Heidi Hovland is the director of Fleishman-Hillard New York’s marketing communications group. With nearly 20 years of experience for a broad range of clients, including many of the world’s most respected companies, she offers expertise in creating strategic and compelling communications platforms and programming to launch, build, and revitalize brands.
Since joining Fleishman-Hillard in 1991, Ms. Hovland has worked with such leading companies as Barnes & Noble, Global Hyatt Corporation, iRobot, Hershey Foods, Procter & Gamble and Pepsico. Many of her projects have been awarded industry honors, including a Silver Anvil for the launch of Tide with a Touch of Downy, a PRSA Award of Excellence for Dannon’s Activia launch, and an O’Dwyer Award for Excellence for Subway’s “Fresh Resolutions” campaign. In addition to her client and group leadership responsibilities, Ms. Hovland is co-founder and co-chair of the agency’s Marketing to Moms practice group, which was created to harness the power of the agency’s cross-office, cross-industry expertise in reaching this important demographic.
Most recently, Ms. Hovland led the PR team that launched the Barnes & Noble brand into the eBooks category. Setting the stage with the introduction of the world’s largest eBookstore, and the brand’s device-agnostic eBook software, FH worked with Barnes & Noble to develop positioning that reinforced the brand’s mission to provide consumers with “any book, any time, anywhere.” The launch of nook, Barnes & Noble’s eBook reader several months later was the shot heard ‘round the world, with agenda-setting business and consumer lifestyle media reporting on Barnes & Noble’s much-anticipated eBook reader, the sales of which far exceeded Barnes & Noble’s ambitious expectations. Her team also recently executed The Big Welcome, Hyatt’s first-ever global, fully integrated marketing initiative. The effort was led by BBDO and included multiple FH offices and practice groups as well as several other Omnicom agencies. The six-week initiative generated over 300 million impressions in around the world. An online ambassador program generated deep coverage among influential bloggers in the US, Germany, France and Japan.
Ms. Hovland relishes the opportunity to work with clients who aren’t afraid to be aggressive and unconventional. For client Dunkin’ Donuts, she led the team that launched the brand’s authentic espresso beverages by declaring an Espresso Revolution, “freeing consumers from the tyranny of high prices, long waits, and pretentiousness.” The program helped elevate the brand’s coffee credentials by going head-to-head with the category leader and helped establish Dunkin’ as a leader in espresso and come in ahead of business goals.
Ms. Hovland’s corporate social responsibility expertise spans brands – including the launch of Phonak’s Hear the World Foundation and Dannon’s “Strike Out Hunger” campaign with Second Harvest – and not-for-profit organizations, including the Shinnyo-en Foundation’s global launch of its 6 Billion Paths to Peace initiative.
A Minnesota native, Ms. Hovland holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University in St. Joseph, Minnesota.