Marketer of the Year

Under the leadership of Eileen O’Neill, TLC has only grown its viewership and pop-culture relevance with shows like “Long Island Medium,” “Sister Wives,” “Breaking Amish” and of course… megahit “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.” But all that buzz surrounding TLC and its shows doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It largely occurs because of Tom Carr, and his ability to market these quirky properties in ways that deftly exploit the national zeitgeist—and directly benefit the bottom line. It’s a tough business, and as TLC faced ratings challenges early in ’12, Carr stepped in to aggressively turn the tide with the “Red Door” campaign inviting viewers to experience “Life Worth Watching” as part of TLC Summer, setting the stage for TLC to end ’12 with its best ratings ever, logging 28 series with more than 1mln viewers each. In fact, when critics questioned “Breaking Amish” early in its run, Carr doubled down with new marketing efforts that propelled the show to become the most successful freshman series in TLC history. Carr also thinks holistically and across platforms. His cross-departmental “swarm meetings” let departments share initiatives and ideas, and eventually produced digital and social extensions for L.I. Medium and Honey Boo Boo. And Honey Boo Boo ringtones? Who thinks of that? Carr, that’s who. We could go on, but trust us: This is one marketing guru who deserves the spotlight. 

 

Viamedia’s high level of awareness and growing relationships in the industry is mostly because of Jones, whose various campaigns have resulted in 16 new media partners and several new market launches in recent months.

Former HBO marketing guru Monroe’s work on “Killing Lincoln,” “Big Cat Week” and other Nat Geo initiatives has boosted ratings and raised the net’s profile to distributors. HBO’s loss is Nat Geo’s gain.

 

 

As one of the first people hired by Time Warner Cable pres, sports David Rone, expectations have always been high for Pruitt. Not only did Pruitt help guide the overall look and feel of TWC Sportsnet and TWC Deportes, but his 6-month branding launch campaign created massive awareness among distributors.