Member Since December 2023
Skills
About
Maria Alonso leads Fortune 206´s account management department, creating campaigns and initiatives that engage and empower the community, especially marginalized groups, responding to and resonating with their unique needs and challenges. She’s an accomplished marketing executive with proven success and a passion for leading programs that drive brand growth and enhance customer experiences. She brings diversity, equity and inclusion to the ad agency world, curating campaigns for Fortune 500 clients that include Starbucks, Amazon, and Coca-Cola. Alonso helps brands connect with their audiences by communicating unique narratives and big ideas that stand out in a crowd. She has more than 15 years of experience working with top clients, such as Unilever, T-Mobile, Abbott, Janssen, Novartis, and Jim Beam (US and globally) across a range of categories that include consumer packaged goods, beauty, personal care, infant care, nutrition, OTC health & wellness, and HCP initiatives. She’s worked on Dove’s “Real Women” campaign, created synergy in all digital branding for Starbucks in LATAM, increased 15% of patient (OBGYN) appointments for UWMedicine, and managed to increase diversity by 150% in a local NGO. Maria has been honored as a “Woman of the Week Future for Us,” served as a board member for the American Marketing Association Puget Sound, and speaker on diversity in advertising and multicultural advertising. In addition to her role at Verity, Maria founded a line of handbags, Colibri Handbags, producing one-of-a-kind pieces designed and created by a community of artisans in Chiapas, Mexico. She gives back 30% of all profits to artisan communities in Mexico. Outside of work, Maria enjoys trying new restaurants, traveling, visiting friends and family at home in Mexico, caring for her Bischon frise pup, and continually supporting marginalized communities.
Maria Alonso
Published content
expert panel
Through consistency, authenticity, and valuable content, executives can effectively differentiate themselves and strengthen their influence in the digital space. Showcasing a strong personal brand online can set you apart from other executives and foster valuable connections across industries. But how can you best convey your unique perspective and expertise in a way that resonates with your audience? To help you do this, the members of Fast Company Executive Board share their tried-and-true strategies for building a strong, relatable, and memorable personal brand. From sharing your authentic experiences to engaging in thoughtful conversations, here's how you can stand out from the crowd and strengthen your online influence.
expert panel
When used correctly, consider AI technology as a minor contributor to your daily workflow, not a major threat to your current role. Marketing is all about the creative process of the human mind, but after so many years of coming up with brand campaigns, it's not surprising that new ideas can sometimes grow stale. That's where the evolution of AI tools comes in. Whether companies are using artificial intelligence to gauge a potential customer base or to spark an attention-grabbing subject line in the latest email newsletter, most teams realize the benefits of utilizing AI responsibly to personalize their brand communications and increase their daily productivity with the help of automation. To demonstrate how AI tools have improved their quality of work life and technological mindset, 14 members from Fast Company Executive Board each offer one specific way marketers can treat AI as a "tool in the shed" to support their creative outlet process, not take it away.
article
Eco-conscious branding has evolved from a trend to a core value. Here's how businesses can authentically align with sustainability initiatives.
expert panel
When the going gets tough, these leading experts have had the tenacity to keep it moving through each struggle. Taking on a leadership role in the workplace may seem like a daunting task if you don't have the right mindset. You'll need to address just as many challenges as the wins you celebrate—so it's not a position designed for the faint of heart. If you're feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or underappreciated, it's essential to prioritize what matters most, take a step back, and consider the bigger picture. There is usually a silver lining in most situations. Whether you decide to stay in the game for the long haul and find the best solution, or you're ready to take a risk and consider your next career move, the experts from Fast Company Executive Board describe how they've maintained their own positivity during a difficult time in their career. Below are 20 best practices to help other professionals do the same.
expert panel
Apply these suggestions to strengthen your social media following while remaining authentic and credible. In a digital marketing world, where content is king, one of the biggest challenges YouTubers and podcasters may face is how to keep their channels fresh and interesting. With the potential short attention spans of today's viewers, social media posting is not only about picking the right time and day to share updates with target audience members and current followers—it's also about finding a way to connect with people, authentically, every time you show up. Showing people the real version of you, unfiltered, may captivate them a few minutes longer and encourage them to focus on the message you are trying to convey. You never know whose life you can positively impact by crafting a well-thought-out piece of content that keeps them coming back for more. Suppose you are a content creator trying to grow your audience. In that case, eight leading experts from Fast Company Executive Board have additional ideas to share with you to help boost your brand's authenticity, demonstrate personal influence, and gain even more credibility among your followers.
expert panel
Here's how to elevate your personal brand of social influence in today's digital economy. When American YouTuber and actor Lucas Cruikshank was the first person to reach $1 million subscribers on his Fred channel in the early-to-mid 2000s, it gave potential social entrepreneurs—before anyone truly knew what that title meant—a glimpse of how far engaging content creation could take them. Fast forward to today's competitive marketplace, where everyone is always feeling the pressure to be "on" social media platforms and pair that with an uncertain economy—it takes much more than one's ability to hype up their target base about a product or service. Being comfortable networking with like-minded individuals or brands who are willing to ally will help each stakeholder grow further and faster. In an ever-changing digital space, the best path for social entrepreneurs to make the most impact in their industries—promoting their cause through aligned partnerships—may not be written in stone, however, nine experts from Fast Company Executive Board each share strategies on what is currently working for some of the leading influencers in today's social economy.
Company details
Fortune 206
Company bio
Fortune 206 is a pioneering independent creative agency proudly owned by women of color. Committed to transforming challenges into opportunities, we specialize in guiding our clients through the most demanding business situations. As adept storytellers, our team crafts compelling narratives and bold ideas, enabling our clients to build robust brands and establish meaningful connections with their audiences. Beyond storytelling, we serve as brand architects, delivering innovative designs that not only drive the sale of products and services but also facilitate business growth and future readiness. At Fortune 206, we blend creativity with strategy to create powerful solutions that resonate in a crowded market.