Adweek Announces Its 2021 Brand Genius Honorees

Earlier this morning, Adweek announced the winners of its 2021 Brand Genius award. Adweek also announced the recipient of Brand Save, its annual recognition of standout work in the nonprofit sector. This year’s awards will be integrated into Brandweek, a five-day virtual summit for brand marketers that features probing discussions, specialized masterclasses and breakout sessions geared toward identifying and dissecting the creative thinking of the world’s leading marketing minds. Brandweek will be held virtually this year, from Sept. 20-24. Now in its third decade, the Brand Genius program recognizes 10 leading corporations and the executives heading up their marketing teams for exceptional work in brand building. While the achievements of each recipient vary, all honorees embody the best in creative risk taking, a willingness to break with convention and—especially over the last 18 months—the quick thinking required to respond to pandemic-driven business conditions. “Rarely have brands faced the sort of challenges that they’ve had to contend with in the last year and a half,” said Adweek’s chief content officer Lisa Granatstein. “While scores of brands deserve recognition for simply keeping their footing, a number exhibited the agility and dynamic thinking that not only allowed them to make the best of a difficult economy but even turn it into an opportunity. These brands and their marketing leads are who we single out for Brand Genius honors.” The 2021 Brand Genius honorees, chosen by a panel of Adweek’s senior editors and select industry experts, are: • Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer and president, healthcare business, Mastercard • Tariq Hassan, CMO, Petco • Alan Bethke, svp marketing, Subaru of America • Nick Tran, global head of marketing, TikTok • Mary Beth Laughton, president and CEO, Athleta • Barbara Messing, chief marketing and people experience officer, Roblox • Lish Kennedy, vp of global brand, Vrbo • Dara Treseder, svp, head of global marketing and communications, Peloton • Doug Palladini, global brand president, Vans • Sweta Patel, vp engagement growth marketing, Roku and The Roku Channel As is customary, each of this year’s honorees will be profiled in Adweek’s annual Brand Genius issue on Sept. 13 and on Adweek.com. During the event, Adweek’s editors will also name the Grand Brand Genius from the class of 2021, the executive whose exemplary leadership and creative output rises to best in class. This year’s Brand Save honoree is the Trevor Project, widely seen as the leading advocate for LGBTQ+ suicide prevention in the United States. According to government statistics, LGBTQ+ high school students have anywhere from two to seven times higher rates of suicide attempts than their heterosexual counterparts. At a time when a politically polarized country has made life especially difficult for young members of the LGBTQ+ community, the Trevor Project’s work is more essential than ever, and Adweek’s editors were unanimous in selecting the organization for recognition. CEO Amit Paley will attend Brandweek and accept the award on behalf of the Trevor Project. The annual Brand Visionary Award, honoring the most influential people in the world who effect positive change, will be announced soon. Past honorees include Serena Williams, Anna Wintour and Ryan Reynolds. To attend Brandweek, visit here.

Brand Genius

Adweek Proudly Announces Its 2021 Brand Genius Honorees

Petco, TikTok and Athleta join a distinguished lineup of agile pandemic-era thinkers

Robert Klara

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Robert Klara