Rachel Polish appointed Ogilvy PR New Vice President
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide (Ogilvy PR), a leading global communications firm, today announced Rachel Polish as Vice President of Digital Strategy of the 360-degree Digital Influence Group on the West Coast. With more than 15 years of public relations, corporate and crisis communications, government affairs and social media strategy, Polish will provide counsel to clients across all practice groups and support business development efforts on behalf of the agency.
“Our Digital Influence team has a proven approach to digital word of mouth that constantly attracts an ever-growing client base,” said John Bell, managing director of 360-degree Digital Influence. “Rachel’s experience, talent and leadership in the digital space will be an invaluable addition to our team, and we are thrilled she is joining us.”
Based in Ogilvy PR’s San Francisco office, Polish will spearhead digital word of mouth and social media strategy on the West Coast, overseeing the strategy team’s employment of the power of personal media to influence brand experiences in the digital space. A proven social media evangelist, Polish most recently worked at SanDisk as the lead on global mobile consumer PR and social media. She was the driver behind SanDisk’s early social media endeavors, including managing blogger events and outreach, issuing the company’s early multimedia releases and directing all social media efforts around events like CES and major retail promotions.
A frequent speaker and guest blogger, Polish’s passion is looking for innovative ways to encourage the proliferation of social media. She pulled together her first tweetup in April 2009 and is a board member of the Public Relations Society of America’s Silicon Valley chapter . Polish also attends as many blogging and social networking events as possible, including TWTRCON, SF New Tech, BlogWell, Social Media Club and Twestival.
“Digital engagement strategies are integral to connecting people with companies and brands,” said Polish. “To this end, Ogilvy PR has both a compelling vision and the resources to conceptualize, measure and deliver these digital marketing strategies globally. I look forward to being a part of this exceptional team of innovators.”
Polish is also a U.S. Coast Guard reservist, specializing in public affairs and social media – frequently cited as “one of the top ‘Coasties’ on Twitter” . Polish is a Petty Officer, First Class (PA1) with the U.S. Coast Guard, functioning as a communications lead during certain breaking news cases and crises. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, achieving a bachelor’s degree in political science.