SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 03/19/13 -- The Sage Group announced the finalists for Marketers That Matter™, a new award sponsored by The Wall Street Journal that recognizes outstanding marketing executives at the forefront of their field. An elite panel of Council Members from Virgin America, PayPal, YouTube, Workday, Informatica and others narrowed the field of applicants from hundreds to the final 35 marketers that demonstrate proven success in a rapidly changing environment. A panel of judges that includes top executives from Williams-Sonoma, Wells Fargo, LinkedIn, Intuit, Adobe, VMware, Twitter will select the winners based on driving results, leading & inspiring teams, and advancing their profession.

"Across all the applications and interviews, several themes emerged regardless of company size, industry, or customer type," said The Sage Group CEO, Cara France. "At the highest level, best-in-class marketers have a relentless focus on the customer and a unique ability to harness that into innovative approaches that create impressive and measurable results. The Bay Area has always been recognized as being a leader in technology; now it's time to also recognize the area's leadership in marketing."

This advertising initiative was created without the involvement of The Wall Street Journal's news department.

Award Shows Value of Marketers That Matter
Overall, leading-edge marketers put customers at the center, creating and delivering strategies that both push and pull. Externally, they take the time to listen to their customer, craft compelling and relevant messages, and deliver that message through both physical and digital channels. At the same time, they empower their customers as brand advocates, multiplying their marketing dollars and pulling in new customers from effective word-of-mouth. Internally, they turn their entire organizations into extended marketing teams, recognizing how social media has turned every customer encounter into its own marketing channel. Throughout, they embrace and leverage new technologies to create more authentic, collaborative, and personalized experiences for the customer.

Based on the submissions, a clear picture emerged of how marketing is evolving and how top marketers drive engagement and growth that lead to measurable bottom line results. A complete list of finalists can be found at www.marketersthatmatter.com. Some of the finalists include the following innovators:

• Antonio Lucio, Chief Brand Officer, Visa
• Brent Remai, CMO, FireEye
• Francesca Schuler, CMO, BevMo!
• Julie S. Washington, SVP & Chief Brand Officer, Jamba Juice
• Laura Messerschmitt, VP Marketing, Outright, a GoDaddy Co.
• Margit Wennmachers, Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
• Michelle Draper, SVP Marketing, Charles Schwab
• Meredith Hoffer, Director of Marketing, Google Chrome, Google
• Sandra Lopez, Marketing Strategy Director, New Business, Intel

"The marketer's role is more critical than ever to achieving a company's customer experience and business results, and we have more technology, data and innovation than ever before with which to do so. The biggest opportunity and challenge is how to harness all of this to its full potential," said Award Judge Becky Saeger, former CMO of Charles Schwab and member of the Board of Directors at E*Trade. "A Marketer that Matters drives business results with innovative ideas grounded in customer insights, and impeccable execution."

Category Winners
Winners will comprise a large company marketing executive and small company marketing executive for each category. The categories are aligned with today's emerging landscape and include:

• B2B Marketing Executive of the Year
• B2C Marketing Executive of the Year
• Big Data Marketer of the Year
• Customer Engagement Marketer of the Year
• Global Integration Marketer of the Year
• New Channels Marketer of the Year
• Product/Service Marketer of the Year

Awards Gala and Winner Recognition
On April 25, 2013, Bay Area marketing executives and industry leaders will gather to honor the finalists and announce the Marketers that Matter™ award winners. This invitation-only event will recognize and celebrate the contributions of cutting-edge marketers at the Four Seasons Hotel in Palo Alto.

About The Sage Group
The Sage Group provides marketing and business consultants and contractors to leading Bay Area companies. As one of the largest women-owned Bay Area businesses, clients include 50 percent of Silicon Valley's top technology firms, largest banks, and best global brands. For more information, visit www.thesagegroup.com or follow @The_Sage_Group.