About Barri Rafferty

Barri is the CEO of Ketchum’s North American operations and also oversees Ketchum Digital. She has also served as the Director of the New York office and has led Ketchum’s brand marketing and entertainment units as well as its Atlanta and Dallas offices. Barri brings more than 20 years of PR experience leading a wide range of integrated communications, branding initiatives, and corporate reputation campaigns. When she is not managing the Ketchum North American offices, Barri can be found on the sidelines with her husband watching her son and daughter play soccer, volleyball or dance; listening to live music, out with her girlfriends or traveling with family.

Author Archive | Barri Rafferty

Make Your Relationships Count

By on April 16, 2013

We recently held the third installment of panel discussion series, “Real Women Fostering Women’s Leadership,” titled “Make Your Relationships Count.”

I was joined by Carol Brodie, CEO and Creative Director of Rarities Fine Jewelry; Marina Maher, CEO of Marina Maher Communications; and Dawn Robertson, CEO of  Nygard. We discussed a number of topics, from how to make connections both online and offline to how men and women network differently. Please enjoy the following video excerpts from our dialogue.

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Leave the Apologies Behind

By on November 20, 2012

We recently held the second installment of panel discussion series, “Real Women Fostering Women’s Leadership,” titled “Leave the Apologies Behind.”  I was joined by Ellen East, Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications, Time Warner Cable; Erin Ganju, CEO and co-founder of Room to Read; and Lori Klein, Managing Partner, Director, Client Services, Cline Davis & Mann. We discussed a number of topics, from helping women be more persuasive and confident in their language and business, to providing tips on negotiation skills. Please enjoy the following video excerpts from our dialogue. (Please note that you can also view the link to the full hour-long session if you’d like.)

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Personally Navigating Balance

By on October 24, 2012

This fall, I kicked off a series of  panel discussions under the umbrella, “Real Women Fostering Women’s Leadership.” Each of these panels will include accomplished women who are willing to share their insights on how to be successful as women leaders.

My hope in creating this series is to address the various topics that affect women both as they strive to become leaders and for those who already are in leadership positions, whether it be related to balance, negotiating skills, networking and more.

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Did Social Media Enhance or Spoil Olympic Coverage?

By on August 10, 2012

As a brand marketer, I have felt sympathetic to all the criticism via #NBCFail that the network is getting about delaying coverage to prime time. This year we can watch Olympics all day long on NBC, NBC Sports Network and MSNBC as well as view streams of live events on digital platforms. I found myself getting into archery on Saturday afternoon, a sport I would have never sought out before. If it were not for the ad dollars supporting the large crew on the ground, we know this depth of coverage would never be available to us.

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7 Things I Learned Being A Lady Who Lunches

By on May 4, 2012

I am a big believer in breakfast and lunch meetings and that face time results in stronger relationships and better business results.  This past week I had a number of important lunch meetings that reminded me of their power.  Here are a few takeaways

1. Pitching is everyone’s job. Even when you are as famous as Katie Couric no one can pitch your show or be more passionate than you can. Showing up in person signals a commitment to success.  In addition, surrounding yourself with talented producers and promoters that we all want to work with left us wanting more.

2. How one deals with adversity speaks volumes. Lunch with my aunt’s best friend reminded me of the many life lessons of love and respect over time as she shows unbelievable compassion for a husband who can no longer communicate.  Her approach to charity and doing what is right despite the drain on her are so admirable and reinforced for  me the need to make more time to give back.

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Engineering Creativity

By on January 26, 2012

This week, Barri Rafferty, senior partner and director, New York, is blogging from the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

If I could trade jobs with anyone in the world, the CEO of IDEO, Tim Brown, would be high on the list. He runs a global design consultancy that creates products, services, spaces and interactive experiences and says things like, “Design thinking relies on our ability to be intuitive, to recognize patterns, to construct ideas that are emotionally meaningful as well as functional, and to express ourselves through means beyond words or symbols.” That sounds like it has a lot in common with PR!

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World Economic Forum: The Need for Major Change

By on January 25, 2012

This week, Barri Rafferty, senior partner and director, New York, is blogging from the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Going with the flow has become my mantra at Davos. After starting the day with a change of plans when my car got stuck in snow and I unexpectedly met some people who were also attending Davos, I am realizing that the unscripted moments may be the most important ones.

And considering some of the key themes so far at what people are saying is the snowiest Davos ever, staying calm and keeping an open mind is essential. The mood encompasses a pessimistic point of view on the economy and worries that business and government leaders may not have the courage to make the changes needed for real transformation.

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5 Areas Companies Should Behave as Global Citizens

By on January 25, 2012

This week, Barri Rafferty, senior partner and director, New York, is blogging from the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Last night, I attended the opening mission session with founder of the WEF, Klaus Schwab. His speech focused on how companies should behave as global citizens and he laid out five areas of focus:

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Destination: Davos: A Marathon Not A Sprint

By on January 24, 2012

This week, Barri Rafferty, senior partner and director, New York, is blogging from the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

I’ve just arrived in Davos after an overnight flight and a two-and-a-half-hour bus ride. After making a new friend on the bus and checking in to the hotel, the adventure is already underway.

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A New Year’s Resolution to Disconnect for Creativity

By on January 4, 2012

I have read many articles the last few days on resolutions, but two from the New York Times have struck a chord with me in particular.

Nick Bilton resolved to spend 30 minutes a day without his iPhone. The primary rationale that I could relate to was the lack of time to daydream. He quotes neuroscientist Jason Lehrer as saying, “Our brains often needed to become inattentive to figure out complex issues.”

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