Michelle Sullivan

After starting her career in the Boston agency world working with clients like Starbucks and Legal Seafood’s, Michelle Sullivan’s extensive client-side experience managing day-to-day strategic communications including paid, owned and earned media, brand marketing and government relations responsibilities for The Boston Beer Co., a hugely successful, $2 billion operation, give her an outlook and understanding that aligns directly with client-side business needs and expectations.

She is best known for helping Samuel Adams wage the David vs. Goliath craft beer revolution that shook up the entire beer category through a decade-long, highly strategic and widely lauded communications effort. Her proven track record leading many areas of the marketing/communications mix include brand storytelling capability, advertising, media relations, brand positioning, strategic message development, product launches, retail distribution strategies, media buying, digital and social engagement and strategic partnerships that always tie back to ROI to drive brand equity and grow market share.

From 2014-2017, she managed all marketing for the Company’s Flavored Malt Beverage Division (FMB). In this capacity she managed the $350m category-leading Twisted Tea brand, doubling volume through a mix of strategic marketing campaigns to overcome brand challenges with existing consumers and attract new buyers. She also led the highly successful launch of Truly Spiked and Sparkling Water, helping establish a new multi-million case hard seltzer category in the industry and take leadership positions. She drove Twisted Tea and Truly to the number one position nationwide in each of their categories, despite competing against much larger international conglomerates in a hugely competitive retail environment.

Michelle served as a key strategic leader for public relations, marketing, advertising, media placement, and product launches for Samuel Adams from 2000-2014. She coordinated and integrated work across dozens of external agencies aligned behind driving corporate brand objectives, including earning hundreds of millions of dollars in on-message, brand building publicity that drove measurable changes in awareness and brand equity. She has a deep understanding of national and local media and how to turn the press into a powerful ally in shaping consumer perception.

Sullivan has extensive crisis communications experience having managed national product recall campaigns and national consumer boycott mitigation at Boston Beer and for several high-profile agency clients. Additionally, she is a sought-after resource for media relations and interview training for executives, board members and brand spokespeople.

A graduate of Boston University with a BS in Mass Communications, and from executive education programs at Harvard Business School and Kellogg School of Management, Michelle is a 2015 inductee to the “Society of Distinguished Alumni” of Boston University’s College of Communications where she has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in Mass Communications, Marketing and Advertising since 2017.

In addition to her teaching, Sullivan remains a highly sought after consultant and brand partner working with dozens of brands in the past several years including national and international brands such as Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Night Shift Brewing, Athletic Brewing Company, Epicenter Experience and Sullivan’s Brewing Company to name a few.