Wisdom has it that the smart money is going social. To add impact to their communications programs, brands are moving dollars into socially-focused campaigns. But is it working? Have we reached a saturation point? Panelists will assess the impact inside and outside their organizations by this shift in priorities – and budget. This panel is presented by the Council of Public Relations Firms.
David Witt
Senior Manager, Social Engagement, General Mills
David joined General Mills in 2005 and currently leads social media and WOM efforts at the company. Prior to his current role, he led brand public relations for various General Mills brands, including Yoplait, Progresso, Hamburger Helper and Old El Paso. He also led the creation of the company’s three consumer engagement networks – MyBlogSpark, Pssst… and MyGetTogether.
David is President-Elect of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association and the lead General Mills representative on socialmedia.org (formerly the Social Media Business Council).
Before joining General Mills, David worked for eight years as a concert and festival producer and promoter in California, focusing mainly on classical and jazz musical events. He also worked in sports and event marketing for Blue Cross Blue Shield and worked in brand public relations for clients including Reynolds Consumer Products, Home Depot, Virginia Beach Tourism and Amelia Island, at a public relations agency in Virginia. He received his MBA from Azusa Pacific University in California.
Julie Hamp is Senior Vice President, Communications for PepsiCo, a position she has held since December 2007. Ms. Hamp has global responsibility for PepsiCo’s external and internal communications – including corporate communications, media relations, marketing communications and digital media. She also leads communications strategies advancing PepsiCo’s unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose.
Before joining PepsiCo, she was Vice President, Communications for General Motors’ European region. Based in Zurich, Switzerland, she was responsible for media relations, internal communications, brand publicity and corporate communications, partnering with GM leaders in 27 countries.
Prior positions within GM included General Director, Communications for Latin America, Africa and the Middle East; General Director for GM’s brands in North America; and Vice President, Communications, Saturn. During her tenure at GM, she covered communications in all areas of the business, including engineering, manufacturing, sales and marketing communications.
She holds a B.S. in Communications from Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. Her post-graduate studies include participation in Harvard Business School’s Executive Development Program. She sits on the Board of Directors of The Ad Council and Purchase College. She is also a member of the Public Relations Society of America and the Arthur W. Page Society.
Kathy Baughman
Owner and Founder
ComBlu, LLC
“I’m always asking ‘What’s next?’ I love being the pathfinder and discovering both new and more efficient ways of doing things. I thrive on fusing seemingly unrelated information, approaches or bits of knowledge to form something fresh and unexpected.”
Primary Responsibilities: Inspiration, strategy, vision and creative thrust
Experience and Expertise:
• Over 30 years being a marketing thought leader with projects spanning from strategy, word-of-mouth marketing programs, customer experience, brand councils and customer advocate identification, influencer marketing, c-suite thought leadership programs, community building, social media integration into marketing mix, resource organization and allocation strategy, communications process improvement, new product development and launch support, stakeholder communications and more.
Kris Narayanan is Vice President, Digital Marketing at Samsung Electronics’ North America headquarters.
Kris joined Samsung in 2005, and oversees Samsung’s digital marketing efforts, including corporate websites, e-commerce and consumer engagement through direct & social media channels.
Kris’ current focus is on driving digital marketing innovation at Samsung, as part of which he leads initiatives to experiment in several new media frontiers.
Kris been a digital marketer since the ’90s, leading significant marketing & digital projects at Volvo Cars and OgilvyOne New York, with clients such as IBM & American Express. He started off at Rutgers University Graduate School of Management, teaching marketing & economics.
Kris received an MBA and PhD (ABD) from Rutgers University, and an MA in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics in India. He has also attended the Harvard Business School Executive Education program. Despite paying his dues in school, he still envies the student’s life, and would gladly join his kids in elementary school.
