He’s the publicist of publicists. At PR Newswire, Bradley H. Smith helps publicists/marketers to sell whatever it is their selling. And while his title Director of Marketing for Investor Relations & Compliance Solutions might not sound particularly sexy to you, it should if you invest your money in the stock market. He’s the man – the conduit – between you and the companies you own in your portfolio. Those annual reports, stock holder meetings, and e-blasts you receive from Wall Street have been finessed by a professional like Smith (certainly by one who wants to know Smith, if he/she doesn’t already).
Smith knows Wall Street well. Before PR Newswire, he was at NASDAQ for ten years. He set all the strategies in motion for Shareholder.com (acquired by NASDAQ in 2006). Under his marketing leadership, revenue grew to $72 million from $6 million. So what’s his secret? Maybe it has something to do with his earlier years in advertising as a creative director (and photographer!). Not many in his corporate position possess such a sense of humor, at least publicly. His blog iBradley.com features a large photograph of him squinting as if he just bit into a lemon. As he says: “Not all content is pretty. So, what the hell…you may as well be yourself.”