The tumbler wasn’t only a tumbler anymore. It was a standing image, a viral obsession, a motion. In an period the place social media dictates developments in a single day, nobody noticed it coming—not even Stanley, the century-old model that abruptly discovered itself on the coronary heart of some of the explosive influencer advertising and marketing campaigns in historical past.
It began with life-style influencers, casually flaunting the Quencher tumbler as an on a regular basis important. Then, TikTok took over. The shortage, the colours, the “you possibly can’t discover this anyplace” attract—it grew to become a frenzy. Traces wrapped round shops, resale costs skyrocketed, and Stanley reworked from a rugged out of doors gear model right into a cultural phenomenon.
However behind each viral sensation, there’s a method—an orchestrated mix of storytelling, exclusivity, and the ability of digital affect. In Seattle, a metropolis teeming with advertising and marketing masterminds, the CEOs of high influencer advertising and marketing businesses are crafting these very blueprints, turning manufacturers into legends. So, who’re the visionaries behind these campaigns? Let’s meet the highest CEOs shaping the way forward for influencer advertising and marketing in Seattle.
High 9 CEOs of Influencer Advertising and marketing Corporations in Seattle
Seattle is dwelling to a few of the most modern minds in influencer advertising and marketing—visionary CEOs who’re redefining how manufacturers join with audiences. These leaders are behind the businesses driving viral campaigns, mixing information, creativity, and technique to form the way forward for digital affect.
1. Benjamin Kaplan
If influencer advertising and marketing had a corridor of fame, Benjamin B. Kaplan would have already got his plaque on the wall. Because the founder and CEO of PR Hacker, Kaplan has redefined the trade by taking a data-driven strategy to viral publicity—turning conventional PR on its head and changing intestine intuition with laborious analytics.
With a magna cum laude diploma in Economics from Harvard, a bestselling scholarship e book with over 1,000,000 readers, and a historical past of coaching startup founders worldwide, he’s a uncommon mixture of strategist, storyteller, and scientist. Underneath his management, PR Hacker has expanded into a world powerhouse, with a robust Seattle presence specializing in influencer advertising and marketing, content material creation, and model technique.
In contrast to businesses that depend on paid influencer offers, Kaplan’s group at PR Hacker champions natural, earned-value applications—an strategy that has received over shoppers like Mercedes-Benz, Budweiser, and Postmates. By seamlessly integrating PR, content material advertising and marketing, and influencer outreach, PR Hacker amplifies model messages in a manner that feels genuine and drives actual engagement.
Past PR Hacker, Kaplan additionally leads TOP, a world company community spanning 20+ international locations, and based Nationwide As we speak, a viral media platform that faucets into cultural moments to assist manufacturers make headlines.
Kaplan isn’t simply maintaining with influencer advertising and marketing developments—he’s creating them.
2. Michael Mish
Michael Mish doesn’t simply run AMP Company—he transforms it. Since becoming a member of in 2012, he’s climbed the ranks from Director of Enterprise Improvement to President, shaping AMP into some of the dynamic influencer advertising and marketing businesses within the trade. With a eager eye for technique and innovation, Mish has spearheaded key acquisitions and integrations, increasing AMP’s capabilities throughout digital, experiential, and influencer advertising and marketing.
Underneath his management, AMP has taken influencer advertising and marketing past likes and shares, specializing in actual engagement and model connections. From influencer identification and marketing campaign technique to efficiency evaluation and content material creation, his group delivers data-driven, high-impact influencer applications that resonate with audiences.
Seattle has been a house for AMP for over 15 years, evolving from an experiential advertising and marketing store to a full-service company. Mish has performed a pivotal position in unifying AMP’s various groups—writers, strategists, producers, and designers—right into a powerhouse of artistic and analytical expertise, working with world-class manufacturers throughout industries.
One in every of his standout achievements? Main the acquisition of Genome, a digital innovation agency, to strengthen AMP’s tech capabilities and world attain. By consolidating 5 specialised businesses into one, Mish has made AMP extra agile, modern, and future-proof in an ever-changing advertising and marketing panorama.
With a background spanning Fortune 500 giants and startups, Mish blends enterprise savvy with a deep understanding of recent advertising and marketing.
3. John Rubino
For over 17 years, John Rubino has been greater than only a chief at GreenRubino—he’s been the driving pressure behind its evolution. As co-owner and accomplice, he’s helped remodel the Seattle-based company right into a powerhouse that seamlessly integrates promoting, branding, PR, and influencer advertising and marketing to construct manufacturers with goal.
Rubino understands that influencer advertising and marketing is extra than simply collaborations—it’s about crafting narratives that resonate. Take GreenRubino’s marketing campaign for Washington State Wine, the place the company tapped comic Greg Proops to create customized content material for key wine commerce influencers. The outcome? A 41% enhance in suggestions and a 131% spike in desk wine gross sales—proof that storytelling, when performed proper, drives actual enterprise influence.
However Rubino’s affect extends past advertising and marketing. As a licensed LGBT Enterprise Enterprise (LGBTBE) proprietor, he’s a champion for variety and inclusion, opening doorways for GreenRubino to safe provider variety partnerships whereas fostering an company tradition rooted in authenticity. His decades-long dedication to the LGBTQ+ group—together with early volunteer work with the Homosexual Males’s Well being Disaster in NYC—earned him the Excellent Voices Lifetime Achievement award in 2023 from the Puget Sound Enterprise Journal.
At its core, GreenRubino operates on a easy but highly effective perception: “Nice work comes from an excellent place.” Underneath Rubino’s management, the company has stayed true to that mission—combining creativity, information, and technique to elevate manufacturers, have interaction audiences, and drive outcomes.
4. Peter Finn
When Peter Finn based FINN Companions in 2011, he got down to construct extra than simply one other PR company—he envisioned a daring, purpose-driven agency that will redefine trendy communications. Quick-forward to right now, and his imaginative and prescient has turn out to be a world powerhouse, rising from $24 million to $196 million in charges, with 1,300+ workers throughout 34 places of work on three continents.
Finn’s strategy to influencer advertising and marketing is as strategic as it’s modern. FINN Companions doesn’t simply pair manufacturers with influencers; it crafts genuine narratives that drive engagement and construct long-term credibility. With trade leaders like Jenny Heinrich guiding digital and influencer technique, the company has earned a repute for mixing data-driven insights with compelling storytelling—a formulation that has made FINN a trusted accomplice for manufacturers throughout industries.
Seattle is without doubt one of the key hubs in FINN’s community, the place the group leverages deep market insights to execute extremely focused influencer campaigns. From tech to healthcare to life-style manufacturers, the company’s Seattle workplace performs a vital position in serving to shoppers join with the precise voices and audiences.
Finn’s management hasn’t gone unnoticed. He’s been featured on PRWeek’s Energy Checklist, a testomony to his affect within the trade. However what really units him aside is his potential to scale with goal—rising an company that values collaboration, creativity, and social influence as a lot because it does enterprise success.
5. Jonathan Heit
Since co-founding Allison in 2001, Jonathan Heit has performed a pivotal position in reworking it into a world communications powerhouse, with 52 places of work throughout 5 continents. Now, as World CEO, Heit continues to push the boundaries of built-in advertising and marketing, PR, and influencer technique, making certain Allison stays on the forefront of recent model engagement.
Underneath Heit’s management, influencer advertising and marketing at Allison isn’t nearly partnerships—it’s about precision. The company leverages AI-driven instruments just like the Allison Superior Points Monitor (AIM) to trace and reply to social media conversations in actual time, permitting manufacturers to interact with influencers and audiences on the proper second, in the precise manner.
Seattle is a key participant in Allison’s world community. With an workplace within the coronary heart of town and Jennifer Chelstad main the native group, the company is well-positioned to assist manufacturers navigate the Pacific Northwest market with sensible, focused influencer campaigns.
Past progress, Heit’s management is about evolution. Allison has constantly been acknowledged as a number one company in communications, increasing its capabilities whereas sustaining its midsized agility—a uncommon steadiness in right now’s advertising and marketing world.
6. Andrew Cross & Dave Parro
Andrew Cross and Dave Parro have reworked Walker Sands right into a top-tier B2B advertising and marketing powerhouse, combining influencer advertising and marketing, PR, branding, and digital technique to assist companies flip audiences into advocates.
Cross, who began at Walker Sands over a decade in the past, climbed the ranks from an entry-level PR position to Co-CEO, proving that strategic considering and inventive execution can open large doorways. His background consists of working with high-profile manufacturers like Grubhub, Sprout Social, and Hyperwallet, bringing storytelling and credibility to tech-driven firms.
Parro, a former journalist-turned-marketing strategist, joined the company in 2012 and performed a pivotal position in scaling operations, integrating new know-how, and refining shopper companies. His experience in data-driven advertising and marketing and operational excellence has made Walker Sands one of many fastest-growing businesses within the trade—acknowledged by Inc. 5000 for ten consecutive years.
Walker Sands’ Seattle workplace, launched in 2018, has turn out to be a crucial hub underneath the management of Annie Gudorf, delivering tailor-made influencer campaigns that join manufacturers with the precise trade voices. Their strategy is rooted in authenticity, making certain influencer partnerships don’t simply generate buzz but additionally drive long-term engagement and belief.
With a number of trade awards, an increasing nationwide presence, and a monitor report of serving to B2B manufacturers break by way of the noise, Cross and Parro aren’t simply operating Walker Sands—they’re redefining B2B influencer advertising and marketing.
7. Rion Haber
With almost twenty years of expertise, Haber’s experience spans from serving to startups discover their voice to guiding enterprise manufacturers by way of complicated digital landscapes. His profession started in New York Metropolis, the place he was on the forefront of recent media methods, serving to manufacturers navigate the evolving digital world. Now, as a Co-Founder and Chief Technique Officer of Catalyst Advertising and marketing Company, he’s taking a data-driven, audience-first strategy to influencer advertising and marketing.
At Catalyst, influencer advertising and marketing isn’t about follower counts—it’s about discovering the precise voices, no matter age or background, to create actual connections. The company’s strategy is rooted in authenticity and strategic placement, making certain manufacturers don’t simply attain folks however convert them into model advocates.
Past main technique, Haber has bootstrapped Catalyst from $0 to $5 million in recurring income, managed over $25 million in shopper budgets, and launched 500+ built-in campaigns throughout industries. His management has earned Catalyst 20+ trade awards, cementing its repute as a go-to company for manufacturers seeking to scale.
With an eye fixed on advertising and marketing’s future and a perception that nice manufacturers are constructed by way of group, not simply campaigns, Rion Haber is redefining influencer advertising and marketing in Seattle and past—one strategic, high-impact marketing campaign at a time.
8. Benjamin Kaplan
Ben Kaplan can be the mastermind behind TOP Company, a world advertising and marketing community spanning 12 specialised businesses, masking every little thing from PR and influencer advertising and marketing to data-driven political advocacy.
With a Harvard-trained economics background, Kaplan doesn’t simply guess what works—he assessments, optimizes, and perfects. His company makes use of a data-first strategy to influencer advertising and marketing, making certain that campaigns don’t simply generate buzz however drive actual enterprise influence. Whether or not it’s figuring out the precise influencers, crafting high-converting narratives, or measuring engagement with proprietary analytics instruments, Kaplan’s methodology ensures that each marketing campaign is ROI-driven.
However Kaplan isn’t simply behind the scenes—he’s in entrance of the dialog. As host of the BRANDED podcast, he often interviews trade leaders on the way forward for advertising and marketing, storytelling, and model affect. His insights have landed him on over 5,000 TV and radio reveals, together with Oprah and Good Morning America, making him some of the acknowledged thought leaders within the advertising and marketing house.
TOP Company’s Seattle workplace performs a key position in shaping town’s influencer advertising and marketing panorama, mixing artistic storytelling with data-backed technique to assist manufacturers lower by way of the noise.
9. Justin Hayashi
When Justin Hayashi co-founded New Engen, he wasn’t simply constructing one other digital advertising and marketing agency—he was redefining how manufacturers scale with performance-driven methods. Now, as CEO, he has reworked New Engen right into a advertising and marketing powerhouse, integrating artistic innovation, deep analytics, and influencer advertising and marketing to assist manufacturers develop smarter and sooner.
A key second in Hayashi’s management got here in January 2022, when New Engen acquired Acorn Affect, a serious participant in influencer advertising and marketing. This strategic transfer didn’t simply broaden New Engen’s choices—it merged efficiency media experience with influencer-driven storytelling, making a holistic advertising and marketing strategy the place influencer content material is seamlessly optimized for attain, engagement, and measurable enterprise influence.
With its headquarters in Seattle, New Engen is on the heart of cutting-edge digital advertising and marketing innovation. Underneath Hayashi’s management, the company has turn out to be recognized for its data-backed influencer methods, making certain manufacturers don’t simply work with influencers—they work with the precise influencers, on the precise platforms, with the precise messaging to drive actual outcomes.
Hayashi’s experience in efficiency media, measurement, and enterprise technique has positioned New Engen as an trade chief. He’s a thought chief in digital advertising and marketing, emphasizing that success isn’t nearly visibility—it’s about accountability and influence.
Seattle’s CEOs Driving the Way forward for Influencer Advertising and marketing
Influencer advertising and marketing isn’t nearly viral moments—it’s about technique, execution, and the visionaries behind the scenes. The CEOs of Seattle’s high advertising and marketing corporations are redefining how manufacturers have interaction audiences, mixing creativity with data-driven insights to craft campaigns that resonate.
Whether or not it is performance-driven influencer companies at New Engen or viral storytelling from PR Hacker, these leaders are shaping the trade’s subsequent chapter. As social media continues to evolve, one factor is evident: Seattle’s influencer advertising and marketing CEOs are usually not simply maintaining—they’re setting the tempo, proving that the precise technique can flip any model into an icon.
In regards to the Writer
Author
Jacqueline Zote is a contract author and content material producer. She writes for main blogs within the digital advertising and marketing house. Her areas of experience embody influencer advertising and marketing, social media advertising and marketing, social media administration, and content material advertising and marketing.
