06/08/2018

Dispatch exec among leaders of new GateHouse consumer marketing agency

From a GateHouse Press Release

GateHouse Media announced the launch of a new, central consumer marketing agency to drive consumer marketing revenue and develop new and innovative products and experiences. Led by Denise Robbins, Senior Vice President Consumer Marketing, the agency is focused on delivering GateHouse’s award-winning content to new audiences and providing even greater value to their 23 million weekly readers.

Effective June 1, the new agency began overseeing subscription acquisition and customer lifecycle management, including deepening reader engagement and customer experience in GateHouse’s largest markets. Later this year, the agency will expand to lead consumer marketing activity for all 144 GateHouse dailies as well as the company’s weekly subscription-based publications. GateHouse announced key appointments to support Robbins in leading the new agency:

Nikhil Hushikatti, currently VP, Marketing for the Dispatch Media Group (Columbus), will serve as Vice President, Acquisitions, overseeing media buying, onsite optimization and bundle strategy
Lee Knapp, currently VP, Consumer Marketing for GateHouse’s Eastern Division, will serve as Vice President, Regional Planning with responsibility for forecasting, revenue optimization, offer strategy and reporting
In addition, Robert Saurer, GateHouse’s Vice President Marketing Technology and Innovation, has added oversight of customer service, enterprise-wide, including high-touch escalation centers, customer self-service technologies and email operations to his responsibilities.

“Growing our digital subscription base and serving our existing readers are top priorities for GateHouse,” said Kirk Davis, CEO of GateHouse Media. “Denise and her executive team bring years of consumer marketing experience both at GateHouse and at other leading publishers including The New York Times where Denise led consumer marketing and revenue generation for Home Delivery and All Digital Access.”

As the agency evolves, it will play a central role in marketing other consumer-facing products and services including apps, podcasts, specialty newsletters, e-editions and other digital products across the entire enterprise.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to bring our high-quality, trusted content to even more readers,” said Robbins. “GateHouse has put together a talented team and committed the resources we need to grow our audience across all platforms.”