SMITH Advertising Hires New Director of Business Development

Fayetteville, NC, September 28, 2011 --(PR.com)-- SMITH, a fully integrated advertising and marketing agency, is pleased to announce the hiring of Anne Marie Bass as its new Director of Business Development.

Ms. Bass joins SMITH with over 15 years of business development and account management experience within major marketing services and marketing software companies.

As Major Account Manager with Alterian, Inc., in Chicago, IL, Ms. Bass successfully identified and developed strategic channel sales partnerships for the customer engagement and data analytics software company, including a multi-year strategic partnership with InfoGroup. Ms. Bass’s experience includes mentoring and training partner sales executives on marketing modules while selling alongside them to Fortune 500 multi-channel retailer, high tech, and financial services clients.

Prior to Alterian, Ms. Bass held the position of Director of National Accounts with ISG Consumer Sampling, where she sold database, sampling, and direct mail solutions for the marketing services company resulting in Procter & Gamble awarding the company “core vendor” status. Ms. Bass also served as Sales Support Manager for Experian Marketing Services where she helped to develop and grow Experian’s top client and other strategic national accounts within the Consumer Packaged Goods Division.

“What a great time to be out there helping client prospects review and realign their marketing strategies while working for a company that has the strategic insight and capability to integrate traditional and digital advertising really well,” said Bass.

“We are thrilled to welcome Anne Marie as Director of our Business Development staff,” said Gary Smith, President and CEO of SMITH. “Her outstanding history of successful business achievements speaks to her ability to identify and help win new business for SMITH.”

SMITH, with offices in Raleigh and Fayetteville, North Carolina; Sarasota, Florida, and Hilton Head, South Carolina, is an advertising and marketing agency driven by discovering what makes people who they are and what motivates their decisions, and then planning strategic communications accordingly. The 37-year-old firm offers fully integrated services that include brand development, account planning, marketing research, dialog management, interactive services, creative, media planning/buying and public relations.

SMITH’s clients include regional, national and global companies in travel and tourism, healthcare, consumer products, real estate and financial services. The SMITH team has honed its planning and creative skills on blue-chip and Fortune 500 brands including Papa John’s, Hershey, Ruth's Chris, Microsoft, Alliance One, Harley Davidson, Southeastern Regional Medical Center, First Bank of NC, SC and VA, Jeep, Miller, as well as leading travel destinations such as Hilton Head Island, Pinehurst, Augusta, Sarasota, Asheville, Blowing Rock, Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands, FL and North Carolina's Brunswick Islands. SMITH is the agency of record for the Southeast Tourism Society and for the North Carolina Tourism Industry Association.

For more information on SMITH, call (910) 222-5071 or visit www.smithadv.com.

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