Big Valley Marketing Hires Steve Kerns as Chief Marketing Officer to Fuel Sustained Growth and Visibility for Tech Firm

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Big Valley Marketing today announced the hiring of Steve Kerns as the firm’s first chief marketing officer, a role in which he will be responsible for leading Big Valley’s sales and marketing operations while also serving as a senior consultant to key clients. Kerns will work closely with Founder and CEO Tim Marklein and President Katie Huang Shin to fuel sustained growth for the technology-focused marketing and communications firm, while evangelizing the firm’s point of view on important tech and marketing trends.

Kerns, who will report directly to Huang Shin in his new role, is a 22-year Silicon Valley agency veteran with global client leadership experience across multiple market categories and business growth stages. He joins Big Valley from AxiCom, where he served as executive vice president and managing director for North America for the past two years.

Kerns was previously general manager and senior vice president of WE Communications San Francisco. His previous agency experience includes Text100 and Bite Global (now Archetype), Edelman, FleishmanHillard, SparkPR and Ogilvy Public Relations.

“Steve has unique perspective on what’s right and what’s wrong in the traditional agency landscape, which makes him a valuable addition to our team as we define what’s next,” said Marklein. “Our highly consultative approach starts in the business development process, as we help clients clarify their most critical needs and outcomes – and define the best playbook to achieve those outcomes. Most clients know they need something different, and we plan to continue pushing the envelope with new thinking and new systems.”

Big Valley has increased its revenues by 2.5X over the past two years, providing expert strategy, positioning, research, content, and media services for more than 25 technology companies. The firm is 100 percent focused on technology marketing and communications, working with clients in high-growth markets including software-as-a-service, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, e-commerce, supply chain, mobility and IoT, digital health, fintech and climate tech.

"Big Valley has quietly assembled a distinguished team of experts committed to better technology storytelling, deeper influencer engagement and a much-improved client experience," said Kerns. "The firm’s formula and talent unlock opportunities for clients to generate new results, produce greater harmony across the marketing landscape, and elevate communications’ impact as a business growth function.”

Kerns, who earned a bachelor of arts degree in communication from the University of California, Santa Barbara, is based in San Francisco.

About Big Valley Marketing

Big Valley Marketing helps technology companies improve their marketing and communications. The firm is led by a team of experienced consultants in strategy and positioning, story and content development, media and influencer engagement, digital and social activation, and research and analytics. Since its inception in 2014, Big Valley has worked with pioneering startups and industry leaders to launch businesses, create categories, build brands and grow revenues. Follow us via LinkedIn and Twitter.