The Adweek 50: Meet the Real Movers and Shakers Behind the World's Top Brands

We all hear the rumblings of the beginning of the decline of Facebook: It's getting too old, people aren't using it as much. But one look at the social giant's ubiquity in the modern American's life explains why Carolyn Everson stands atop the 2014 incarnation of the Adweek 50—which honors those executives who help their bosses (in Everson's case, Sheryl Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg) bedazzle Wall Street and investors. Everson, who moves up from No. 2 in last year's 50, has overseen meteoric revenue growth, thanks to new "people-based marketing," which is a fancy way of connecting marketers with consumers on whatever device they're on. Digital marketers, salespeople and content developers occupy more Adweek 50 slots than ever, a reflection of the transformation across media, marketing and technology. But the best and brightest in television, print and the agency world can also be found across our list, selected by Adweek's editors and staff. Congratulations to all for earning their spot through hard work, innovation and creativity. —Michael Burgi Photo: Jeremy Goldberg No.1 Carolyn Everson VP, global marketing solutions Facebook 2013 revenue $7.9 billion Carolyn Everson has had quite a year at Facebook. Looking back, a pattern emerges, the outlines of which look very much like the future of digital advertising. Facebook calls it "people-based marketing"; Everson calls it her team's biggest achievement over the last 12 months. Facebook relaunched the Atlas ad server in September, a new step for the social network in targeting ads to users across the map—via their mobile phones, tablets and desktops. It enables Facebook to pinpoint actual users rather than merely a data profile that may or may not be accurate. "I am most proud of how the team has rebuilt Atlas to focus on people-based marketing," says Everson, 42. "Atlas helps marketers serve more relevant advertising across devices, platforms and publishers, and it is able to measure the impact of those ads across devices—down to whether they drove sales." But there is more. At its developer conference in April, Facebook also launched the mobile Audience Network. It also bought LiveRail to enhance its video ad potential. These are the technological pieces that could eventually make Facebook the most powerful player in online advertising--—not to mention that the social network boasts 1.3 billion users, owns both Instagram and WhatsApp, has a popular Messenger app and, with the acquisition of Oculus Rift, has identified virtual reality as the most important category in the coming years. Everson likes to repeat a refrain her boss Mark Zuckerberg is fond of. "At Facebook, we feel like we are less than 1 percent done with our journey—with billions more people to be connected, and millions of businesses to work with to make a difference in their growth trajectory," she says. "I feel our work is just getting started." That's a sobering prospect for competitors like Google and Twitter. Facebook grew its revenue by 55 percent last year to $7.9 billion, and that figure is expected to grow to some $11 billion this year. Facebook and Everson are focused on bringing the Internet—and Facebook—to emerging markets by way of initiatives such as Internet.org. Also, video remains a key ad medium; as the company starts to show more video than YouTube, it aims to make money from that traffic. "In the year ahead, you will see us continue working to be the best mobile ad platform, driving a significant amount of video consumption for consumers and marketers, and bringing Instagram into a fully scalable offering across the globe," Everson says. While Facebook is busy building a fully stacked ad business, the team also works closely with brands and agencies to help them get the most out of their marketing campaigns. Workshops called "spark sessions" serve as one-on-one training for brands. "We are not building a sales team—we are building a group of consultative business advisors who are completely focused on our clients' business," Everson says. And she means business, because nothing is a matter of "if." "For those of us who work at Facebook," she says, "it is all about the 'when.''" —Garett Sloane No. 2 Ted Sarandos Chief content officer, Netflix 2013 revenue: $4.37 billion Just a few years ago, if you wanted to watch exceptional TV, the last place you would turn to is your computer. Enter the binge-watching era. Netflix changed what we expect from Web programming and how we consume it with award-winning shows like House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black. Its library is continuously growing, with more cult favorites joining as streaming options and a full-on launch into original features, starting with a sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and a four-movie deal with Adam Sandler. European and South American expansion has already taken place, and there are plans to breach Asia. There's no stopping the on-demand streaming company from taking over the world. And Sarandos, 50, is leading that charge. —Michelle Castillo Photo: Fernando Decillis No. 3 Tom Daly Global group director of mobile, Coca-Cola Co. 2013 media spend: more than $4 billion How did Coca-Cola make this year's World Cup its most digital yet? By getting consumers to submit more than 200,000 selfies that were then used to create a 3,015-square-meter "Happiness Flag" displayed during the opening match in Rio de Janeiro. Behind the scenes was Daly, 52, and his mission to transform Coca-Cola into a mobile powerhouse, which goes way beyond building branded apps. Daly develops marketing with 50 billion connected devices in mind, meaning that simple tactics like text messaging are still important ways to connect with consumers. Stay tuned for more mobile-heavy work from Coke during the 2016 Summer Olympics. "It would be safe to say you'll see these ideas continued and expanded," Daly promises. —Lauren Johnson No. 4 B. Bonin Bough Vp of global media and consumer engagement, Mondelez Estimated 2013 media spend: $182 million Few industry speakers riff on digital as passionately as Bough. But the 36-year-old marketing dynamo backs up his talk with execution, wowing South by Southwest goers with a high-tech 3-D Oreo cookie maker that registered 42 million consumer impressions. More recently, Bough forged a partnership with Google and Fullscreen that will shift 10 percent of the marketer's ad budget to online video, and he is at the forefront of millennial marketing with targeted Kik and Snapchat endeavors. —Christopher Heine No. 5 Sridhar Ramaswamy Svp of ads and commerce, Google 2013 ad revenue: $50.57 billion Ramaswamy, 48, used to work closely with Susan Wojcicki before she took over at YouTube—now the high-profile advertising position is all his own. He is a member of the elite L Team, CEO Larry Page's inner circle. Google is connecting on all fronts—devices to homes to cars to areas yet explored—and behind it all is its powerful advertising engine that could help it become the first trillion-dollar company. This year the digital giant took steps to get more brands to spend across YouTube and DoubleClick, and ad revenue continues to grow—even though competition is tougher with the rise of Facebook. But there's no doubting who the biggest of the bunch is—and that's not changing anytime soon. —G.S. No. 6 Michael Lombardo President of programming, HBO 2013 revenue: $4.9 billion Lombardo, 58, is one of those veteran programmers who never seems to lose his touch—the exec has been president of programming since 2007, when the media was awash in think pieces about how the finale of The Sopranos meant that HBO's golden age had ended. With Game of Thrones, Girls, True Blood and True Detective, Lombardo proved them wrong over and over. And with the new HBO Go streaming app set to debut without a cable sub next year, it looks an awful lot like the company has surpassed traditional cable networks yet again. —Sam Thielman No. 7 Wanda Young VP of media and digital marketing, Walmart Estimated 2013 media spend: $860 million Thanks to her leadership, @WalmartLabs isn't just an incubator for shiny new tech-marketing toys—it's altering the retail landscape. Most recently, Young, 45, orchestrated the rollout of Savings Catcher, a feature on Walmart's smartphone app that lets customers get money back if a nearby competitor offers lower prices. Young also engineered a data partnership with The Weather Channel that will influence how the brand targets advertising on TV, radio, Facebook, Twitter and mobile networks. —C.H. No. 8 John Hayes CMO, American Express 2013 U.S. media spend: $300 million At 59, Hayes is old enough to remember the good old days when the marketing department controlled the message—but he doesn't miss them. Under Hayes, the world's largest card issuer has evolved from iconic ad lines ("Membership has its privileges") to adapting to how consumers actually live. In addition to creating Small Business Saturday, Hayes has launched some 200 new financial products, including the Serve prepaid card. He's partnered with Vevo and YouTube to launch the "Unstaged" concert series. And he's made AmEx into one of the first fiscal behemoths to speak Twitter. With Q2 net income up by 9 percent, it's clear that shoppers are listening. —Robert Klara No. 9 Kevin Brady Executive creative director, Droga5 Revenue on Brady's accounts: $14 million If there were an advertising award for listening, Brady, 48, would win it hands down. His knack for taking in the challenges that marketers face enabled him to help Prudential find hopefulness in retirement planning and define wholesomeness for Honey Maid in a modern way, casting gay and tattooed parents in ads that have exploded online. Thoughtful and empathetic, Brady, who also leads work on BelVita and Dun & Bradsteet, is known as the conscience of Droga5, ever striving for higher meaning in ads. —Andrew McMains No. 10 Ilonka Laviz Digital brand director of global e-business, Procter & Gamble 2014 global media spend: $9.2 billion Eighteen years into her P&G tenure, Laviz, 40, is now making waves to prove that digital moves the sales needle for packaged-goods marketers. Laviz spearheads partnerships with Facebook, Google and Yahoo and is credited in pushing digital spending to record levels over the past few years. She's also responsible for beefing up earned media across 23 brands. The focus on brand-building seems to be paying off—this year's buzzy and female-empowering #LikeAGirl campaign has amassed nearly 50 million YouTube views since debuting in June. —L.J. Photo: Christopher Gabello No. 11 John Costello Chief global marketing and innovation officer, Dunkin' Donuts 2013 media spend: $121 million When Dunkin' Donuts signed its first franchise in 1955, a doughnut shop with decent coffee was a novelty. Today, a host of specialty chains like Starbucks continue to raise expectations, and every fast-food chain now serves breakfast. Fortunately, Dunkin' has 66-year-old Costello. "Coffee is one of the most competitive categories," he says, "and we think our coffee can compete anywhere." He's proven it can: Marketing the combination of barista quality at popular prices, Costello has helped make Dunkin' the No. 1 retailer of hot and iced coffee in America and the No. 2 retailer of breakfast sandwiches. The doughnuts aren't bad, either. —R.K. No. 12 David Levy/Donna Speciale President, Turner Broadcasting /president, ad sales, Turner Broadcasting 2013 revenue: $10 billion It's no surprise to see Levy, 52, a longtime Turner vet, finally in charge of the whole enchilada these days, while Speciale, also 52, takes his place at the helm of the good ship ad sales. The Time Warner-owned group generated some $3.5 billion in domestic ad revenue last year (including CNN, which is under Jeff Zucker), making it among the most profitable cable portfolios in the world. It's actually smaller than many of its competitors—10 networks in total where other groups have dozens. But among properties like TNT, Cartoon, Adult Swim and TBS, Turner punches well above its weight. —S.T. No. 13 Adam Brotman Chief digital officer, Starbucks Estimated 2013 media spend: $95 million Out of all of Starbucks' many digital efforts, its mobile innovations—led by Brotman—take the proverbial cake (or pumpkin scone, as it were). Brotman, 45, commandeers a mobile payment initiative that is revolutionizing the quick-serve sector. In March, the brand unveiled Shake to Pay, a feature that lets consumers pay for their coffee and tip the barista by simply shaking their smartphone. What's Brotman got in store next to draw foot traffic? Wireless phone charging at every location. —C.H. No. 14 Robert Kyncl Vp, Global head of content & business operations, Google/YouTube 2013 revenue: $5.6 billion The latest challenge for Kyncl, 44, is to convert the billions of eyeballs YouTube attracts into revenue. The service's stars didn't become household names until the company featured a handful in a splashy national campaign that highlighted the premium content on its Web video platform. Its success fed the Google Preferred program, which allows brands and agency partners including DigitasLBi, OMD, IPG, Carat and SMG to advertise on the top 1 and 5 percent of YouTube videos with audience guarantees. Marketers like Taco Bell, Ford and GE, which want to get bitten by the viral video bug, are enrolling in the Brand Partner Program, a three-day course that aids brands in creating buzzy content that will connect with an always-online audience. —M.C. No. 15 Frank Cooper III Global CMO, PepsiCo 2013 U.S. media spend: $865 million A beverage company as large as Pepsi can draw customers by just sitting there, but Frank Cooper has pushed the 49-year-old brand to build "authentic relationships" by getting away from what he calls "mountain top" messaging and getting behind serious content. Cooper, 50, is the force behind Pepsi's Twitter-streamed Summer Beats Concert Series starring Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj, and last year's $50 million multiyear creative partnership with Beyoncé—including the Super Bowl halftime show that drew nearly 113 million visitors. —R.K. Photo: Karl J. Kaul/Wonderful Machine No. 16 Kent Alterman President, content development and original programming, Comedy Central 2013 ad revenue: $464 million Alterman's star is on the rise at Comedy Central. Boosted to his current post last year, the 57-year-old exec already had plenty of great credits: sketch programs Key & Peele, Kroll Show and Inside Amy Schumer, which also happen to be killing it online. Interestingly, he declared his intent to pursue more straightforward scripted fare. He's getting his wish: Ben Stiller-produced Big Time in Hollywood, FL, is due next year. —S.T. No. 17 Network Television Ad Sales Chiefs Jo Ann Ross President, ad sales, CBS Television Network Estimated 2014 upfront revenue: $2.4 billion Geri Wang President, sales and marketing ABC Estimated 2014 upfront revenue: $2 billion Linda Yaccarino President, ad sales, NBCUniversal Estimated 2014 NBC upfront revenue: $2.3 billion Toby Byrne President, ad sales, Fox Broadcasting Co. and Fox Sports Media Group Estimated 2014 upfront revenue: $1.55 billion Why bundle the network sales heads? Frankly, the 2014 TV upfront season was equally mediocre for each of the Big Four. And the road won't get any easier, as the industry nears the tipping point where TV budgets are no longer a sure thing—as they have been for the last 50 years. If anyone has a slight edge, it is NBCU's Yaccarino, 51, whose upfront haul was up slightly over 2013 (her broader mandate within NBCU covers some $9 billion in ad revenue, including broadcast, cable and digital). All the other nets saw their upfront dollar haul slump between 5 and 15 percent, while CPM increases were nominal. Can the gradual but steady shift on the buyers' part to accepting commercial ratings with longer periods of DVR usage baked in help the networks get their mojo back? Prevailing wisdom among the buyers is that most viewers still skip through ads—if that functionality hasn't been disabled—regardless of how many studies the nets trot out to indicate otherwise. That won't stop Ross, 61; Wang, 54; and Byrne, 44, from continuing to exhort their teams back up to higher heights each year—since their bosses and Wall Street still demand it. —Michael Burgi No. 18 Angela Ahrendts Svp, retail and online stores, Apple 2013 revenue: $1.71 billion Ahrendts, 54, understands that the key to a brand's success is the experience it provides consumers. The former Burberry CEO has focused her efforts into expanding the mammoth tech brand's position across the globe (especially China), as well as improving how customers shop. Whether that means seamless in-store customer service or easy mobile payments through the Apple Pay system, she's on board to guide consumers' connected future. —M.C. No. 19 Ed Erhardt President, global customer marketingand sales, ESPN 2013 ad revenue: $4 billion In some ways, Erhardt, 57, has the best job in cable: No rival has a product that comes anywhere close to ESPN's domination of live sports. But it's also a difficult one, involving notoriously tricky relationships with major sports leagues. Erhardt's job is to make sure the network stays ahead of the curve, and with a massive digital portfolio on top of the linear net, he's able to realize incredible sums from nearly every blue-chip advertiser in the business. —S.T. No. 20 Chris McCumber President, USA Network 2013 ad revenue: $1 billion McCumber, 47, runs one of the largest networks on your remote. Now on his own after former co-president Jeff Wachtel ascended to the upper ranks of NBCU's producing structure, McCumber is charged with launching a ton of new shows on the channel, from the tongue-in-cheek Chrisley Knows Best to Middle East-set thriller Dig. It's a full plate, to say the least, as McCumber adjusts the network's "blue skies" programming to accommodate some clouds in its darker new shows.—S.T. No. 21 Richard Alfonsi Head of global sales, Twitter 2013 revenue: $665 million Twitter has built—and bought—one of the most impressive mobile ad platforms, and that success is owed in part to Alfonsi, 43. Once a simple 140-character message board, Twitter is now a dynamic, multimedia social network that brands can't ignore. This year the advertising and targeting got more sophisticated with app installs, direct-response marketing and an Amplify program that lets powerhouses like the NFL reach fans and sponsors. —G.S. No. 22 Michael Clinton President, marketing and publishing director, Hearst Magazines Estimated 2013 revenue: $1 billion+ Clinton, 59, oversees some of the most storied names in print, from Cosmo to Elle and Good Housekeeping. And while the world may bemoan the decline of magazine media, Clinton is proving it's still a booming industry: In the past year, he's spearheaded Hearst's biggest-ever September ad paging, the continued expansion of Dr. Oz The Good Life, and the pilot launch of a new freemium weekly, TrendingNY, all while serving as MPA chairman. —Emma Bazilian No. 23 Antonio Lucio Global chief brand officer, Visa Estimated 2013 media spend: $129 million The Winter Olympics proved that Lucio, 54, has serious game. His team generated 28 million digital engagements; it tallied 9.2 million impressions on Twitter; and his credit card had the top branded Olympics Facebook video for a week. To create contextual content, Lucio enlisted the Visa 360 Cam—a panoramic video mobile app that took consumers behind the scenes. —C.H. No. 24 Lou Latorre President, ad sales, Fox Cable Networks 2013 ad revenue: $3.1 billion Things have gotten interesting at Fox Cable in the last year: FX's sister network FXX had its coming-of-age moment with a marathon of The Simpsons. The cable concern took a huge jump in ratings, and with FX making waves with edgy prestige shows like American Horror Story, the always-diplomatic LaTorre, 60, is the guy to sell it. As the cable outfit grows, so does his profile. —S.T. No. 25 Joe Abruzzese President, ad sales, Discovery Networks 2013 ad revenue: $2.7 billion Well-liked both in-house and among competitors, Abruzzese keeps careful track of the market year-round and has been rewarded for it time after time. Discovery is changing—its operations are rapidly expanding overseas—but the best dressed man in ad sales remains constant. The 65-year-old exec manages to push the needle further every year. —S.T. No. 26 Mel Berning President, ad sales, A+E Networks 2013 ad revenue: $2.4 billion Berning's sales acumen is too often unsung in the publicly traded world, largely because A+E Networks is jointly owned by Disney and Hearst. As such, it doesn't get bragged about on quarterly earnings calls the way NBCU does. But the 60-year-old Berning's contributions to the business can't be overstated: The ad sales division at the multibillion-dollar collection of networks like A&E, History and Lifetime remains strong. And Berning's enjoying the windfall from stealth hit Vikings. —S.T. No. 27 Jon Steinlauf Evp, ad sales and marketing, Scripps Networks 2013 ad revenue: $1.6 billion Steinlauf, 57, who led Scripps to its third billion-dollar upfront this year; remains one of the most influential ad chiefs in television. Part of that is due to the quality of the Scripps portfolio—it has perfected the whoa-I've-been-watching-Food-Network-all-afternoon lineups—but much of the credit goes to Steinlauf's commitment to patiently working out difficult and deep deals with his partners. Scripps' integrations broke ground and set the standard for the industry; now that the DVR is eating larger chunks of traditional 30-second spots, it's a model that rivals are adopting left and right. —S.T. No. 28 Joanna Coles Editor in chief, Cosmopolitan; editorial director, Seventeen Audience: 39 million (including print, Web, mobile, video) For Coles, 52, transforming the legendary women's magazine's reputation from that of a "how-to-please-your-man" bible to the go-to destination for politically savvy millennials (who still want their sex tips alongside their candidate endorsements) wasn't enough. Now, she's turning her eye to a younger audience as the new editorial director of Seventeen. And her latest side project? Producing an NBC comedy about a political blogger turned Cosmo sex writer. —E.B. No. 29 Keith Grossman Publisher, digital and digital products, Bloomberg Bloomberg Digital audience: 21 million As associate publisher of Wired and Ars Technica, Grossman made a name for himself as an innovative executive (he won two consecutive Project Isaac awards for his efforts). Now, the 34-year-old is heading up Bloomberg's digital side, where he's been tasked with translating CEO Justin Smith's vision of a multiplatform, global business into reality. Since joining in July, Grossman has successfully launched several new ad platforms and products while also overseeing the rollout of Bloomberg's new mobile strategy and digital video network. —E.B. No. 30 Joel Stillerman Head of programming, AMC Networks 2013 revenue: $438.5 million Seemingly overnight, AMC Networks went from a sleepy little channel that reran Clint Eastwood movies to a drama powerhouse. Now, Stillerman, 53, has to show he's willing to take risks as dangerous—and as successful—as Mad Men and Breaking Bad. He's done it once with The Walking Dead, and he's been aggressive about greenlighting new shows. Martial arts drama Badlands and sci-fi show Humans are both set for next year. It's a safe bet neither of the shows will resemble anything else on TV. —S.T. No. 31 John Patroulis Chief creative officer, Bartle Bogle Hegarty 2013 revenue: $33 million (New York office) There's an athleticism in Patroulis' creative leadership, but it's about tenacity and calm amid chaos, not flashiness. And it was chaotic after he joined BBH in August 2011. The following year, Greg Andersen stepped down as CEO and key client Google shifted its business elsewhere. But the 46-year-old runner and onetime boxer weathered the blows and helped craft some amazing work, including "Susan Glenn" for Axe and "Greatness Awaits" for Sony PlayStation. In short, he's a passionate and genuine leader who marketers readily embrace. —A.M. No. 32 Eddy Moretti Chief creative officer, Vice Media Total audience: 150 million Vice Media, the multimedia empire valued at more than $2.5 billion, knows a thing or two about what millennials want. Moretti, 43, originally joined the company in 2000 to help launch its film division, but has recently led projects including Vice News, Vice Sports and Vice's Emmy-winning HBO series. He's still involved in the movie business, too: So far this year, Vice Films has released two feature-length documentaries, with a third (described as an "Iranian vampire Western") on the way. —E.B. Photo: Karl J. Kaul/Wonderful Machine No. 33 Claudia Cahill Chief content officer, Content Collective, OMD OMD 2013 revenue: $2.1 billion Cahill's career has focused on the relationship between brands and entertainment, and after joining OMD four years ago, she made the agency a top player in branded content. Cahill, 60, spearheads all of the Content Collective's initiatives, including client Pepsi. As the architect of OMD's Final Front, she connects content producers with advertisers in a one-of-a kind event: "We've gone from content being a conversation in the shadows to where it's mainstream marketing now," she says. —Noreen O'Leary No. 34 Eric Harris/ Jonathan Perelman Evp of business operations/vp of BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, BuzzFeed Estimated 2014 valuation: $850 million This is a new media force unlike any seen in quite some time, thanks in part to Harris, 45, and Perelman, 33. This year, BuzzFeed has climbed the top 50 Internet property charts in the U.S. and is now close to the top 25, ahead of Gawker, Pinterest and The New York Times in traffic, according to comScore. Also, it's built a robust ad platform with native and video content. To maintain its meteoric growth, BuzzFeed raised $50 million this year. —G.S. No. 35 Paul FichtenbauM Editor, Time Inc. Sports Group Audience: 41 million (print, Web, mobile, video) Since assuming his role in 2012, Fichtenbaum, 53, has transformed his group—which includes Sports Illustrated, Golf, SI Swim and SI Kids—into Time Inc.'s most innovative division. Not only was SI the first Time Inc. title to integrate its print and digital staffs, but it was also the first to take advantage of a new digital video unit (SI now produces numerous live shows and specials) and has expanded its newly relaunched website into a full digital network with multiple editorial franchises. Editorially, the brand is hotter than ever, too, breaking massive stories like LeBron James' return to Cleveland and Jason Collins' coming out.—E.B. No. 36 Dawn Ostroff President, Condé Nast Entertainment Audience: 1 billion video views As the founding head of Condé Nast's entertainment group, former CW head Ostroff has handled the daunting role of conquering uncharted territory with impressive finesse. Aided by the industry veterans she tapped to lead CNE's digital content, television and feature film divisions, Ostroff, 53, has masterminded the creation of 14 video channels based on Condé Nast magazine titles, struck a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox Television and set up more than a dozen projects at movie studios, some with Oscar-level talent attached. Not bad for a trailblazer. —E.B. No. 37 Frank Holland Corporate vp of advertising and online business, Microsoft 2013 online services revenue: $3.2 billion Under new leadership for the first time in more than a decade, Microsoft is still among the five most valuable companies in the world. Advertising mostly falls under its online services division—50-year-old Holland's turf—which grew 12 percent last year. MSN continues to be a lucrative property with brand partners, while Bing is basically Google's only rival in search. Also, Microsoft owns Skype, a key player in mobile messaging. With new devices and services, the blue-chip giant is one of the few tech companies with the infrastructure to make a mark on mobile advertising. —G.S. No. 38 John Muszynski Chief investment officer, Spark 2013 billings: $1.5 billion Muszynski has been tag-teaming Spark's transformation with CEO Chris Boothe since early 2012. Boothe even credits Muszynski, 56, with having instant credibility in new business pitches. Under their leadership, Spark has changed the way it goes to market and its approach to clients, which proved successful with recent wins like REI, ConAgra Foods and Red Lobster. Muszynski is a big believer that data should inform all client investment decisions. —Kristina Monllos No. 39 Cameron Clayton President, product and technology, The Weather Co. 21% two-year CAGR digital revenue growth Weather affects daily life, which is why Clayton, 38, believes it informs consumer behavior. TWC's WeatherFX platform, which has attracted clients like Walmart, uses location-based weather to determine what goods people will want at a given time—and then serves up the appropriate ad. But the digital division relies not just on data but also creativity. For example, its innovative frizzy hair day local forecast for P&G's Pantene nabbed honors including a Clio Award and Adweek's Project Isaac and Media Plan of the Year awards. —M.C. No. 40 Patrick Yee Evp of marketing and content strategy, Refinery 29 2013 revenue: $29.1 million Refinery29 might be a women's lifestyle site, but to Yee, 37, it's all about numbers. He takes a quantitative approach to help bolster editorial, offering insights before an article is written to predict what will resonate. That's great news for marketers like Neiman Marcus, H&M and Nordstrom, which expect their branded content will get in front of the right eyeballs. —M.C. No. 41 Jim Squires Director of marketing, Instagram Estimated 2014 revenue: $500 million Facebook continues to make headlines because teenagers seem to be migrating elsewhere, but that elsewhere is sibling Instagram. Squires, 38, maintains strict control of Instagram advertising, but the platform is opening up to more big-name sponsors. In just the past year, since the launch of advertising, Instagram marketing has exploded and the technology behind it is getting more sophisticated with plans for better targeting and measurement capabilities—as well as video. —G.S. No. 42 Evin Shutt Chief operating officer, 72andSunny Estimated 2013 revenue: $120 million (global) As 72andSunny's first employee a decade ago, Shutt did everything from drilling holes in desks to early brand management. Now the agency's only female partner, she continues to be indispensable, helping guide the growth to 450 staffers, opening an Amsterdam office, constructing a production studio and launching in-house training. A former educator in the Teach for America corps, 35-year-old Shutt says, "It's been a natural transition. 72andSunny is about personal growth and creative expression." —N.O. No. 43 Nuno Teles CMO, Heineken USA Estimated 2013 media spend: $76 million Already an advertising star in Brazil, Teles wasted little time making his mark here after being named U.S. marketing chief in February. Teles, 42, encouraged World Cup fans to play hooky from work—or pull off a #BrazilianNoShow—and enjoy fútbol with a pilsner instead. The hashtag went viral, as did whip-smart videos starring comics Neil Patrick Harris and Fred Armisen. And last week, Teles forged an exclusive $40 million sponsorship with Major League Soccer. —C.H. No. 44 Penry Price Vp of global sales, marketing solutions LinkedIn 2013 revenue: $360 million The social network for professionals has made big strides in advertising this year, following a path blazed by Facebook and offering a unique marketing proposition: the ability to reach high-income and business-minded people. Under Price, 45, LinkedIn this year launched Direct Sponsored Updates, which lets marketers test and target their ads. New software tools for publishing partners are also available. —G.S. No. 45 Emily White COO, Snapchat Active users: 100 million Like Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg, White, 36, is one of those people who accepted a ticket on a rocket ship. White came over from Instagram within the past year, and she is key to the fledgling business plans of the popular messaging app. Snapchat has quickly embraced brands, which are finding crazy engagement on the platform. Users will soon start seeing paid ads. Snapchat doesn't yet attract meaningful revenue, but is worth an estimated (and mind-boggling) $10 billion. —G.S. No. 46 Robin Steinberg Evp, director of publishing investment and activation, MediaVest 2013 revenue: $500 million With a roster of A-list clients including Mondelez, Walmart, Coca-Cola, Starwood and Comcast, Steinberg is indisputably one of the most important figures in media buying. Steinberg, 46, made a name for herself as a print buyer, but also oversees select portal relationships and cross-channel deals for MediaVest, and serves on the agency's digital leadership and executive teams. Additionally, she's an active member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the Advertising Club of New York, the 4A's Print Committee and the MPA's Tablet Task Force. —E.B. No. 47 Khartoon Ohan Chief growth officer, MediaCom 2013 billings: $600 million Maybe it's the competitive athlete in Ohan, but in her first year at MediaCom she's landed some solid wins. Clients like the American Legacy Foundation, DSW, eBay and ADT Home Security Systems, among others, were some of the additions—part of her effort to secure a large portfolio of retail business for the WPP agency. While Ohan, 36, lives for the thrill of the hunt, she's also in it for the long haul with client partnerships. She works to discern between what's interesting and what's important in business, using that as a filter for bringing clients the right solutions. —K.M. No. 48 Paul Guyardo Chief revenue and marketing officer, DirecTV 2013 revenue: $25 billion Under Guyardo's guidance, DirecTV has successfully rebranded as the premium brand in the pay-television category. Known for encouraging candor, Guyardo, 52, asks that his nearly 800 employees tell him what he needs to hear, not what they think he wants to hear. Since joining in 2005, Guyardo has grown DirecTV's subscriber base from 15 million to over 20 million and more than doubled revenue. DirecTV's also successfully launched several new products such as the NFL Sunday Ticket and DirecTV Cinema. —K.M. No. 49 Brett Craig Executive creative director, Deutsch LA 2013 revenue: $115 million Craig's work has helped grow Deutsch clients like Taco Bell from one project to among the agency's largest. Plus, he's overseen the brand's expansion into breakfast. For Dr Pepper, the 42-year-old increased critical relevance metrics and the "Always One of a Kind" pitch made the soda a top six social brand with 16 million Facebook fans. "Brett's a creative black belt. He can produce quality and quantity at the same time," says Mike Sheldon, CEO of Deutsch LA. —N.O. No. 50 Beth Greve Chief revenue and partnerships officer, AwesomenessTV DreamWorks Animation SKG bought it for $33 million cash and $117 million in consideration in 2013 Greve, 45, who came over from managing sales, strategy and business development at YouTube, has been able to convince brands like Coca-Cola, Royal Caribbean and Kohl's that if they want to target today's youth, they need to include the multichannel network in their spend. It's not an easy task when you have a fickle audience that's notoriously picky, but she's helped cement the online empire as a purveyor of cool. —M.C.

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2014's most influential buyers, sellers and marketers

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