After intensive research and interviews with countless digital innovators, NewsCred has developed a list of the 50 most influential content marketers. Some are tried and true, others are up and coming. Take a look! http://blog.newscred.com/article/ada52b6393aa8023a64fd9ce194da81f/50-most-influential-content-marketers-on-slideshare

1. 50 MOST INFLUENTIAL
CONTENT MARKETERS
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2. Anyone who takes a look at a company’s
website can see that brands are embracing
content marketing. Brands are utilizing curated,
licensed, and original content to radically
transform their images and engage audiences.
But rarely do we see the brains behind each
campaign. Coordinating every content endeavor
is a brilliant marketer, industry disruptor, social
guru, or content evangelist.

3. We’ve compiled a list of 50 of the biggest
innovators in the content marketing space,
divided into publishers, brands, and agencies.
Please note that this list is shown alphabetically
by section, and is not ranked.

4. PUBLISHERS

5. RAFAT
ALIFounder, Skift
Since launching his travel
news and information site,
Skift, last year and raising
$1.1M in new funding, Ali has
set his sights on growing his
business beyond simply travel
news. Plans for a new set of
subscription-based data tools
and mobile products for the
travel industry will supplement
Skift and turn it into a hub for
content and commerce.
1

6. As HuffPost’s head of branded
content, Baker has worked with
brands including IBM, J&J, Cisco,
Goldman Sachs, Unilever, eBay,
and Target to develop content
strategies that push the
boundaries of digital.
LAURI
BAKER
Sales Director, Branded
Content, The Huffington
Post
2

7. Gawker has become one of the
most visible and successful blog-
oriented media companies under
Denton’s direction. Denton says,
FOR ADVERTISING
TO BE TRULY NATIVE
IN AN INTERACTIVE
MEDIUM, IT SHOULD
BE INTERACTIVE.
NICK
DENTON
Founder, Gawker
3
*Portada

8. Under DVorkin’s leadership,
FORBES transformed its web
and print publications with
the launch of AdVoice. This
innovative product enables
partner brands, and the
writers they hire, to publish
blog posts directly onto the
Forbes.com platform,
occasionally running
AdVoice columns in the print
magazine as well.
LEWIS
DVORKIN
Chief Product Officer,
Forbes Media
4

9. By uniting his men-focused,
entertainment and lifestyle site,
Thrillist with e-tailer
JackThreads, Lerer has
successfully blurred the lines
between content and commerce,
having built one of the fastest
growing privately owned
companies in the country.
BEN
LERER
Founder,
Thrillist Media
5

10. Described as a "viral
marketing hot dog" by The
New York Times, Peretti has
displayed his complete
mastery of the social web by
founding the "internet
popularity contest,” BuzzFeed.
Since launch, BuzzFeed has
pioneered branded content
partnerships with companies
such as GE and Schick.
JONAH
PERETTI
Founder, BuzzFeed
6

11. Solomon continues to
create innovative digital
products for native
advertising across all
Time Inc. brands. In
2013, Time introduced
new digital ad units
pairing editorial content
with the marketing
messages of brands.
ADAM
SOLOMON
VP, Digital Ad Products and
Revenue Operations,
Time Inc.
7

12. With von Borries'
insight, Refinery29
was able to pivot from
simply an online
publication to a
powerful fashion
retailer and publisher
that has content
marketing down pat.
PHILIPPE
VON
BORRIES
CEO and Co-Founder,
Refinery29
8

13. BRANDS

14. As Coca-Cola’s leader of
digital strategy, Bedwell
is currently heading up
the company’s largest
campaign in history for
the 2014 FIFA World
Cup, crafting new and
innovative ways to
engage in real-time,
multi-channel content
marketing.
NEIL
BEDWELL
Global Group Director, Digital
Strategy and Content, Coca-
Cola
9

15. Under Beech’s direction, Kate
Spade has fully embraced the
digital content revolution with
its Kate Spade Saturday
campaign. At four empty store
fronts in lower Manhattan,
touch screens enable shoppers
to browse and buy products
directly from the web in a non-
traditional “window shopping”
experience.
MARY
RENNER
BEECH
CMO, Kate Spade
10

16. Under Boff’s direction, GE
has become an early
adopter on platforms
including Instagram,
Pinterest, and BuzzFeed.
She’s responsible for GE’s
ads across all media and
manages advertising,
digital, and design.
.
LINDA
BOFF
Executive Director, Global
Brand Marketing, GE
11

17. A leading player in the
content marketing space,
Brenner has produced
dozens of publications and
presentations on the value of
content marketing.
According to Brenner, there
is no distinction between
digital marketing and
content.
MICHAEL BRENNER
VP, Marketing and Content Strategy, SAP
12
IT’S CRUCIAL FOR
MARKETERS TO
PUSH CONTENT
MARKETING TO
ITS PLACE AS A
VITAL PART OF
ANY MARKETING
STRATEGY.
*Social Marketing Forum

18. As the Head of Global
Partnerships, Carnegie
builds relationships with
marketers and brands who
are looking to boost their
visibility and reputation by
partnering with a world
renowned portal for
thought leaders. TED
works as an amplifier for
ideas worth spreading and
a platform to unlock
institutional knowledge
from within corporations.
RONDA
CARNEGIE
Head of Global Partnerships,
TED
13

19. Carone leads global
marketing strategy and
initiatives that include
market insights and all the
communication touch points
across paid, earned and
owned channels of
engagement with Xerox
stakeholders. She is the
steward of the company’s
brand, leading global
activities that serve to protect
the value of the Xerox name
and multi-billion dollar
brand.
CHRISTA
CARONE
CMO, Xerox
14

20. Guided by Chibe, Anheuser Busch
InBev and its associated brands
certainly demonstrate a mastery of
multiplatform marketing. Budweiser,
for example, has embraced not only
mobile and tablet experiences but also
ad sponsorships. In partnership with
Myspace, Bud Light’s 50/50/1 concert
series will culminate on August 1,
when Bud Light will sponsor one
concert in each of the 50 states.
Myspace will power a hub for the
program including concert updates
and music from the artists.
PAUL
CHIBE
CMO, Anheuser Busch
InBev
15

21. In a partnership with Google,
Cooke revolutionized the
traditional fashion show. The
resulting “The Future of the
Fashion Show” included a
multiplatform experience that
allowed viewers to watch the
show as a model on the runway, a
handbag on her arm, or a front
row audience member.
Additionally, viewers could
instantly buy featured items
online after seeing them in the
show.
JUSTIN
COOKE
CMO, Topshop
16

22. Emphasizing dynamic
content production,
partnerships between
digital marketing and
technical talent, and
multi-channel commerce,
Corredera championed
the first blog and social
media strategy in the
cruise industry.
JORDAN
CORREDERA
VP, Digital, Carnival Cruise Lines
17

23. Behind many of GE’s
innovative digital
experiences such as
Txchnologist, a
Tumblr-powered
magazine, Craigwell
ensures that branded
content is both valuable
to the audience as well
as the publisher.
WE’RE COMPETING WITH ANY
PUBLISHER THAT’S PRODUCING
COMPELLING CONTENT FOR
AUDIENCES THAT ARE
PASSIONATE ABOUT SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY. IT’S PUSHED
US TO BE REALLY CREATIVE
WITH OUR STORYTELLING WITH
THE GOAL OF ADDING VALUE
ALONGSIDE SOME OF OUR
FAVORITE PUBLISHERS.
KATRINA CRAIGWELL
Digital Marketing Manager, GE
18
*CS Forum

24. Dave has helped Dell make a
leap forward in digital
marketing by facilitating the
company’s ability to create
and launch digital campaigns
and dynamically target
customers via email, mobile,
and social.
RISHI
DAVE
Executive Director, Online
Marketing, Dell
19

25. Erb revolutionized how EA SPORTS
markets to customers by elevating video
game releases through partnerships and
collaboration with brands such as Coca-
Cola, Nike, McDonalds, Doritos, Red
Bull and Budweiser.
CHRIS
ERB
former VP of Brand
Marketing, EA
SPORTS
20
SMART BRANDS WILL BECOME
NOT JUST PURVEYORS OF
PHYSICAL GOODS, BUT OF
DIGITAL CONTENT.
*Brand Innovators

26. As the brains behind Virgin
Mobile USA’s brand
evolution, Faris has executed
his ambitious goals through
creative, consumer-facing
solutions including viral
initiatives, branded
entertainment, sponsorships,
and cause marketing.
RON
FARIS
CMO, Virgin Mobile
21

27. Farley emphasizes that interesting content is essential to
engaging audiences through social channels and has done
so via promotions such as the Ford Fiesta social campaign.
Ford provided 100 Fiestas to highly active bloggers and
social media influencers 18 months before the car’s official
release, which ultimately drummed up viral awareness.
WE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH CONTENT WE NEED TO BE
PRODUCING. THAT’S THE CURRENCY OF SOCIAL EXPERIENCE.
JIM FARLEY
CMO, Ford
22

28. Fleischer was an early
adopter of content
marketing, since the
early 2000s. She now
embraces original,
curated, and user-
generated content to
power Kraft digital
experiences including
kraftrecipes.com,
email programs, and
mobile experiences.
JULIE
FLEISCHER
Director, Media & Consumer
Engagement, Kraft
23

29. Freidenberg initiated
never before seen
digital project
initiatives– she led the
the redesign of
thehartford.com and
launched the online
magazine “Small Biz
Ahead,” which used
content to boost The
Hartford’s brand
visibility.
ORIANA
FREIDENBERG
Director, Integrated Digital
Marketing, The Hartford
24

30. Gebbia’s vision has guided Airbnb’s
growth. Ultimately, the site has
evolved from simply a travel
accommodation service into a
complete resource for all things
travel, including a social community
and neighborhood guides. According
to Gebbia, “Brands are becoming
stewards between two people, where
one has and the other wants. That’s
what the sharing economy is. The
brand is the steward making that
connection.”
JOE
GEBBIA
Co-Founder and Chief
Product Officer, Airbnb
25

31. Looking for an opportunity to
engage bloggers, media
channels, and consumers,
this team managed the
release of an online magazine
that shared a behind-the-
scenes glimpse of Target. “A
Bullseye View” was released
in 6 months and harnessed
all distribution channels from
guest blog posts to viral
social campaigns, in order to
amplify Target’s message.
DUSTEE
JENKINS
VP of Public Relations, Target
ERIC
HAUSMAN
Senior Group Manager,
PR and Social, Target
26

32. John has facilitated a shifting product to fit the needs of
customers from traditional product recommendations to
contextual placements of products within editorial
content.
AS BRAND MARKETERS, WE WILL NEED TO TAKE
PERSONALIZATION TO ANOTHER LEVEL TO COMPETE IN THIS
ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AS GAINING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING
OF THE UNDERLYING MOTIVATION OF CUSTOMERS.
JASON JOHN
Senior Director, Online, Mobile and
Social Marketing, Gilt Groupe
27
*Brand Innovators

33. With Lesperance’s
guidance, Walgreens
has surged ahead of
competitors by
integrating digital
innovations and an
aggressive, true to
brand social media
strategy.
RICH
LESPERANCE
Head of Digital Marketing and
Emerging Media, Walgreens
28

34. Less and his team developed Dark Rye, an online magazine
published by Whole Foods. The magazine, absent of overt
Whole Foods advertising, presents stories that are not only
about food but also inspirational, storytelling content that
bolster the Whole Foods cultural ideology.
CREATING A STRUCTURE AROUND [THE
CONTENT] AND AN ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE
WAS A VERY LOGICAL PLACE TO GO WITH IT.
VADAN LESS
Senior Director, Video and Distribution,
Whole Foods Market
29
*The Bureau

35. Rencher is the digital thought
leader who is responsible for
driving Adobe’s Digital
Marketing. One such project
is Adobe’s CMO.com. The
digital marketing resource
provides insights on multi-
platform digital marketing
including websites, mobile,
internet applications, and
social media platforms.
BRAD
RENCHER
SVP and General Manager,
Digital Marketing, Adobe
30

36. As Editor-in-Chief of IQ Intel,
Rhoads set out to spotlight how
people are using tech in
inspiring ways and highlight
how far our planet has come
technologically. The experience
is generated through social
algorithms that blend original,
industry, and curated content in
a way that optimizes reader
engagement.
BRYAN
RHOADS
Global Content Lead, Intel
31

37. Roen helped evolve American
Express OPEN, the small
business portal, into a full
service business center
including editorial content,
interactive features, and and
events. Aware of the power of
social in digital content
strategy, Roen helped make
the OPEN re-launch even more
social and sharable.
SCOTT
ROEN
VP, Digital Marketing and
Innovation, American
Express
32

38. While not a typical content marketer, Ted Sarandos has
taken an innovative approach to traditional entertainment
content by placing a greater emphasis on producing content
that viewers want and distributing it in ways that fit their
consumption habits.
THE CHALLENGE IS TAKING OLD WORLD MEDIA
MODELS TO MEET THE NEW DEMANDS OF THE NEXT
GENERATION, WHICH IS VERY MUCH ABOUT ‘WHAT I
WANT, WHEN I WANT IT’ AND TOTAL CONTROL.
TED SARANDOS
Chief Content Officer, Netflix
33
*Guardian

39. Although Singh recently made
the move to lead global
marketing at Visa, he made his
content marketing mark at
Pepsi. One of the first to try to
quantify the impact of social
connections by developing the
Social Influence Marketing
Score, Singh has propelled
Pepsi into the digital age
through new social and digital
experiences like the "Live for
Now" campaign last year.
SHIV
SINGH
Head of Global Brand and
Marketing
Transformation, Visa Inc.,
34

40. Warner’s understanding of digital
strategy is evident in the success
and ever-presence of the Red Bull
brand. With over 1M Twitter
followers and nearly 39M Facebook
fans, Red Bull has conquered every
marketing frontier from Instagram
to branded sponsorships.
UBIQUITOUS CAMERA PHONES AND
CONNECTED MOBILE DEVICES HAVE
EXPONENTIALLY BOOSTED SOCIAL
SHARING OF DIGITAL IMAGES.
NATE
WARNER
Director, Digital
Marketing, Red Bull
North America
35
*TED Ads Worth Spreading

41. Weiner has given Michael
Kors a more personal, social
feel through mobile apps and
email marketing. For
example, during Hurricane
Sandy Weiner coordinated a
personalized email campaign
to send sympathy to victims
and friends of victims.
FARRYN
WEINER
Global Director, Digital
and
Social Communications,
Michael Kors
36

42. With more than 15 years
of international
advertising experience,
Williams leads global
engagement with
advertising networks and
their client bases– helping
each maximize the
potential of LinkedIn’s
platform.
JON
WILLIAMS
Global Head, Agency
Relationships, LinkedIn
37

43. As SVP of Digital, Woolsey
leads up Barneys online
strategy and has prioritized
improving the store’s online
experience. Judging from its
elegantly designed and
curated content portal, The
Window, Barneys is
mastering the art of content
marketing through pairing
luxury, fashion, and travel
content with products sold
at the store.
MATTHEW
WOOLSEY
SVP of Digital, Barneys NY
38

44. AGENCIES

45. Amos’ experience with digital content comes from her time
spent as Senior Producer at ABC, before joining Freshwire as
CCO. The digital content strategy, creation and syndication
service merges the storytelling talents of media and marketing
with the growing need for digital content.
THE AGILITY, ACCURACY AND FAST-PACED DECISION-
MAKING SKILLS THAT COME WITH PRODUCING CONTENT
IN A TRADITIONAL NEWSROOM ARE THE SHARPEST,
COMPETITIVE EDGE A BRAND CAN GIVE ITSELF TODAY.
SARAH AMOS
Chief Creative Officer, Freshwire
39
*PR Newswire

46. As a former editor of AdAge,
Bloom left his post to join the
advertising, branding, and
digital marketing agency
Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal +
Partners, where he currently
serves as the Chief Strategy
Officer. “Content is not the
end game here. The end game
is giving the consumer value
and utility.”
*Content Marketeer
JONAH
BLOOM
CSO and Co-Founder of kbs
+Content Labs,
Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal
+ Partners
40

47. As the Global Chief Creative
Officer of Razorfish, Bonner is
one of the most awarded digital
creatives in the world. Bonner
emphasizes the overlap of
technology and marketing as a
solution to the overwhelming
amount of content that
bombards us everyday.
DANIEL
BONNER
Global Chief Creative Officer,
Razorfish
41

48. Bauley works as part of the
leadership team for Mediaco,
Weber Shandwick’s publishing
operations/content marketing
unit. There he innovates on a
variety of digital and social
media programs for corporate
communications, B2B,
financial services, and global
consumer marketing clients.
ETHAN
BAULEY
SVP, Digital
Communications,
Weber Shandwick
42

49. Brito helps brands transform into
media companies by implementing
social strategies that utilize
content. “From a content
perspective, brands need to think
like media companies, because
media companies are content
engines. They produce relevant
and recent content day in and day
out. The content is omnipresent
and internally, media companies
are agile- they can get things done
quickly and efficiently.”
MICHAEL
BRITO
SVP, Social Business
Strategy, Edelman
43
*Edelman

50. Giuliani leads up the Creative
& Strategic Services team–
the hub of media strategy,
creative and digital for the
agency. She helps brands
insert themselves into the pop
culture stream by creating
value and entertainment for
their audiences. Recently
Giuliani created Trending
@DeVries – a team that mines
the stream for percolating
conversations, trends and
ideas that bring meaningful
experiences to their fans.
ADRIANNA
GIULIANI
SVP, Creative and Strategic
Planning, DeVries
44

51. Griffin’s creativity and
innovation guides the creation
of consumer experiences for
LiquidThread, Starcom’s
subsidiary that combines
branded entertainment, digital
and social media to create a
complete brand story. Griffin is
also a founding member of
2012 NY’s Digital Advertising
Club and was one of Adage’s
25 Women to Watch.
JILL
GRIFFIN
SVP, Branded Content and
Storytelling, Starcom Media
Vest Group/LiquidThread
45

52. The content and audience evangelist leads Group SJR, a
digital consultancy specializing in content creation, curation,
and audience development. “A content marketer has to think
like a journalist about crafting a narrative and providing either
a thought-provoking idea or accurate, timely information that
helps people to better navigate the world.”
*Adage
ALEXANDER
JUTKOWITZ
Managing Partner, Group SJR
46

53. McCarus leads the
development of original and
partnered digital content
offerings at the globally
integrated digital marketing
agency, Digitas. McCarus is
behind Digitas NewFront. As a
co-founder and executive
producer of the annual event,
he brings together content
creators, distributers, talent,
and brands to build creative
partnerships.
JOHN
MCCARUS
SVP, Practice Lead,
Brand Content, Digitas
47

54. As CEO of one of the
leading digital marketing
services companies,
Palmer has positioned the
company to provide
consistently creative,
interactive digital
experiences to brands such
as Pepsi, GE, Samsung,
Bloomberg, and Virgin.
BENJAMIN
PALMER
CEO, The Barbarian Group
48

55. As the founder of The
Content Marketing
Institute, Joe Pulizzi
has written numerous
books on content
marketing and offers
consulting and
advisory services.
JOE
PULIZZI
Founder, Content Marketing
Institute
49

56. Under Scott’s leadership,
OgilvyEntertainment has
produced multiplatform
entertainment programs for
some of the world’s leading
brands. Scott is a pioneer in
the branded entertainment
content space and an expert at
building partnerships between
producers, networks, and
brands.
DOUG
SCOTT
Founder and President,
OgilvyEntertainment
50

57. About
NewsCred
March 12, 2013 57

58. We power content marketing for the
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59. Content
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including microsites, blogs, email and social media
campaigns.
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212.989.4100