Northlich Hires Eight and Names New Chief Conversation Officer

February 10, 2010

NORTHLICH HIRES EIGHT AND NAMES NEW CHIEF “CONVERSATION” OFFICER

Mark Willis Leads Agency’s New Approach to Connecting with Consumers                                            

CINCINNATI (February 10, 2010) – Northlich, a brand engagement agency, has named Mark Willis as its new Chief Conversation Officer, where he will oversee the agency’s Public Relations, Social Media and Connection Planning departments. The agency also continues to grow with the addition of eight new staff members in its Cincinnati and Columbus offices.

Recognizing that communication channels and technologies are emerging rapidly and often, Northlich’s approach to brand engagement continues to evolve to meet the needs of today’s marketers. As the new Chief Conversation Officer, Willis leads efforts to ensure the collaboration of both traditional and new-media public relations efforts, including social media, and the agency’s new Connection Planning department, formerly known as media buying and planning.

“Northlich continues to offer the traditional services one would expect from an agency that has been providing Public Relations solutions for 60 years. The evolutionary difference is that we offer unique capabilities that mix media strategies, public relations, online participation and brand engagement that will connect and converse with consumers in a powerful and meaningful way,” says Mark Willis, Chief Conversation Officer at Northlich. 

“As consumers, bloggers and other online influencers continue to shape the marketing communication landscape, our highly-respected PR team has aggressively taken a stance on how these “resident marketers” can become an integral part of all communication campaigns.”

Willis joined Northlich as VP and General Manager in 2006 from Fleishman-Hillard. Willis brings 25 years of experience in integrated marketing with clients that have included Procter & Gamble, Macy’s, The Ohio State University Medical Center, AT&T, Bayer Animal Health, Big Lots and FedEx.

Northlich’s New Connection Planning Department

Northlich’s new Connection Planning team will be managed by the recently hired VP/General Manager, Clyde Boyce. In his new role, Boyce will instill Northlich’s new approach that evaluates media based on its ability to efficiently and effectively connect with the target audience, while looking for the most optimized channel synergies.

Boyce has more than 33 years of experience in marketing and media across broadcast, print and digital media. Prior to joining Northlich, Clyde led efforts for the launch of Travelocity and the award-winning digital program for Jack Daniels.

He brings insight from several categories, including travel and hospitality, restaurants, homebuilding, technology, finance and packaged goods. Clyde has served as the lead media strategist for many nationally-recognized brands including La Quinta, Marriott, Wyndham, Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Ryland Homes, Ericsson Telecommunications, Daisy Brand Sour Cream and numerous Brown-Forman brands.

“Clyde has already proven that it’s not just about securing the best outdoor or print buy – it’s about providing a powerful mix of traditional and digital strategies and assets that will ensure a brand becomes a larger part of consumer’s lives,” says Willis. “We are thrilled that he is leading our established team of media strategists with his passion and knowledge for the business.”

New Associates in Cincinnati and Columbus Offices

Northlich hired Ann Mowad as a management supervisor in the Health & Wellness Village. She brings more than 17 years of healthcare marketing and communications experience to the team. After nine years at The James Cancer Hospital, Ann joined the agency, Fahlgren, where she worked with clients such as Ohio State University Medical Center, Eli Lilly, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Central Ohio Primary Care.

Jessica Kahan joins the Columbus office as an account supervisor in the Health & Wellness Village. She brings more than 12 years of extensive advertising, marketing and communications experience managing brands such as Citibank, The US Postal Service, American Foundation for the Blind, Anthem BCBS, Bite Golf, The Columbus Blue Jackets and Lane Bryant. With more than four years spent on healthcare clients OhioHealth and Aultman Hospital, she will join Northlich’s Ohio State University Medical Center team.

Heather Smith joins Northlich as a copywriter in the Influencer Village. She brings insight from both sides of the pen from writing as a CityBeat dining editor to an assistant professor of professional writing at the University of Cincinnati. She has extensive experience as a medical and technical writer, and has held positions at Bridge Worldwide and Holland Communications, working on brands including Procter & Gamble, Abbott Nutrition, Neutrogena, Fisher-Price, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, University of Cincinnati and KnowledgeWorks Foundation.

J.P. Kinerk joins Northlich as a copywriter in the Retail Village. Prior to Northlich, he spent time as a production assistant on the popular “The Jerry Springer Show” and with Indianapolis Motor Speedway Productions. He previously worked at WonderGroup Inc. where he helped to create award-winning creative for Conagra Foods, Airheads, Kellogg’s, Topps Baseball Cards, Evenflo, Dean Milk and Cincinnati Bell.

Northlich hired Terry Dillon as a copywriter in the Retail Village. He has worked on several TV productions including “The Big Bang Theory,” “Two and a Half Men” and “That ‘70s Show.” Prior to Northlich, he wrote for NBC.com’s Web series “CTRL” and served as a researcher “Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan.” He is a graduate of Franciscan University.

Jacob Broderick joins the agency as a search marketing strategist. He joins Northlich’s esteemed digital team bringing expertise in search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM) and analytics for B2B and B2C clients. He most recently was a digital business platform project manager at Procter & Gamble, where he was responsible for managing interactive efforts, social media, e-mail, maintenance and operations, and Web development.

Trey Harness rejoins Northlich as an account supervisor in the Retail Village. He brings experience from a variety of consumer marketing programs and initiatives for previous clients including Finlandia Vodka, Humana, Old Spice and Noxzema, TriHealth hospitals and Clopay. His passion for brand strategy development has brought him back to Northlich, where he will help clients such as Long John Silver’s develop innovative campaigns that drive sales and increase transactions.

posted by preeti thakar February 10, 2010 in Uncategorized, blog, news, press releases