Winner: Allison Falkenberry, Vice President of Brand & Corporate Communications, Rodale Inc.
In her role as vice president of brand and corporate communications, Allison Falkenberry leads a team that develops the strategy and execution of media campaigns that have propelled Rodale books to the top of New York Times best-seller lists (over 30 titles to be exact), forged successful integrated partnerships with Facebook (a major partnership for National Women’s Health Week), Starz and the Travel Channel (to name a few) and that not only drove traditional publicity awareness, but also supported important company performance around data capture, online traffic, book sales and advertising revenue.
Under Falkenberry’s leadership, the team has established Rodale’s brand editors, book authors and spokespeople as regular fixtures on national morning programs, and B2B coverage has notably increased to underscore the company’s expansion, diversification and business performance. She also leads her team in the development and execution of publicity campaigns for 25 branded events each year, ranging from tastemaker launch parties to the Men’s Health URBANATHLON and the Runner’s World Half Marathon.
Since being appointed to VP, she has implemented new efficiencies and business practices, reducing the operating expenses for her department by more than 50%. While finding ways to cut costs, she’s also helped her team implement metrics-driven methods that connect PR efforts to business goals in more meaningful ways, while keeping the reputation of the company top of mind. She’s developed innovative tactics that focus on driving consumer awareness and revenue for the company in a measurable, quantified way, from identifying new ways to support Rodale events (driving more registration and sponsorship dollars) to new social-generated practices to new levels of collaboration with edit and advertising teams.
Honorable Mentions:
- Christopher Albert, National Geographic Channel
- Ashley Collins, USANA Health Sciences
- Manuel Goncalves, KPMG LLP
- Elizabeth Hillman, Discovery Communications
- Lydia Howard, Vantage PR