Michelle Alvarez, Senior Manager, Media Relations, AARP
Throughout her career, Michelle Alvarez has become well-versed in the tactics of building brands and leveraging them through notable events, with a resume that boasts press
coverage ranging from Consumer Reports to Cosmopolitan. When she arrived at AARP The Magazine, the media relations mission was straightforward: lead the 34
million-reader publication into territory once deemed nontraditional by the organization.
Total Exposure
One of Alvarez's major campaigns at AARP involved securing features in top-tier media outlets when actress Jamie Lee Curtis posed topless on the magazine's May/June
issue cover. The campaign generated more than 410 million media impressions and was instrumental in defining the magazine's brand.
Alvarez opted for a less-traditional campaign approach with the launch of AARP's new media property, AARP TV, supplementing traditional media outreach with initiatives such as
an on-site event, press tours of the state-of-the-art facility and meet-and-greets with network talent and executives. She was also instrumental in creating Feria de la Segunda
Juventud, a national event catering to AARP's significant Hispanic language audience. She infiltrated Puerto Rico's media market with national coverage on the National Telemundo
morning show Cada Dia con Maria Antonieta and organized a press conference on the island to announce the Feria de la Segunda Juventud event.
Enhancing History
In addition to building brands from the bottom up, Alvarez's expertise in strengthening already successful brands and franchises has helped AARP reach new heights in brand
recognition and notoriety. Media efforts for annual AARP events such as AARP's Annual Movies for Grownups and AARP The Magazine's Annual Inspire Awards got more than 184
million impressions across all major platforms last year. It's no surprise that Alvarez herself has become a sought-after commodity in the media industry.
Honorable Mentions
Emily Callahan, Managing Director, MarComm, for Susan G. Komen for the Cure
In addition to managing all proactive and reactive communications for Komen's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month platform last year, Emily Callahan crafted an integrated
campaign that would launch both the new Komen brand rollout and mark the organization's 25th anniversary. She orchestrated key media placements featuring Komen's senior leadership
in outlets that included The Today Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Jonathan Collegio, VP, Digital Television Transition, National Association of Broadcasters
To get audiences nationwide to tune in to the federally mandated switch to digital television broadcasting, Jonathan Collegio spearheaded a face-to-face campaign, overseeing
the creation of the DTV Speakers Bureau and DTV Road Show. After identifying groups disproportionately affected by the DTV transition, the team launched the DTV Transition
Coalition, which unites industry groups that typically compete against each other, including broadcasters, cable and satellite.