An agile marketer with more than four decades of developing successful communications strategies, Judy is experienced across the integrated marketing techniques of advertising, public relations, publicity, promotion, consumer research, community relations, direct marketing, media planning, digital media, and events. After spending 15 years as the principal of Judith Kelly + Associates, Judy is now an independent consultant concentrating on nonprofit organizations in the arts, community development, education, the environment, equity, and social justice.
Judy is astute in defining both audience and message specific to an organization, product, or service. Her analytical skills are precise, and her discipline in creating strategically sound tactics is invaluable to her clients.
In the private sector, Judy worked predominantly with transactional consumer businesses such as restaurants, theaters, theme parks, and hotels. She served as national director of promotion marketing for Pizza Hut, then a division of PepsiCo, where she was responsible for creating programs designed to achieve customer trial and repeat visits. Additionally, she was a member of the new product development team that created one of the industry’s most successful new product introductions. She was vice president, marketing for Ground Round restaurant and managed the successful re-positioning of the 220-unit restaurant chain.
Judy promoted Sandusky, Ohio’s Cedar Point Park to 17 surrounding markets. She worked on Kennywood Park—a Pittsburgh-based amusement attraction—and opened three Marriott properties for Interstate Hotels in Providence, Rhode Island; Syracuse, New York; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She created the “grand hotel” positioning for the historic William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. Additionally, she and her colleagues created promotions to generate ticket sales for touring companies of several productions of the PIttsburgh Broadway Series, including Les Miserables, Cats, Cabaret, Anything Goes, and dozens more.
In the early 1990s Judy served as campaign director for strategy and communications for Tom Murphy’s successful bid (68.5%) for the office of Mayor of PIttsburgh. She served on his senior staff as assistant to the mayor/director of communications, culture, and tourism. She streamlined special events procedures in the City of Pittsburgh; developed strategic partnerships between cultural institutions and sports organizations; brought the New Year’s Eve First Night celebration to Pittsburgh; and served as the spokesperson for Mayor Murphy and 16 City departments. At Mayor Murphy’s request, she headed the nonprofit Pittsburgh Federation for Events & Promotion where she produced special events and programming to create vitality in the city, increasing event attendance by 200%.
Combining her love of books with her communications skills, Judy worked with publishers and individual authors in marketing their books while based in Chicago. She successfully introduced fiction for a small independent publishing house, and presented authors ranging from the late NPR commentator Frank Deford to college guide editor Edward (Ted) Fiske; from Emmy award-winning novelist Michael Malone to Pulitzer Prize-winner Ira Berkow.
Judy has served on a number of boards and commissions, including Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh Film Office, Pittsburgh Folk Festival, Pressley Ridge Schools, Architectural Tourism Initiative, Light the Bridges project, and the Convention Center Needs Assessment Task Force. Additionally, she was a delegate to the White House Conference on Travel & Tourism.
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Have a marketing communications challenge or opportunity you would like to discuss? Give Judy a call!