MARKETING MAESTRO DEBRA M. COUGHLIN JOINS DRAFTFCB AS EVP, GLOBAL CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Top integrated marketing expert Debra M. Coughlin has been named EVP/Global Chief Marketing Officer of Draftfcb, charged with aligning offerings in the network’s top markets worldwide to ensure seamless integration, effective March 14. Coughlin has in-depth experience building major global brands on both the client and agency side.

“When you look at Debra’s background, it quickly becomes apparent that very few CMOs in any industry have the above- and below-the-line skill set that she possesses, and this aligns perfectly with our fully integrated model,” said Laurence Boschetto, CEO and president of Draftfcb.  “Debra is an excellent brand strategist and leader who will help us refine our model and be an asset to our network.”

Since 2007, Coughlin had been at Citigroup as EVP/CMO for CitiCards and EVP Branding and Advertising for Citi NA’s consumer brand. Prior to Citi she was SVP Global Brand Building at MasterCard where she was a principal architect of the long-running, highly effective and wildly popular “Priceless” campaign. 

Her agency experience includes leadership roles at J. Walter Thompson, where she was Senior Partner and Management Director, and Young & Rubicam, where she was SVP/Global Group Director.  Her work for such clients as Warner Lambert, Colgate-Palmolive, Kraft General Foods and American Home Products as well as her work at MasterCard and Citi garnered Grand and Gold Effies, AME Awards, and Cannes Lions.

As Draftfcb’s CMO, Coughlin will lead the agency’s Global Capabilities team as well as the development, evolution and promotion of new and existing Draftfcb proprietary tools and intellectual property.  She will also seed further awareness of the agency’s 6.5 Seconds That Matter operating system.

Among career highlights, Coughlin has produced proven results while introducing brands like Advil and Colgate Total and turning around iconic brands like MasterCard and Jell-O.

Added Boschetto, “In continuing to activate the Draftfcb model worldwide, Debra will ensure that Draftfcb provides a complete integrated offering including general advertising, direct, digital, retail and promotions, and data analytics, with a focus on the network’s top nine markets.  She will do this in collaboration with our Regional and Local Market leads as well as our Global Capabilities team to ensure we attain and retain discipline leadership.”

“I am thrilled to be the newest brand ambassador for Draftfcb.  The agency’s fully integrated model with one P&L and a single, unified management team is truly differentiating, as is the equal emphasis placed on creativity and accountability,” said Coughlin. “The agency is in the midst of a growth spurt and I am excited to be leading the Global Capabilities Team as we work together to take the network to the next level.”

A resident of New York, Coughlin started her career in 1982 as an assistant account executive at Young & Rubicam on Johnson & Johnson Personal Products brands and General Foods desserts division after graduating from Columbia University Graduate School of Business with an MBA in marketing and finance. Other brands that have benefited from her marketing prowess include Stayfree, Rolaids, Efferdent, Xerox, Revlon, Motorola and Zantac. Coughlin earned her undergraduate degree from Smith College.

An industry speaker and guest lecturer at Columbia, Coughlin is credited with creating and driving integrated marketing programs with strong ROI and creative excellence across all on-line and off-line channels. Key accomplishments include driving MasterCard use up over 30% and creating the first brand position platform for Citi Cards. This initiative delivered an outstanding overall ROI and was awarded a Gold Effie.

About Draftfcb
Draftfcb is the first integrated, global marketing communications agency to operate against a single P&L, with a network that spans 94 countries and employs more than 9,200 people.  The agency is driven by The 6.5 Seconds That MatterSM, an operating system that recognizes the brief period of time marketers have to capture consumers’ attention and motivate them to act. With nearly 140 years of combined expertise, Draftfcb has roots in both consumer advertising and behavioral, data-driven direct marketing.  It firmly believes there is no way to separate creativity from accountability, which it refers to as Return on IdeasSM. The agency is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG). The agency’s corporate leadership team includes Howard Draft, executive chairman; Laurence Boschetto, CEO and president; Jonathan Harries, vice chairman and global chief creative officer; and Neil Miller, chief financial officer. For more information, visit www.draftfcb.com.