Pete Snyder
Encyclopedia
Pete Snyder is an American entrepreneur
, political consultant and marketing executive
who is best known as the founder and CEO of New Media Strategies
, a social media consulting agency that he started in 1999. His company was acquired by Meredith Corporation
in 2007, with Snyder remaining as CEO. The Washington Post
referred to Snyder as a "pioneer in consumer communication," on account of his early entrance into the business of online market research and communications. As of 2011 he is President of the emerging markets group at Meredith Corporation.
and the senior political director for Luntz Research Companies
. He first gained recognition as a pollster to New York City
mayor Rudy Giuliani
during the 1997 mayoral campaign
. Snyder started making frequent appearances on national television networks in the U.S. in 2000, and regularly appears as a conservative commentator and marketing expert on the Fox News Channel
.
, Coca-Cola
, Burger King
, AT&T
, NBC
and Ford
among its clients.
In 2006 Snyder was named a Fortune
Small Business Best Boss. Drawing upon his background in political consulting, Snyder expanded the company by creating a public affairs division, which has included both political and news media clients such as the Fred Thompson presidential campaign
and C-SPAN
.
In January 2007, Snyder sold his interest in New Media Strategies to Meredith Corporation
, continuing his role as CEO. At the time of the acquisition Snyder provisioned for a portion of the proceeds to be set aside in an employee stock pool, which appreciated to $2.5 million and in 2010 was paid out to employees who had remained at the company for three years. The New York Post
described Snyder's profit-sharing arrangement as atypical in the advertising industry, and in an interview with Advertising Age
he was quoted as saying: "this is how it usually goes: A company gets sold, the owners do well, and all the employees get screwed. I wanted to do something really different." In November 2010, he became president of emerging markets group at Meredith, while remaining as CEO of New Media Strategies.
Snyder was named one of "Washington's Tech Titans" by Washingtonian
magazine in 2009 and 2011.
governor Bob McDonnell
named Snyder to the College of William & Mary Board of Visitors. As of 2011, he also serves on the marketing board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
, the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce National Chamber Foundation, and on the Board of Trustees of Cushing Academy
.
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, political consultant and marketing executive
Marketing management
Marketing management is a business discipline which is focused on the practical application of marketing techniques and the management of a firm's marketing resources and activities...
who is best known as the founder and CEO of New Media Strategies
New Media Strategies
New Media Strategies is a company specializing in online intelligence and word-of-mouth marketing based in Arlington, Virginia.- Background :...
, a social media consulting agency that he started in 1999. His company was acquired by Meredith Corporation
Meredith Corporation
The Meredith Corporation is a media conglomerate based in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The company has two divisions, National Media and Local Media.-History:...
in 2007, with Snyder remaining as CEO. The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
referred to Snyder as a "pioneer in consumer communication," on account of his early entrance into the business of online market research and communications. As of 2011 he is President of the emerging markets group at Meredith Corporation.
Political career
Snyder's early career included stints as the director of public affairs at BrabenderCoxBrabenderCox
BrabenderCox is a nationally recognized Republican political consulting firm, with offices in Pittsburgh, PA, Washington, DC and Harrisburg, PA.Founded as BrabenderCox, Inc...
and the senior political director for Luntz Research Companies
Frank Luntz
Frank I. Luntz is an American political consultant and pollster. His most recent work has been with the Fox News Channel as a frequent commentator and analyst, as well as running focus groups after presidential debates...
. He first gained recognition as a pollster to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
mayor Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
during the 1997 mayoral campaign
New York City mayoral election, 1997
The New York City mayoral election of 1997 occurred on Tuesday November 4, 1997, with incumbent Republican mayor Rudy Giuliani soundly defeating Manhattan Borough President and former New York City Council member Ruth Messinger, the Democratic nominee...
. Snyder started making frequent appearances on national television networks in the U.S. in 2000, and regularly appears as a conservative commentator and marketing expert on the Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
.
Business career
Snyder launched New Media Strategies in November 1999 with $150,000 from his own savings, credit cards, and the investments of friends and family, initially running the company from his Capitol Hill apartment. Based on his market research experience, Snyder chose to treat the Internet as "the world's largest focus group," creating the first Internet firm to offer data mining and real-time communications consultation to clients. The company found its earliest success with Hollywood studios, and soon counted The Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, Coca-Cola
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
, Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
, AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
among its clients.
In 2006 Snyder was named a Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
Small Business Best Boss. Drawing upon his background in political consulting, Snyder expanded the company by creating a public affairs division, which has included both political and news media clients such as the Fred Thompson presidential campaign
Fred Thompson presidential campaign, 2008
Fred Thompson was a Republican Party primary candidate to represent his party in the 2008 United States presidential election. Thompson has worked as a lawyer, lobbyist, and character actor, and he represented Tennessee as a Republican in the U.S...
and C-SPAN
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
.
In January 2007, Snyder sold his interest in New Media Strategies to Meredith Corporation
Meredith Corporation
The Meredith Corporation is a media conglomerate based in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The company has two divisions, National Media and Local Media.-History:...
, continuing his role as CEO. At the time of the acquisition Snyder provisioned for a portion of the proceeds to be set aside in an employee stock pool, which appreciated to $2.5 million and in 2010 was paid out to employees who had remained at the company for three years. The New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
described Snyder's profit-sharing arrangement as atypical in the advertising industry, and in an interview with Advertising Age
Advertising Age
Advertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
he was quoted as saying: "this is how it usually goes: A company gets sold, the owners do well, and all the employees get screwed. I wanted to do something really different." In November 2010, he became president of emerging markets group at Meredith, while remaining as CEO of New Media Strategies.
Snyder was named one of "Washington's Tech Titans" by Washingtonian
Washingtonian (magazine)
Washingtonian is a monthly magazine distributed in the Washington, DC area since 1965. The magazine describes itself as "the magazine Washington lives by." The magazine's core focuses are local feature journalism, guide book-style articles, and real estate advice.-Editorial Content:Washingtonian...
magazine in 2009 and 2011.
Other work
In 2011, VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
governor Bob McDonnell
Bob McDonnell
Robert Francis "Bob" McDonnell is an American politician who has been the 71st Governor of Virginia since January 2010. A former lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, McDonnell served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1993 to 2006 and served as Attorney General of Virginia from 2006...
named Snyder to the College of William & Mary Board of Visitors. As of 2011, he also serves on the marketing board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is a private, non-profit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress.-Establishment and overview:...
, the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce National Chamber Foundation, and on the Board of Trustees of Cushing Academy
Cushing Academy
Cushing Academy is a coeducational college preparatory boarding school for grades 9 through 12 plus an optional postgraduate year located in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1865 in fulfilment of a bequest by Thomas Parkman Cushing and opened in 1875, and is sometimes cited as the...
.