

Why did we choose to develop such a list now? “The rules have changed,” asserts PepsiCo’s Cooper, responding to generational shifts and a society driven by social media and other emerging platforms. Moreover, we found it vital to shine a spotlight on today’s generation of leaders as the sector undergoes a major transition. For example, the Advertising Educational Foundation, forecasts that ad spending targeted at minority audiences is expected to jump significantly as 2010 Census data is revealed. This development should be good news for African American advertising agencies. However, such firms continue to face pressure from general market firms, which have been developing in-house multicultural shops as they lose ground in media buying and engage in less lucrative consulting and creative jobs. On the corporate front, trade associations and publications continue to admit that African Americans remain woefully underrepresented. On the following pages, you’ll find a list of executives and entrepreneurs seeking to raise the game, make new inroads, and become a transformative force within the industry.

METHODOLOGY
To select our top executives in marketing and advertising, BE’s editors sought to identify the highest-ranking and most influential corporate professionals and entrepreneurs in the field. As part of our comprehensive search, our editorial researchers contacted the nation’s leading 100 U.S. advertisers, the top 100 global marketers, and general market advertising firms, as well as reviewed our proprietary database of the nation’s largest black advertising agencies developed by be Research. We further consulted scores of advertising experts and marketing consultants, contacted top officials at and reviewed materials from leading trade associations, and pored over hundreds of biographies and résumés.

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Our editors did not include executives associated with nonprofit organizations or public relations firms on this list. The roster also excludes general counsels, chief diversity officers, human resources officers, corporate foundation executives or senior managers who oversee media relations, public affairs, investor relations, community development, and government affairs. All executives on this listing held their positions as of Dec. 31, 2010. All marketing and advertising firms must have been in business for the full calendar year.

Our selections met the following criteria:
Agencies: Executives who hold C-suite positions such as CEO, CMO, or creative director and/or senior executive positions in management, sales, and creative areas of their firms. Managing significant lines of businesses, they serve as a representative on or report to the leadership team of a major agency as well as significantly contribute to that firm’s revenues and/or billings or lead creative direction and execution. They also maintain significant budget authority and have achieved leadership or innovator status within their field.

Corporate: Executives who hold C-suite titles and/or senior management rank including but not limited to the CMO, EVP, and SVP positions in marketing and advertising within the parent company or key operating units. They are responsible for significantly contributing to their company’s revenues, overall corporate branding strategy, and/or marketing of key products and services, development and promotion of major product lines, and oversight of social media strategy for corporate brands and products. They also maintain significant budget authority and have achieved leadership or innovator status within their industry.

ADVERTISING AGENCIES

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Danielle Austen
Managing Partner & CEO
Team Ignition
(Agency launched to handle
Infiniti Motors account)

Kimberly Blackwell
Managing Partner & CEO
PMM Agency

Howard Buford
President & CEO
Prime Access Inc.

Donald A. Coleman
Chairman & CEO
GlobalHue

Robert J. Dale
President & CEO
R.J. Dale Advertising & Public Relations Inc.

Fay Ferguson
Co-CEO
Burrell Communications Group L.L.C.

Clifford Franklin

President & CEO
Fuse3 Advertising

Alvin Gay
CEO & Owner
Footsteps Group

Byron Lewis
Chairman & CEO
UniWorld Group Inc.

Kent Matlock
Chairman & CEO
Matlock Advertising & Public Relations

Robert L. McNeil
President & CEO
IMAGES USA

Faith Morris
CEO  & Chief Strategist
OwensMorris Communications

Jo Muse
Chairman & CEO
Muse Communications Inc.

Shelley Stewart
President & CEO
o2ideas Inc.

Steve Stoute
Founder & CEO
Translation L.L.C.

Aaron Walton
Co-Founder & CEO
Walton|Isaacson

Carol H. Williams
President, CEO & Chief Creative Officer
Carol H. Williams Advertising

McGhee Williams Osse
Co-CEO
Burrell Communications Group L.L.C.

Robert V. Wingo
President & CEO
Sanders\Wingo Advertising Inc.

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTS/Executive officers
Antonio Patric Buchanan
Chief Strategic Officer & SVP
Sanders\Wingo Advertising Inc.

Ricki Fairley-Brown
CMO & Partner
IMAGES USA

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Esther Franklin
EVP & Director, Cultural Identities
Starcom MediaVest Group

Vita M. Harris
Chief Strategy Officer
DraftFCB New York

Verdia Johnson
President & CMO
Footsteps Group

Sheldon Levy
EVP & Deputy Director of Broadcast Production
Saatchi & Saatchi New York

Ray Lyle
EVP & COO
Carol H. Williams Advertising

Don Moore
President, Digital
Burrell Communications Group L.L.C.

Charles E. Morrison
EVP & General Manager
UniWorld Group Inc.

Allen Pugh
Vice Chairman
GlobalHue

Detavio Samuels
EVP, Client Services
GlobalHue

Lewis Williams
EVP & Chief Creative Officer
Burrell Communications Group L.L.C.

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTORS
Quincy Cherry
VP & Chief Creative Officer
UniWorld Group Inc.

Vida Cornelious
Executive Creative Director
GlobalHue

Mike Franklin
Executive Creative Director
FUSE3 Advertising

R. Vann Graves
SVP & Group Creative Director
McCann Erickson New York

Jimmy Smith
Group Creative Director
TBWA\ Chiat\Day, Los Angeles

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENTS
Karen Coleman
SVP & Media Director
Spark Communications
(A unit of Starcom MediaVest Group)

Linda Jefferson
SVP, Media Services
Burrell Communications Group L.L.C.

Kay Lucas
SVP & Director of Media Services
Carol H. Williams Advertising

Monique Nelson
SVP, Brand Integration
UniWorld Group Inc.

Rodney Northern
SVP & Director of Marketing Integration
Carol H. Williams Advertising

Austin Patrick
SVP
Carol H. Williams Advertising

Joi Tyrrell
SVP  & Client Service Director
Identity, Mediabrands Worldwide

TOP EXECUTIVES
Robert Birks
VP & Director of New Business
Carol H. Williams Advertising

Earl Black
VP & Client Planning Director
Zenith Media USA

Robbyn K. Ennis
VP & Media Director
Identity, Mediabrands Worldwide

Deborah Gray-Young
VP & Media Director
Burrell Communications Group L.L.C.

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Ericka M. Pittman
VP, Brand Strategy
The Blue Flame Agency

Ean Shearer
VP & Communications Planning Director
Carat

Kendra Hatcher King
Worldwide Director, Insight & Innovation,
Initiative
(An Interpublic Group media agency)

Adele Lassere
Media Director
Burrell Communications Group L.L.C.

Camellia Ware
VP & Director of Media Services
UniWorld Group Inc.

Corporate Marketers
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICERS
James C. Dennis
CMO
AXA, China

Brenda Freeman
CMO, Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media
Turner Broadcasting System Inc.

James Hutchinson
CMO & SVP
HUB International Ltd., Northeast

Candace S. Matthews
CMO,  Global Marketing
Amway Corp.

Sarah Mensah
COO & CMO
Portland Trail Blazers

Michael McCullough
EVP & CMO
Miami Heat

Richelle Parham
CMO
eBay North America

D. Keith Pigues
SVP & CMO
Ply Gem Industries

Debra Sandler
Chief Consumer Officer
Mars Inc.

Mary Beth West
EVP, Chief Category & Marketing Officer
Kraft Foods Inc.

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTS/
DIVISION PRESIDENTS/GENERAL MANAGERS
Y. Marc Belton
EVP, Global Strategy, Growth, & Marketing Innovation
General Mills Inc.

Esi Eggleston Bracey
VP & General Manager, Global Cosmetics
Innovation, Branding & Operations
Procter & Gamble Co.

Vince Hudson
General Manager, Cover Girl North America P&G Cosmetics
Procter & Gamble Co.

Olivia Smashum
EVP, Affiliate Marketing & Business Development
Home Box Office Inc.

Anton Vincent
VP; President, Baking Products
General Mills Inc.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENTS/MANAGING DIRECTORS
Paul G. Alexander
SVP & Manager, Communications
Liberty Mutual Group Inc.

Priscilla Brown
SVP & Head of Marketing
Sun Life Financial

Bernice Clark Bonnett
SVP,  Marketing
Macy’s Inc.

Frank Cooper III
SVP & Chief Consumer Engagement Officer
PepsiCo

Hoyt H. Harper II
SVP, Brand Management
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.

Kat Peeler
SVP of Marketing
L’Oreal USA Inc.

Bonita C. Stewart
Managing Director, U.S. Sales
Google Inc.

Xiomara Wiley
SVP, Marketing & Sales
Universal Studios Hollywood

TOP EXECUTIVES
Sheryl Adkins-Green
VP, Global Brand Development
Mary Kay Inc.

Phyllis Anderson
VP, Marketing
Humana Inc.

Lawyer L. Burks III
VP, Marketing & Product Management
Cardinal Health Inc.

Don Butler
VP, Marketing
General Motors Co.

Pam El
VP, Marketing
State Farm Insurance

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Vicky Free
VP, 360 Consumer Marketing for Cartoon Network
Turner Broadcasting System Inc.

Myorr Janha
VP, Marketing & PR
Rush Communications/Simmons Design

Jennifer Jones
VP, Diverse Markets & Post Sale Communications
AT&T, Mobility and Consumer Markets

Cindy Kent
VP, Neuromodulation Division
Medtronic Inc.

Nicole M. Lewis
VP, Global Marketing
Kelly Services Inc.

Candace McCullom

VP & Brand & Advertising Manager
Wells Fargo

Charlotte McKines
VP, Global Marketing Communications
Merck & Co.

Jonathan Mildenhall
VP, Global Advertising Strategy
& Content Excellence
The Coca-Cola Co.

Barbara Ross Miller
VP, Customer Experience Marketing
Sony Electronics Inc.

Talitha Watkins
VP of Multicultural Marketing
Universal Pictures

Yolanda White
VP, Brand Marketing
Powerade, Coca-Cola North America

Richard Williams
Executive Director of Multicultural Marketing
Verizon Wireless

TOP MANAGERS
Donna Aaron
Marketing Manager, Multicultural
Chrysler Group L.L.C.

Kim Adams House
Head of Jeep Brand Advertising
Chrysler Group L.L.C., Jeep Division

Aurora Archer
Sr. Director, Digital Distribution Channels
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals

Stacy Brown-Philpot
Director, Owned & Operated Properties
Google Inc.

John Casmon
Advertising & Promotions Manager, Buick
General Motors Co.

Toure S. Claiborne
Director of Marketing
Allstate Insurance Co.

Jerome M. Clark
Director, Global Marketing
L’Oreal USA Inc.

Dionne Colvin
National Media Manager
Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.

John Comissiong
Director, Outreach Marketing
Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

Greg Cunningham
Group Manager, Brand Marketing
Target Corp.

Gwen Fortune-Blakely
Sr. Director, Marketing & Integration
Marriott International Inc.

Chauncey Hamlett
Brand Manager
Bacardi USA

Rob Jackson
Marketing Director,
African American Consumer Market
McDonald’s Corp.

Barry Jennings
Sr. Market Research Strategist
Dell Inc.

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Tracey Johnson
Brand Manager, Gentlemen Jack, Jack Daniels
Brown-Forman Corp.

Ayana Jordan
Chevrolet Advertising & Sales Promotion
Diversity Advertising Manager
General Motors Co.

Ervin Lee
Director of African American Brand Marketing
MillerCoors L.L.C.

Adrienne Lofton
Sr. Marketing Director
Under Armour Inc.

Shawn Lollie
Multicultural Marketing Manager
Ford Motor Co.

Karine Mehu
Director, Digital Media Marketing
ESPN.com, Mobile, and Broadband
The Walt Disney Co.

Kisha Mitchell Williams
Multicultural Brand Manager
Procter & Gamble Co.

Sonia Myles
Director, Global Printed Packaging Purchases
Procter & Gamble Co.

Sherri Outler
Marketing Director
Dell Inc.

Karen Rafferty
Regional Director, Cadillac Sales
Service and Marketing
General Motors Co.

Anita Randall
Corporate Media Planner & Marketing Manager
Nissan North America Inc.

Caralene Robinson
Director, Brand & Marketing Communications
Boost Mobile

Marina L. Shoemaker
Director of Women’s Retail Network
General Motors Co.

Lesley Slaton McNorton
Multicultural Marketing & Americas Brand Manager
Hewlett-Packard Co.

Aubyn Thomas
Head of CRM, Database Marketing, Analytics and Loyalty
Luxottica Group

Sonja Whitemon
Advertising and Promotions Manager
American Airlines Inc.

Catherine Wilkins
On-Line & Relationship Marketing Specialist
Porsche Cars North America Inc.

Paul G. Alexander
Senior Vice President and Manager, Communications
Liberty Mutual Group Inc.

Liberty Mutual’s top brass look to Paul Alexander to build the brand both in the U.S. and internationally using the “Responsibility” platform and positioning. The top executive oversees all marketing initiatives for the nation’s fifth largest property and casualty insurer. Alexander is responsible for partnering with design firms and ad agencies for print, social media, and innovative technology from Androids to iPads. He was instrumental in launching Liberty Mutual’s 2009 social awareness campaign and new editions of its popular Responsibility project. He takes pride in the “Pay It Forward” television and online advertisements that use the selling line “Responsibility. What’s Your Policy?” Alexander has been senior vice president and manager, communications for the Liberty Mutual Group since 2009. He joined the company after serving as vice president, global advertising and package design at Campbell Soup Co.     –Carolyn M. Brown

Donald A. Coleman
Chairman & CEO
GlobalHue

Don Coleman is a highly regarded pioneer in the field of multicultural and cross-cultural marketing. In addition to targeting ethnic- specific segments, his agency focuses on young adult markets. GlobalHue works with blue-chip brands, including Verizon, Wal-Mart, FedEx, Subway, and the U.S. Census Bureau. Coleman and his team spearheaded the launch of Neon for Chrysler, the Jeep Cherokee Classic, and Bermuda Department of Tourism ad campaigns. GlobalHue was formed in 2002 through the merger of several shops: the Don Coleman Agency, Innovasia Communications, and Montemayor y Asociados. Under Coleman’s leadership, GlobalHue has grown to be No. 1 on the be advertising agencies list with $483.5 million in billings. An All-American athlete, Coleman ventured into advertising following a short-lived career in the National Football League playing for teams such as the New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets. He worked at Chicago’s Burrell Advertising prior to starting his own agency.                                          –C.M.B.

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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.”             –Sonja D. Mack

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Richelle Parham
Chief Marketing Officer
eBay, North America

Just five weeks into the job, Richelle Parham was clear about her first priorities as CMO at eBay, the world’s largest online marketplace. They include understanding eBay’s broad customer base–both the buyer and seller –as she develops a marketing plan for activity on the site as

well as one to drive traffic to the site. With 40% of revenues from auctions and 60% from “buy it now” products, she wants eBay to be first in consideration for shopping enthusiasts. Parham’s last position was head of global marketing innovation and initiatives for Visa and she began her career in direct marketing roughly 20 years ago. She believes this is the most exciting time to be in marketing because of the ability to thoroughly engage with consumers and gain accurate insights to better create the right experiences to drive business.      –Sonia Alleyne

Jimmy Smith
Group Creative Director
TBWA\Chiat\Day, Los Angeles

Jimmy Smith has produced an incredible body of award-winning work. From Nike to Snickers to Gatorade, he is an advertising tour de force. Smith sparked a national frenzy of blog chatter and industry discussion with his “What is G?”commercial, which became a viral sensation. The ad featured a voiceover from Lil’ Wayne and was crammed with celebrities but never mentioned Gatorade as the actual product. Smith notes it was a move designed to revamp Gatorade and bring back its “cool factor” across generations–”There are a lot of things represented by “G” from God to gangsters to gravity.” Before TBWA\Chiat\Day, Smith was executive creative director at BBDO and creative director at Wieden + Kennedy, where he was the chief artisan behind some of Nike’s most memorable commercials, including the merger of hip-hop and basketball ad classic “Freestyle” and LeBron James and Bernie Mac in the church-themed ad “Book of Dimes.”                       –Carolyn M. Brown

Steve Stoute
Founder & CEO
Translation L.L.C.

Steve Stoute believes in creating the right alignment to develop messages that resonate with audiences. He can take a traditional blue-chip company and make it appealing to a younger, often urban, demographic with a reported spending power of $1.2 trillion. He does this by leveraging music and celebrity, skillfully and creatively pairing people such as Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, and No Doubt front woman Gwen Stefani with companies such as Reebok, McDonald’s and HP.  In addition to his successful branding strategy, Stoute has lent his savvy to the Carol’s Daughter beauty line, helping founder Lisa Price grow from a mom-and-pop to nine stores across the country and into major department stores. He has also joined forces with R&B artist Mary J. Blige to launch Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN). In 2008, Stoute was inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Achievement.    –Sonja D. Mack

Aaron Walton
Co-Founder and Co-CEO
Walton | Isaacson

Walton | Isaacson’s creed is: We do one thing. Whatever needs to be done. “It speaks to our single-minded focus and priority–our clients’ connection with the right consumers in the right ways, whatever ways those may be,” explains Aaron Walton, the company’s co-founder and co-CEO, whose drive and creativity have fueled his marketing service agency’s impressive growth. “I love when a client gives us their toughest challenges or those assignments that aren’t perceived as glamorous or desirable. When I can roll up my sleeves with our amazing team and dedicate all of our best thinking into turning those assignments into real success stories, there is no describing that sense of collective achievement and purpose.” As a result, they have developed innovative advertising, consumer promotion, and event marketing campaigns for companies such as Lexus, Pepsi, and Pond’s. Says Walton,  “Consumers decide what interests them and where they will or won’t receive and respond to messages. Our [business] model was developed to be better, faster, and more relevant to consumers and to our clients.”                              –Carolyn M. Brown & Sonja D. Mack

Richard Williams
Executive Director of
Multicultural Marketing
Verizon Wireless

Executive Director of Multicultural Marketing at Verizon Wireless is Richard Williams’ most recent appointment in his impressive eight-year career with Verizon. He was a management consultant when Verizon hired him for a project and he’s been with the company ever since. He spends a quarter of his time traveling, gauging the needs of the Verizon Wireless customer and making sure Verizon service providers are equipped to fulfill those needs. The remainder of his time is spent learning about developments in the industry, new applications and technologies, and, of course, keeping an eye on the competition.

Williams enjoys every aspect of his job, from working with new technologies to seeing a project go from ideation/strategy to finished product. And he credits everything he’s learned at Verizon as well as his prior professional experience, which includes a stint on Wall Street, with his ability to negotiate well and thrive in a high-pressure environment.     –S.D.M.