Jen Crichton

Named one of PRWeek’s 2024 “Women to Watch,” Jen Crichton is an industry leader in positioning corporations and executives as forward-thinking innovators through earned media and digital engagement – from the first Nike+ app to the viral sensation of Pizza Hut’s Hot Dog Bites Crust Pizza – and has counseled numerous organizations on how to authentically amplify purpose-driven initiatives, like the Stacy’s Rise Project grant and mentorship program for women entrepreneurs by the female-founded Stacy’s pita chips and rebranding Aunt Jemima as Pearl Milling Company with a commitment to advance Black women and girls.

 

Jen also excels in driving cultural relevance to reinvigorate iconic brands in creative and engaging ways – whether launching Anheuser-Busch’s Project 12 craft lineup of brewmasters’ fresh takes on Budweiser’s classic recipe; unveiling alarmingly tan actor George Hamilton as KFC’s “Extra Crispy” Colonel; introducing Coca-Cola’s Orange Vanilla flavor to the world; commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award; or getting national coverage for Lay’s potato chips packaging design.

 

A storyteller at heart, Jen’s affinity for strategic earned media relations has allowed her to seamlessly weave a corporate narrative into countless headline-grabbing stories to positively impact an organization’s reputation among consumers, employees and investors alike – pulling back the curtain on Super Bowl ad campaigns for PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company, as well as Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser, Bud Light, Stella Artois, Michelob Ultra, and Shock Top brands; debuting Frito-Lay’s online recipe hub to capitalize on Americans’ pandemic-fueled affinity for home cooking; and spotlighting TGI Fridays’ commitment to year-long Summer Fridays on CBS Sunday Morning to celebrate its singles bar origins amid the struggling casual dining industry. Other top placements have included ABC Nightline and World News Now, USA Today, Live! with Kelly and Michael, Business Insider, NBC Nightly News, Good Morning America, Today Show, New York Times, Associated Press, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Teen Vogue and many more.

 

Throughout her career, Jen has also had the joy of collaborating with a range of professional athletes, sports leagues, foundations, and governing bodies such as MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL, NCAA, MLS, U.S. Soccer, PGA REACH, USGA, the Women’s Sports Foundation, and the HBCU Black College World Series to connect brands directly with fans through earned media, digital content, and experiential activation. She is also the proud recipient of various industry honors – including the coveted Cannes PR Gold and Silver Lions, as well as numerous PR Week Awards, PRSA Silver Anvils and Holmes Report/PRovoke SABRE Awards – for programs such as Budweiser’s campaign to Make MLB Opening Day a Holiday with Hall of Fame Shortstop Ozzie Smith and Papa John’s search and rescue of the beloved 1971 Camaro he sold to open his very first pizza restaurant.

 

A member of DFW WISE (Women in Sports & Events), as well as She Runs It, Jen served as a judge for the PR Week Global Awards in 2021 and has previously volunteered her communications expertise to various non-profit organizations, including Girls in the Game, Gateway PGA REACH Foundation, the Colon Cancer Alliance, March of Dimes, Rebuilding Together, Launch St. Louis, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

 

Jen earned her Bachelor of Arts in business from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, and her Master of Arts in media communications from Webster University in St. Louis, where she wrote her master's thesis on "The Glass Scoreboard: Media Coverage of Women's Sports and its Role in Perpetuating Gender Inequality." (No surprise, one of her personal career highlights was launching the Women’s Professional Soccer league, which – fun fact – featured the silhouette of legendary Mia Hamm as its logo.)