E199: Denise Vitola - Dream Higher

Learn more about Denise at:


Denise Vitola | LinkedIn


Vitola Strategies | Public Relations | Corporate Communications


Marketing & Communications pro and celebrated health coach
Denise Vitola wakes up every day on a mission to make people feel
healthier and stronger. A slew of awards, industry-wide
admiration and years of personal and professional accomplishments
are proof that she gets the job done.
A New Jersey native who studied in Italy and Greece before
graduating from Rowan University, Denise kicked off her career in
sports marketing at Alan Taylor Communications, where she
immediately plugged in to the thrill of a fast-paced environment,
high-profile celebrity clients, and travel to sporting events
around the world. She jokes that she moved from the “locker room”
of sports marketing to the “cheerleading team” of the tech sector
when she started as Account Director at Kaplow. While developing
innovative campaigns for iconic digital brands like PayPal, eBay
and Netflix, her nimble thinking and inspirational leadership
made it clear that Denise was more than a standout member of the
squad; she was ready to manage the team. But unlike leaders who
move up and away from the heart of ideation and execution, Denise
was determined to remain a key creative player at every step of
the development process.


That was evident when she moved to MWW as Vice President and
Director of Sports Marketing, overseeing the Bank of America
account. Denise developed landmark integrated marketing
strategies like the award-winning “Keep the Change” campaign that
invited passersby everywhere from Grand Central Station to NFL
games to dive into a giant couch and find change that could be
exchanged for prizes. At the same time, she continued to hone her
signature leadership style: a risk-taker confident in her skills
and her talent; deeply involved in every account, but knowing
when to step back and let her team shine.


In 2006, Denise was recruited by Ogilvy to work on some of the
biggest accounts in the marketing game: J&J, Unilever and
TJX. She worked closely with powerhouse Barby Siegal, who, like
mentors Jane Mazur and Maureen Lippe, taught Denise how to be
fearless in her craft. She quickly found herself leaning in to
untapped marketing opportunities in digital and social, certain
it was the core of connection with consumers. It was at MSL Group
that Denise applied the full power of her creativity and process
to the #1 marketer in the world, P&G. She became a social
media savant, taking big swings that led to big payoffs, and
increasing revenue by over 80%. In 2013 Denise moved to MSL
Atlanta, where she coached her team to create innovative digital
campaigns for clients like Home Depot.


Returning to New York in 2014, Denise had an a-ha moment of her
own: every day she was helping the world become stronger and
healthier through marketing. She felt that brands had a
responsibility to do just that. But what about her own passion
for health and wellness…the joys of fitness, nutrition and
teamwork that led her to work in sports marketing at the very
beginning of her career? Denise made two big moves: she got
certified in nutrition and as a health coach (Vitola Well); and
she launched her own marketing consultancy, Vitola Strategies.
Denise was not only well-ing the world, she was well-ing herself,
and the result was transformational. In 2016 she won PR Campaign
of the Year for Abbott Similac “Sisterhood of Motherhood”; and in
2017, she was named a Women’s Health magazine Action Hero. To
this day Denise teaches three spin classes a week, unwilling to
forgo the psychological and physiological boost that powers her
body, mind and soul.


Many of Denise’s former clients followed her to Vitola
Strategies; one of them, Patrick Lockwood-Taylor, put her on
speed dial when he landed as President of Bayer USA. The closer
she worked as a consultant with Bayer brands and embraced the
Bayer tagline (“Science for a Better Life”), she realized she had
found a place where her personal and professional insights
aligned. In July 2021 she became Bayer’s VP Brand Integration PR,
Social and Influencer for Consumer Health and quickly applied her
proprietary process emphasizing social and digital consumer
outreach, building Bayer’s digital footprint from a tiptoe to a
tidal wave. Within months she launched nearly 100 influencer
campaigns and award-winning integrative marketing campaigns like
Midol’s “No Apology Period”, Aleve’s “Worst Golf Swing in
America” with Charles Barkley, and T-Pain’s remake of the classic
Alka Seltzer jingle, resonating with consumers and elevating
Bayer’s market reach by the millions. In 2021, she was named a
PRNews “Top Woman in PR”.


For Denise, well-ing the world goes far beyond what happens in
the office (or outside of it – she’s a big fan of remote work).
Like the influential female mentors in her own life, she works
with young women to nurture their professional selves and shape
their futures. She is the Co-Lead of GROW (Growing Representation
& Opportunities) at Bayer, an employee network group focused
on equal representation, leadership, and recognition; and she
actively works to recruit a diverse team of employees that can
speak to the health needs of diverse audiences. Of course Denise
continues to follow her own passions: working out, teaching spin
and walking her dogs near her home in Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina. She loves the beach and the great outdoors, reading war
and crime novels, and traveling the world with her husband of
over 20 years.


Creative and confident. Playful and proactive. Bold, badass, and
a leader in the business of making people and communities
healthier and stronger…that’s Denise Vitola.

 

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