Who I Am

Jennifer Vides

Over my nearly 20-year career in communications, I have worked for organizations big and small, and brands that are unknown, iconic and everything in between.  And while with each communications challenge my approach is tailored to the situation, one thing remains constant: my focus on creating the right kinds of conversations between my clients and their most important audiences.

I’m experienced in grassroots marketing including social media marketing; word-of-mouth marketing; brand positioning; marketing communications; corporate positioning; internal communications; issues and crisis management; and media relations.  I’m  a social media enthusiast  (not a “guru”!) with vibrant communities on Twitter and other social media, and am skilled at rapidly creating networks  for brands via social media engagement.  From a consumer perspective, I specialize in reaching Moms, Latinos and Youths.

I am the Director of Development (fundraising, marketing) at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, and also work as an independent consultant in marketing, PR and social media strategy, crisis communications, content development and more. Previously I served in senior leadership roles at global public relations agencies Burson-Marsteller, Weber Shandwick and MS&L Worldwide, and leading Hispanic PR + Marketing firm RL Public Relations. I cut my teeth working for legendary entertainment publicists Kelly Cutrone and Michael Levine.  My client roster has included Pinkberry frozen yogurt, Mattel, Gymboree, Nike, Namco Bandai Games America, Heineken, Ketel One Vodka, Coca-Cola, Got Milk?, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, The National Honey Board, Topps, Best Buy, Del Monte’s Pup-Peroni and Kibbles & Bits brands, Nestlé’s Crunch, Butterfinger, Baby Ruth and GoodStart brands, Munchkin, 3Com and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

I also served as the director of brand marketing, creative services and corporate communications at The Gymboree Corporation. There, I developed the company’s new customer-driven corporate vision and mission, and rolled it out internally and externally. I raised the CEO’s profile with placements in Fortune, Bloomberg, Fast Company and Smart Money, among others. I also spearheaded the highly successful launch of the new retail concept, Janie and Jack. Top-tier business media including CNBC Squawk Box, Bloomberg Television, CNNfn, CBS MarketWatch, and Fox News covered the launch of this niche kids’ clothing store chain, as did consumer media including Child, Parenting and Celebrated Living.

A strong writer and communicator, I am called upon often to write complex materials – everything from messaging and Q&A documents to collateral and Web sites – on a variety of topics. Additionally, I facilitate group sessions on Brand Strategy, Corporate Reputation, Creative Ideation and more.

A native Spanish speaker, I spent 15 years of my early life in Central America and the Caribbean, and subsequently worked in PR in Miami, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. My father thought I should go into international relations, and my mother thought she should be a lawyer. Much to their initial annoyance, I earned B.S. degrees in communications and French from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla. (Note: they are proud now.)

My hobbies include college football (Go Miami Hurricanes!), wine tasting, cooking, writing, reading, building Lego starships and simply being by the ocean. I live in Los Angeles with my elementary-school age son and (his?) kitten. You can read my personal musings about life and motherhood at Mami Deconstructed.

Photo by David Moyle