NORWALK, Conn., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Harris, President & CEO of Marketing Drive is pleased to welcome Ronnie Tucker, Senior Vice President and Chris Kelman, Creative Director to the agency.

As Senior Vice President at Marketing Drive, Ronnie Tucker will lead the Account Management team for Pernod Ricard, USA. Absolut Vodka and Plymouth Gin, now part of the Pernod fold, will fall under her responsibility along with leadership of the spirits and cordials portfolio, which includes such well-known brands as Jameson, Malibu, Kahlua and The Glenlivet. She will also oversee the wines and champagnes business, working on Jacob's Creek, Brancott, and Perrier-Jouet among others. "I'm excited to be back on the agency-side and, in particular, working in the spirits business, and look forward to delivering on-strategy creative solutions that help my clients at Pernod Ricard exceed their goals," said Ms. Tucker.

Ms. Tucker has significant experience helping brands succeed. Most recently, she worked as the Senior Director of Partnership Marketing, for the United States Tennis Association (USTA), where she managed the strategic planning and activation of sponsorships for all professional tennis events in the U.S. She worked with such Fortune 500 companies as American Express, JP Morgan Chase, Lexus, IBM, Evian, Heineken, Olympus and Tiffany & Co. Prior to the USTA, Ms. Tucker served as Director of Brand Marketing at InBev USA where she was responsible for the development of national marketing strategies for such brands as Rolling Rock, Labatt Blue, Beck's and Brahma. She was a tireless champion of non-traditional thinking in the creation of integrated promotional platforms and strategic partnerships across the board. During her seven-year tenure at InBev USA, she also led national field marketing, sponsorship and established the customer marketing capability within the organization.

"Ronnie has a keen sense of the importance of adding value to clients. She will be a terrific asset to the Marketing Drive team and is committed to helping Pernod Ricard USA realize the full potential of their remarkable brand portfolio," said Michael Harris, President & CEO, Marketing Drive.

Chris Kelman will serve as Creative Director for Absolut, Malibu and Kahlua and contribute to agency-wide concepting. He will report to Chief Creative Officer, Gene Chmiel. "I'm excited to be a part of this dynamic, talented team and for all the opportunities ahead of us. We're fortunate to work on some tremendous brands and I look forward to delivering superior work for these superior clients," said Mr. Kelman.

Most recently, Mr. Kelman served as VP/Creative Director at Catapult Marketing where he led their creative department working on accounts such as Dannon, Subway, Masterfoods, Perdue, Timex and Novartis. During his career, he has also had a hand in creating several Reggie-winning campaigns: Excedrin/The Amazing Race, Pedigree/Pedigree Dog Adoption Program, Mott's/Get Apple Healthy With The Wiggles. "Chris' breadth of experience and creative leadership will be instrumental to the growth of the agency," said Gene Chmiel, CCO.

About Marketing Drive

Marketing Drive (www.marketingdrive.com) is a leading promotional marketing agency, with the sole purpose of helping clients' brands realize their full potential. Marketing Drive focuses on identifying the 'incremental opportunity.' Unexpected insights are uncovered and creatively translated into relevant and valuable promotional activity that stimulates the desired behavioral change. Marketing Drive is proud to partner with such notable clients as: Dannon; ExxonMobil; New Balance; Novartis Consumer Health; Pernod Ricard, USA; Procter & Gamble; and the US Environmental Protection Agency. A member of the RiverNorth Group.

About RiverNorth Group

RiverNorth Group is a distinct, next generation, brand marketing network with the credibility, resources and ability to build brands and address the rapidly evolving needs of the marketplace. As needed, we leverage and integrate marketing disciplines to foster relevant and long lasting relationships with consumers and customers, to create increased brand awareness, demand, and market share.

    Contact: Gretchen Mullin,
    Marketing Communications Manager
    Marketing Drive
    203-857-6149
    gretchen.mullin@marketingdrive.com

SOURCE Marketing Drive