Michael Monroe to Lead Atlantic Re:think as VP of Marketing

Washington, D.C., and New York, N.Y. (March 23, 2016)—Atlantic Re:think, The Atlantic’s creative marketing group, drove 60 percent of the company’s record-setting advertising revenue in 2015, producing hundreds of pieces of sponsor content for top global brands. Today, The Atlantic’s Senior Vice President and Publisher Hayley Romer announced that Michael Monroe will join The Atlantic as Vice President of Marketing/Head of Re:think. Romer also announced that Sam Rosen, who helped build and lead Re:think into a powerhouse over the past two-and-a-half years, is launching a new initiative responsible for brand engagement and loyalty, while also developing different revenue streams for The Atlantic.

“These moves could not come at a more exciting time, as the need to strategically evolve our team with tremendous talent is greater than ever,” said Romer. “Mike brings incredible creativity, experience, and leadership to Re:think at a moment when we’re continuing to invest in this key part of our company. Sam has been instrumental to the formation of Re:think and to our success as a creative content engine; he brings a deep passion for The Atlantic and brilliant marketing mind to this new role.”

Monroe joins The Atlantic from Forbes, where he has been vice president of marketing— overseeing celebrated custom print and digital campaigns for clients including AT&T and Mercedes-Benz. He first joined Forbes in 2006; from 2010-2013 Monroe was a director of integrated marketing at Condé Nast. Monroe will begin with The Atlantic next month.

In his new role, Rosen will put his marketing experience to use building a new division dedicated to developing novel ways to attract and engage new Atlantic fans, turn existing fans into loyalists, expand the brand’s footprint, and diversify revenue streams. Rosen is also leading the company’s new brand campaign, which is being developed in partnership with Wieden+Kennedy New York. The campaign will launch later this spring.

These moves come as The Atlantic, which last month was named the 2016 Magazine of the Year and to AdAge’s A List, is earning record revenue. The Atlantic grew advertising revenue by 28 percent in 2015; native advertising comprised 60 percent of total ad revenue. Atlantic Re:think has redefined native advertising, be it a live 3D art experience for Qualcomm; a first-of-its-kind printed book on workplace best practices for Xerox; or an immersive exploration of presidential couples for Netflix’s House of Cards. In 2015 Re:think increased native content pieces by 100 percent, with work for Boeing, Cathay Pacific, Allstate, E*TRADE, Finlandia, and more. Engagement is off the charts: Digiday reported that visitors spend an average of more than four minutes with The Atlantic’s native ads.

The New York-based Atlantic Re:think team is overseen by Romer; its Content Director is James Gaines. Bob Cohn and James Bennet are co-presidents of The Atlantic.