Kerri Allen to Lead INFUSE, Cohn & Wolfe’s Newly Branded Multicultural Division

Communications agency Cohn & Wolfe has launched INFUSE, an expanded and newly branded Latino and multicultural communications practice to help clients better understand specific market segments and reach them in fresh, relevant ways. The branding of the agency’s four-year-old multicultural practice comes in response to growing demand for culturally relevant campaigns and the hiring of Vice President Kerri Allen, who will lead and grow the new practice, reporting to US Consumer Lead Liz Beck.

Cohn & Wolfe INFUSE will provide cross-cultural expertise in branding, community relations, cause marketing, consumer insights and consulting to reach Hispanic, African-American, Asian American and LGBT communities. By utilizing Cohn & Wolfe’s extensive global network of offices — most notably in Asia and Latin America — the INFUSE team will have touch points throughout the world, providing invaluable on-the-ground knowledge sharing. Some of the practice’s newest clients include a major luxury spirits brand, a beloved household food item and a worldwide consumer hygiene brand.

“To effectively communicate with multicultural audiences today, brands must understand and leverage cultural nuance—that is, provide communities and consumers with ‘in-culture’ messages that resonate with their unique experiences and values. Cohn & Wolfe has been successfully doing this for years and bringing Kerri on board to drive the INFUSE brand will give us a strong platform to showcase this market-demanding strength,” says Liz Beck, US Consumer Lead.

Leading the practice is Kerri Allen, who joins Cohn & Wolfe with more than a decade of experience in multicultural communications as a bilingual PR practitioner and globally published journalist. Allen currently sits on the Executive Board of the Hispanic Public Relations Association and formerly served as Chair of PRSA’s Multicultural Communication Section. She was named HPRA’s Member of the Month in October 2011 and Produ.com’s “Mujer de la Semana” (“Woman of the Week”) in April 2010. Prior to Cohn & Wolfe, Allen was the Director of Public Relations for integrated marketing agency Revolución, where she launched the public relations practice, oversaw new business development and management of key accounts including AOL, Ace Hardware, American Heart Association, Casio America and HBO. She is a former fellow of The New York Times Institute for Journalists and a recipient of a Jerome Foundation grant for writing and criticism.

“The latest census data shows that the U.S. is globalizing at breakneck speed, with more than 50% of national births now taking place to ‘minority’ parents. Multicultural is quickly becoming the central core of the U.S. consumer base. This is how businesses will grow and succeed in the years to come,” said Kerri Allen, “Cohn & Wolfe is dedicated to cutting-edge communications and is infusing every aspect of our business with a fresh understanding of America’s changing cross-cultural reality.”