MARKETING VETERAN ALIDA SMITH JOINS VENN AS STRATEGY DIRECTOR

Expanding and deepening the firm’s capabilities for new and existing clients.

(Columbus, Ohio; May, 1, 2024) – Brand marketing agency VENN Growth Collective (VENN), announced Tuesday that marketing veteran Alida Smith will join its partner team as Strategy Director. In her role, Smith will apply her considerable experience to lead strategic engagements with VENN’s clients.

Smith previously served as a senior strategist at leading branding and marketing agencies Fitch (WPP) and Ologie, held marketing leadership roles at Fisher College of Business (where she earned her MBA), The Ohio State University, and Carnegie Mellon University. Most recently, Smith served as Chief Marketing Officer for Pelotonia, a nonprofit organization which funds cancer research.

“Alida is an especially talented marketer and we’re thrilled to have our colleague and friend join our team,”, said VENN’s founding partner, Mike Bills. 

In addition to brand positioning, Smith will focus on further expanding VENN’s strategic services and deliverables including marketing, planning and audience messaging development. 

VENN partner, Dirk Defenbaugh said, “Alida’s experience doesn’t just complement our capabilities, it extends them in terms of strategic marketing expertise and her robust experience in categories in which we currently work, like education, consumer packaged goods and the Not-For-Profit sector.”

Alida is well known for her optimistic and solutions-oriented approach that prioritizes collaboration and the right mix of big ideas and practical plans to ensure her contributions will deliver meaningful results.

“As Creative Director, I’m particularly excited to have another partner with proven strategic marketing experience, said VENN’s Vicki Miller, adding, “…while we’ll continue to leverage our Collective of experienced experts across various disciplines, having Alida beside me on all our client work adds a whole new dimension to our capabilities.”

About VENN Growth Collective: Founded by marketing industry veterans, VENN is a unique hybrid of a management consulting practice and a branding and advertising agency. Created specifically for the under-served middle market, VENN helps mid-sized brands accelerate growth through a rigorous process which integrates data driven analysis with creative ingenuity. With more than 90 years combined experience working with Fortune 500 brands, our Working Partners deliver solutions as operationally sound as they are emotionally compelling. Our carefully curated Collective of industry veterans from a cross-section of strategic and creative disciplines, extends these capabilities further to deliver superior solutions more quickly and cost-effectively, and through co-creation with our clients.