Edelman has named Steve Rubel chief content strategist, effective immediately. In the newly created position, Rubel, currently executive vice president of global insights and strategy, will be responsible for creating and cultivating best practices in content strategy from inside and outside the firm and for piloting new and innovative programs such as media partnerships that blend paid, earned and owned disciplines. He will report to Jackie Cooper, global chair, creative strategy.
“Every company can and should operate in real-time like a media company,” said Cooper. “With the rapid advancement of technology, we continue to build on our work with an entire spectrum of partners to co-produce compelling content and create holistic communications programs that synchronize mainstream, emerging, social and own channels. In this new role, Steve will ensure that innovative content strategies are at the heart of what we do every day across every level of the firm’s practices, geographies and clients. This move, we believe, will expand the ways we work with media owners as they begin to explore new methods to serve marketers.”
While at Edelman, Rubel has driven the firm’s thinking on the future of media and how content is produced, distributed, consumed and monetized across four screens. Rubel works with teams across the network to help clients better understand and take advantage of the changes occurring in media consumption habits. He has provided strategic counsel to clients such as Adobe, Starbucks, Samsung, GE and many others. This work includes developing new approaches for partnerships between clients and media outlets.
“The media ecosystem is in a constant state of flux,” said Rubel. “This has accelerated in recent months because of systemic economic changes brought on by technology – such as programmatic ad buying. This is rapidly opening up new ways for Edelman clients to partner with media owners. Notably, paid and owned disciplines are colliding in ways that influence our traditional sweet spot in earned and social media. Our clients and our firm need to understand how to navigate these complex times and partner with media owners in new ways. And this all starts with content.”
Rubel is an industry thought leader on media trends, and has been a monthly columnist in Advertising Age since 2006. He has published two Clip Reports, which provide a look at the future of media. Rubel frequently speaks at conferences on media trends and has also been named to several prestigious lists, including PRWeek’s 40 Under 40. He was an early blogger on LinkedIn as part of their INfluencer Program and currently has more than 75,000 followers on Twitter.
Prior to joining Edelman in 2006, Rubel worked for 15 years in a variety of marketing communications positions in corporate, non-profit and small/mid-sized PR firms, including CooperKatz where he was an early pioneer in using social media in client programs. Before becoming an EVP in 2011, he served in a similar capacity in the firm’s Digital practice for five years.
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Edelman is the world’s largest public relations firm, with 66 offices and more than 4,500 employees worldwide, as well as affiliates in more than 30 cities. Edelman was named Advertising Age’s top-ranked PR firm of the decade in 2009 and one of its “A-List Agencies” in both 2010 and 2011; Adweek’s “2011 PR Agency of the Year;” PRWeek’s “2011 Large PR Agency of the Year;” and The Holmes Report’s “2011 Global Agency of the Year” and its 2012 “Digital Agency of the Year.” Edelman was named one of the “Best Places to Work” by Advertising Age in 2010 and 2012 and among Glassdoor’s top ten “Best Places to Work” in 2011 and 2012. Edelman owns specialty firms Edelman Berland (research), Blue (advertising), A&R Edelman (technology), BioScience Communications (medical communications), and agencies Edelman Significa (Brazil), and Pegasus (China). Visit http://www.edelman.com for more information.
For further information contact:
Michael Bush
michael.bush@edelman.com