Greg Zimprich was recently named Senior Vice President of Agency Operations and Strategic Insight for St. Paul-based Kohnstamm Communications. Zimprich brings more than 25 years of proven industry experience to the position, including the last 19 years with General Mills. 

As Director of Brand Public Relations for General Mills for the past seven years, he led a nationally recognized team that managed publicity efforts for the company’s 100-plus consumer brands. Zimprich has applied his brand-building PR expertise to leading consumer products like Wheaties, Cheerios, Betty Crocker, Yoplait yogurt and dozens of other household names. During his tenure with the Golden Valley-based food giant, he helped launch more than 100 new products and created a number of nationally recognized marketing capabilities. He is probably best known in the PR industry as a thought leader and pioneer in social media and word of mouth marketing, having transformed the way General Mills brings new products to market.

Zimprich’s innovative work in word of mouth, influencer marketing, crisis communications, sponsorship development and media relations has generated extensive industry recognition. But it was his pioneering work in social media that truly elevated his notoriety and helped position General Mills as one of the first major consumer products companies to embrace a strategic approach to social media marketing. Architected by Zimprich and his team, blog seeding and consumer- influencer networks allowed General Mills brands to effectively foster direct relationships with consumers and key influencers. He also developed and implemented enterprise-wide social media guidelines and training for General Mills employees, and established an effective crisis response platform for its brands.

His efforts have been recognized with more than 50 PR and communication industry awards, including PRSA’s Silver Anvil and Bronze Anvil. His work has been profiled in leading trade publications and in both The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. A native of Faribault, Minn., Zimprich received his undergraduate degree in psychology and public relations from Saint Mary’s University and holds a master’s degree in mass communications from Marquette University. In addition to volunteering with a number of local organizations, he is a frequent guest lecturer at area universities and has coached youth athletics for nearly 20 years.

Kohnstamm Communications was named Boutique Agency of the Year in 2010 by The Holmes Report at its Sabre Awards ceremony in New York City. O’Dwyer’s Public Relations News ranks the firm in its 2012 top 100 list of independent PR agencies and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal ranks the firm 8th in the Twin Cities.

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