Winner: Joseph Cohen
Group Vice President, MWW Group
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A creative force in public relations, in just 11 years Joseph Cohen has emerged as one of the field’s fastest rising stars and the originator of some of PR’s most inventive and impactful campaigns. He stands at the forefront of a new generation of professionals that is successfully fusing traditional and social media to drive game-changing business results for clients.
From helping Ball Park Franks leverage PR and social media as part of a campaign that saw the brand overtake Oscar Mayer to become the nation’s No. 1 hot dog in 2009 to helping 1-800-FLOWERS.COM dominate the pivotal Mother’s Day sales season with breakthrough PR and social media efforts for its “Spot a Mom” initiative (hailed by Advertising Age), Cohen’s campaigns deliver tangible sales results. As a member of MWW Group’s “Green Committee,” Cohen has helped implement policies that enabled the firm to become just the second PR agency in the country to achieve ISO 14001 certification. —CO
Greatest mentors: “Michael Kempner (MWW Group’s president and CEO) and Jon Harris (global vice president of communications at Sara Lee Corporation). I was very young when I joined MWW Group and was extremely fortunate to have been assigned to serve as Michael’s publicist during my first year. Having an opportunity to work with Michael one-on-one has had such a profoundly positive impact on me. And Jon is one of those rare talents who is incredibly creative but knows how to temper his creativity with strategic thought.”
HonorableMentions:
Beth Pagano, Senior Vice President, Euro RSCG Worldwide
Beth Pagano would find it tough to keep count of her successes this year, including helping Sears revive its online marketplace.
Marian Salzman, President, Euro RSCG Worldwide PR
In 2009 Marian Salzman delivered the keynote at the London-based Marketing Week Trend Show, just another expression of her marketing savvy.