Michelle Mahoney
Vice President Community Relations & Events
Tell us about your role at Burnett?
 Oversee:
 Leo Love program
 Internal events
 On-line global store, The Leo Shop
How long have you been in this role?
 Been at the agency for 21 years
 Reputation & Communication Department for 4
years
 Launched Leo Love in 2013
How did you get in this department?
 Streamline and focus how to give back to the
community from an internal and external focus
 Strengthens Burnett’s reputation in the
community
 Natural fit within the Reputation &
Communication Department
What is your favorite part about
your job?
“It makes me happy knowing what I am doing is
helping the community.”
 Working directly with our non-profit partners
 Doing crafts with the kids along side our
employee volunteers
 Leading a city wide committee for a big gala
fundraiser
What is the most stressful part about
your job?
 It’s challenging when we have 6 events going
on at one time and in planning stages for
another 6,
 On top of that coordinating with our lead
teams and volunteers on Leo Love efforts
 At the same time helping our US and Global
teams with Leo Shop swag for their upcoming
initiatives
Can you describe some of the charities
you work with?
 Our filter of focus is to partner with non-profits
that support:
 Children (our future)
 Creativity (our talent)
 Chicago (our home)
What was the most impactful thing
you’ve been apart of at Burnett?
 Leo Burnett project managed Off The Street
Club’s parking lot
 Created a playground, splashpad & garden
 Developed a safe place out of an empty
parking lot for hundreds of kids to use
Where does your passion for helping the
community come from?
“All I can say is it’s in my DNA”
 To be able to take my personal passion for
giving back and also have it become my
career is something I never dreamed of
 Giving back to those in need are a top priority
What is Burnett's role in giving back?
 Numerous ways to give back every day:
 Board member
 Designing a new brand identity
 Tutoring the kids
 Donating directly from your paycheck
What are your goals for the future?
 Take Leo Love Global
 Sharing our initiatives with our 90+ Leo Burnett
offices to create a more impactful program
Why do you think advertising agencies
give back to their communities?
“We have such an amazing amount of diversity
and passion across the network to share that it’s
just the right thing to do.”
How do you think advertising has
evolved in regards to philanthropy?
 Clients putting more and more importance
on being philanthropic
 Campaigns that have a giving back or pay it
forward element brings together and benefits
everyone involved
 It is a true sense of community
How do you define social marketing?
 The best way to define it is to actually recite
the official definition:
 “Social marketing seeks to develop and
integrate marketing concepts with other
approaches to influence behaviors that
benefit individuals and communities for the
greater social good.”
What advice do you have for students
interested in social marketing?
 Get involved ad agencies that have
clients who value social marketing and
vice versa
 Leo Burnett partners with clients such as:
 Proctor & Gamble
 Coca Cola
 Kellogg’s
 Miller Coors
 McDonald’s
 And more..
What is the future of social marketing?
 Every product group (i.e. dish detergent) or
service (i.e. cable) will have at least one
option that gives back for the greater good
Questions?