Powered Names Aaron Strout Vice President of Marketing

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Powered, a leading provider of social marketing programs that drive measurable business results, today announced the appointment of Aaron Strout as vice president of marketing. Mr. Strout has over 15 years of experience in the online marketing industry, and is a recognized expert in the use of social networks and online communities to deliver positive business impact. In his new role at Powered, Mr. Strout will oversee all aspects of Powered’s marketing strategy and serve as a voice for the company through speaking, blogging, podcasting, and social networking activities.

“From a social marketing perspective, Aaron brings the perfect blend of career experience. He has spent over 10 years as an innovator in digital marketing for top brands and, most recently, has truly immersed himself in the ‘social’ movement,” said Ken Nicolson, CEO of Powered. “We are elated to have Aaron join our team. I believe Aaron’s thought leadership and expertise in social marketing will bring tremendous benefit to Powered and our customers.”

Before joining Powered, Mr. Strout was vice president of social media at Mzinga, a provider of online communities and social networks for businesses such as New York Times Digital, Amazon.com, Ford, MTV and NBC. Aaron led the company’s efforts in leveraging social media and online communities to drive business value, actively using applications such as Plaxo, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, Brightkite, and Seesmic to create awareness and lead generation for Mzinga and its clients. Before joining Mzinga, Mr. Strout worked for nine years in marketing roles at Fidelity Investments’ retail division. Mr. Strout’s work at Fidelity revolved around Web strategy and marketing, as well as the development of interactive and print campaigns, including direct mail, e-mail, banner and print ads, and event marketing.

“Social marketing is dramatically transforming the way brands interact with their customers and Powered’s managed, measurable, and scalable social commerce solutions are the best in the industry for helping brands connect powerfully and effectively with their customers in an engaging, brand-focused environment,” said Mr. Strout. “I can’t wait to start working with the Powered team to bring progressive, socially-based marketing to even more brands worldwide.”

Mr. Strout is also a founding member and former president of the Boston Interactive Media Association (BIMA), as well as a member and former board member of the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX). He was also recently elected an interim board member for the prestigious Social Media Club, where he will be part of a team responsible for creating standards around social media and community. He’s also a very active blogger (http://blog.stroutmeister.com/), twitterer, and social networker.

About Powered

Austin-based Powered is driving the evolution of social marketing with intelligent programs that engage consumers and drive business results. The world's most innovative brands including HP, iVillage, Motorola, RadioShack, and Sony rely on Powered for intelligent social marketing programs that drive sales, build brand loyalty and deliver a significantly higher ROI than other marketing programs. Powered is the only social marketing provider that offers community management, relevant engagement, insightful measurement and dedicated expertise to ensure that clients engage their target audiences, develop sustainable relationships and achieve bottom-line results. For more information, please visit www.powered.com.